The Alice and Joseph Brooks International Lecture on the Neurosciences was supported by an endowed fund created at Harvard Medical School in 1984 by Alice and Joseph Brooks and nearly 200 other generous donors they recruited. The Brooks fund supports lectures at Harvard Medical School by international neuroscientists recognized as experts in their fields. The fund also provides fellowships to international scholars working within the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. The intention of both the lecture and fellowship programs is to enhance collegial interaction among Harvard Medical School neuroscientists and their peers around the world.
At the time they created the endowment, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks were noted for their philanthropic support of the arts and health care. Mr. Brooks was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lord & Taylor in New York City. He served in various capacities supporting New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, New York Public Library, the Museum of the City of New York, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Tennis Museum in Newport.
- January 2017: Edvard Moser, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- February 2012: Tobias Bonhoeffer, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology
- February 2009: Dr. Rüdiger Wehner, University of Zurich
- February 2008: Barry Dickson , Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna
- May 2007: Daniel Wolpert, University of Cambridge
- May 2006: Christine Holt, University of Cambridge
- May 2005: Ranulfo Romo, National Autonomous University of Mexico
- May 2004: Arthur Konnerth, Ludwig-Maximillians University
- May 2003: Amiram Grinvald, The Weizmann Institute
- May 2002: Shigetada Nakanishi, Kyoto University
- March 2000: Philippe Ascher, Universitè Pierre et Marie Curie
- May 1998: Wolfhard Almers, University of Heidelberg
- April 1996: Andrew Lumsden, London University
- March 1997: Jeremy Brockes, University College London
- April 1995: Keiji Tanaka, The Institute for Physical & Chemical Research
- March 1994: Friedrich Bonhoeffer, Max-Planck-Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie
- May 1993: Wolfrum Schultz, Universitè de Fribourg Suisse
- March 1992: Sten Grillner, The Nobel Institute for Neurophysiology
- April 1990: Wolf Singer, Max-Planck-Institut für Hirnforschung
- September 1990: Erwin Neher, Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalisch Chemie
- October 1988: Christine Nüsslein-Volhard, Max-Planck-Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie
- October 1987: Michael Berridge, University of Cambridge
- May 1987: Hans Thoenen, Max-Planck-Institut für Phychiatrie
- November 1986: Anders BjorkLund, University of Lund
- October 1985: Martin Raff, University College of London & Albert Aguayo, McGill University