Hanna Damasio | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Education | University of Lisbon(MD, 1969) |
| Spouse | Antonio Damasio |
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Cognitive neuroscience |
| Institutions | University of Southern California |
Hanna Damasio is a scientist in the field ofcognitive neuroscience. Usingcomputerized tomography andmagnetic resonance imaging, she has developed methods of investigating human brain structure and studied functions such as language, memory, and emotion, using both thelesion method andfunctional neuroimaging. She is currently a Dana Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center at theUniversity of Southern California.[1]
After obtaining aDoctor of Medicine from theUniversity of Lisbon in 1969, Damasio began her career in academia as an instructor in the Department ofNeurology at theUniversity of Iowa in 1976. She quickly climbed the academic ladder, becoming a professor in the Department ofNeurology in 1985. In addition to academic appointments, Damasio was also employed as the Director of the Laboratory for Neuroimaging and Human Neuroanatomy at theUniversity of Iowa from 1982 to 2004. She continues to serve as a distinguished adjunct professor at theUniversity of Iowa. Currently, Damasio is a Dana Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center at theUniversity of Southern California.[1]
Damasio utilizes brain imaging methods, such ascomputerized tomography andnuclear magnetic resonance, to enhance the diagnoses protocols for diseases that affect the brain.[1] Her current projects include: developing new techniques to investigate brain structure in vivo usingmagnetic resonance, developing new techniques to evaluate experimental results inpositron emission tomography (PET), and investigating the neuroanatomical substrates of language, memory, emotion, and decision-making using thelesion method.[2] Her work has resulted in numerous scientific articles which appeared in leading journals. In 1989, she publishedLesion Analysis in Neuropsychology (Oxford University Press), a classic textbook for which she received the Prize for Outstanding Book of the Year in Bio and Medical Sciences from theAssociation of American Publishers. Her continued interest in human neuroanatomy led her to develop the first atlas of the human brain based on computer tomography images: "Human Brain Anatomy in Computerized Images", also published byOxford University Press. The book is a recognized reference now in its second edition.[1][3][4]
Damasio was awarded thePessoa Prize in 1992 for her contributions in science and literature. She was elected to theAmerican Neurological Association in 1995 and recognized as a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1997. In 2004, she shared the Jean-Louis Signoret Prize incognitive neuroscience for pioneering work insocial cognition. In 2010, she was a co-recipient of the Cozzarelli Prize from theUnited States National Academy of Sciences, attributed to the best article inbehavioral neuroscience published in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2009.[1] In 2011, Hanna Damasio and her husbandAntonio Damasio received honorary doctorate degrees fromEcole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) inSwitzerland for their contributions inneurology. She also holds honorary doctorate degrees from, most recently, the Sorbonne (Université Paris Descartes), theUniversitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, Barcelona),[5] and the Universities of Lisbon and Aachen.[6]
Hanna Damasio is married toAntonio Damasio, aneurologist and expert in the relationship between emotion and cognition, with whom she co-directs theBrain and Creativity Institute (BCI) at theUniversity of Southern California. In her spare time, she is a sculptor.
