As he prepared to retire from Congress in January, he turned his attention both inward — courting Petitgout — and outward, launching a nonprofit to advance brain research. When his father, the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, lay dying from a brain tumor in 2009, he told Patrick that he didn’t have to stay in Congress, that he could find other ways to serve the public.
“My father said I could take satisfaction in what I had accomplished with the passage of the Mental Health Parity Act and that there were other ways to serve and make a difference outside of holding public office that may give me more of a personal life as well,’’ says Kennedy.
Using his family name and his extensive list of contacts, Kennedy, 43, has cofounded an initiative with California businessman and philanthropist Garen Staglin, who has raised millions of dollars for brain research since his son was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
“It’s enormously satisfying,’’ Kennedy says during an interview in Boston. “I feel like I’m still giving back even when I’m no longer in Congress.’’
The new organization, One Mind for Research, aims to hasten cures for neurological disorders by bringing together scientists, policy makers, and advocates to improve funding, awareness, and research of the brain. The project, which held a three-day symposium last month, includes a 10-year campaign to raise $500 million a year from private philanthropy and $1 billion in federal funding.
Kennedy, who in Washington labored in the considerable shadow of his father, calls the new effort his life’s work.
“This I believe, if successful, will be the most important thing I’ve ever done,’’ he says. “Right now I feel like I’m doing what I’m meant to do. This is what gets me feeling I’m using my family legacy to its purpose.’’
