Hanna Damasio is a scientist in the field of

cognitive neuroscience Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific field that is concerned with the study of the Biology, biological processes and aspects that underlie cognition, with a specific focus on the neural connections in the brain which are involved in mental ...

. Using

computerized tomography A computed tomography scan (CT scan), formerly called computed axial tomography scan (CAT scan), is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers or ...

and

magnetic resonance imaging Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and ...

, she has developed methods of investigating human brain structure and studied functions such as language, memory, and emotion, using both the

lesion A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by injury or diseases. The term ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin meaning "injury". Lesions may occur in both plants and animals. Types There is no de ...

method and

functional neuroimaging Functional neuroimaging is the use of neuroimaging technology to measure an aspect of brain function, often with a view to understanding the relationship between activity in certain brain areas and specific mental functions. It is primarily used a ...

. She is currently a Dana Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Career and research

After obtaining a

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

from the

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; ) is a public university, public research university in Lisbon, and Portugal's largest university. It was founded in 1911, but the university's present structure dates to the 2013 merger of the former Universit ...

in 1969, Hanna Damasio began her career in academia as an instructor in the Department of

Neurology Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine) , medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous syst ...

at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

in 1976. She quickly climbed the academic ladder, becoming a professor in the Department of

in 1985. In addition to academic appointments, Hanna Damasio was also employed as the Director of the Laboratory for Neuroimaging and Human Neuroanatomy at the

from 1982 to 2004. She continues to serve as a distinguished adjunct professor at the

. Currently, Hanna Damasio is a Dana Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center at the

. Hanna Damasio utilizes brain imaging methods, such as

and

nuclear magnetic resonance Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a physical phenomenon in which nuclei in a strong constant magnetic field are disturbed by a weak oscillating magnetic field (in the near field) and respond by producing an electromagnetic signal with a ...

, to enhance the diagnoses protocols for diseases that affect the brain. Her current projects include: developing new techniques to investigate brain structure in vivo using magnetic resonance, developing new techniques to evaluate experimental results in

positron emission tomography Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging technique that uses radioactive substances known as radiotracers to visualize and measure changes in metabolic processes, and in other physiological activities including blood flow, r ...

(PET), and investigating the neuroanatomical substrates of language, memory, emotion, and decision-making using the

method. Her work has resulted in numerous scientific articles which appeared in leading journals. In 1989, she published ''Lesion Analysis in Neuropsychology'' (

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

), a classic textbook for which she received the Prize for Outstanding Book of the Year in Bio and Medical Sciences from the

Association of American Publishers The Association of American Publishers (AAP) is the national trade association of the American book publishing industry. AAP lobbies for book, journal and education publishers in the United States. AAP members include most of the major commercial ...

. 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 by

. The book is a recognized reference now in its second edition.

Honors and awards

Hanna Damasio was awarded the Pessoa Prize in 1992 for her significant contributions in science and literature. She was elected to the

American Neurological Association The American Neurological Association (ANA) is a professional society of academic neurologists and neuroscientists devoted to advancing the goals of academic neurology; to training and educating neurologists and other physicians in the neurologic ...

in 1995 and recognized as a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1997. In 2004, she shared the Jean-Louis Signoret Prize in

for pioneering work in social cognition. In 2010, she was a co-recipient of the Cozzarelli Prize from the

United States National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

, attributed to the best article in

behavioral neuroscience Behavioral neuroscience, also known as biological psychology, biopsychology, or psychobiology,Psychobi ...

published in the

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America'' (often abbreviated ''PNAS'' or ''PNAS USA'') is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journal. It is the official journal of the National Academy of Scie ...

in 2009. In 2011, Hanna Damasio and her husband

Antonio Damasio Antonio Damasio (; born 25 February 1944) is a Portuguese neuroscientist. He is currently the David Dornsife Chair in Neuroscience, as well as Professor of Psychology, Philosophy, and Neurology, at the University of Southern California, and, add ...

received honorary doctorate degrees from Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

for their contributions in

neurology Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine) , medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous syst ...

. She also holds honorary doctorate degrees from, most recently, the Sorbonne ( Université Paris Descartes), the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, Barcelona), and the Universities of Lisbon and Aachen.

Personal life

Hanna Damasio is married to

, an internationally renowned

neurologist Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous system, which comprises the brain, the ...

and expert in the relationship between emotion and cognition, with whom she co-directs the Brain and Creativity Institute (BCI) at the

. In her rare spare time she is a sculptor.

Quotes

* "The case for women in science and medicine has been made and won." * "This has had a truly liberating effect. It allows us to behave toward each other as colleagues, regardless of gender, and to expect the same opportunities and the same behavior."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Damasio, Hanna Living people Portuguese women scientists Portuguese neuroscientists Portuguese women neuroscientists American neurologists Women neurologists University of Southern California people American women neuroscientists American neuroscientists 1942 births University of Lisbon alumni University of Iowa faculty Tomography Pessoa Prize winners Portuguese psychologists Portuguese women psychologists American women academics 21st-century American women