The prize is named for Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute Co-founder David Mahoney.
It honors individuals who have significantly increased public awareness about brain science and disorders of the nervous system.
This fall, we celebrated the 2026 recipient, Mila Mulroney, for her decades of health advocacy and her efforts to advance public awareness of brain health.
Mila Mulroney immigrated to Canada from Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, in 1958 to join her family and her father, Dmitrije Pivnicki, who was pursuing graduate studies in psychiatry at McGill University. Throughout her life, she has distinguished herself through a deep commitment to public service, philanthropy, and community leadership.
While she is widely recognized for the invaluable role she played alongside her late husband, the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, Canada’s 18th Prime Minister, Mulroney has built a remarkable legacy of her own through decades of volunteerism and charitable leadership.
A passionate advocate for children and families, particularly children with disabilities, Mulroney serves on the Board of Cystic Fibrosis Canada, where she has helped raise both national awareness and millions of dollars to support life-changing research. She is also a dedicated volunteer with Chez Doris, Montreal’s only day shelter for women experiencing homelessness or vulnerability. For more than sixteen years, she co-chaired the annual Taste of the Nations Gala, helping raise funds to provide school lunches and after-school mentoring programs for students in more than twenty Montreal schools. Her commitment to education, health care, literacy, and the arts has also been reflected through her service on the boards of Astral Media, Le Cercle Entreprendre, the Foundation for Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, Frontier College (now United for Literacy), and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to Canadian society, Mulroney has received honorary degrees from St. Francis Xavier University, St. Thomas University, and Ontario Tech University.
Today, Mulroney serves as the 11th Chancellor of St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada. In this role, she continues to champion the values of leadership, public service, and education that have defined her life’s work. StFX is also home to the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government, established in honor of her late husband’s enduring legacy. Reflecting Mulroney’s own commitment to expanding opportunities for future leaders, the Institute is home to the Mila Mulroney Chair in Women and Politics and the Mila Mulroney Scholarship for African Nova Scotian and Indigenous students.
Past Recipients
HMNI’s David Mahoney Prize is awarded every two years to individuals who excel at building a bridge between the public and the scientists dedicated to brain research.