Hanna Damasio facts for kids

Hanna Damasio is a famous scientist who studies the brain. Her field is called cognitive neuroscience, which explores how our brains help us think, learn, and feel.

She uses special tools like computerized tomography (CT scans) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These tools help her look closely at the structure of the human brain. She also studies how different parts of the brain work together for things like language, memory, and emotions. She does this by looking at brain injuries (the lesion method) and by using functional neuroimaging, which shows brain activity.

Currently, Hanna Damasio is a professor of neuroscience at the University of Southern California. She also directs a special center there for studying the brain with imaging.

Career and Research

Hanna Damasio earned her medical degree from the University of Lisbon in 1969. She then started her career in teaching and research in 1976 at the University of Iowa. She quickly became a full professor in the Department of Neurology by 1985.

From 1982 to 2004, she also directed a lab at the University of Iowa. This lab focused on brain imaging and studying the human brain's structure. Even now, she is still a special professor at the University of Iowa. Today, she is a leading professor at the University of Southern California. She also leads the Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center there.

Hanna Damasio uses brain imaging methods, like CT scans and nuclear magnetic resonance (a type of MRI), to help doctors diagnose brain diseases better. Her current projects include:

• Developing new ways to study brain structure using magnetic resonance imaging.
• Creating new methods to understand results from positron emission tomography (PET) scans.
• Investigating which parts of the brain are responsible for language, memory, emotions, and making decisions. She uses the lesion method for this.

Her important work has led to many scientific articles in top journals. In 1989, she published a classic textbook called "Lesion Analysis in Neuropsychology." This book helped many students and scientists. She also created the first atlas (a detailed map) of the human brain using CT images. This book, "Human Brain Anatomy in Computerized Images," is now a widely used reference.

Honors and Awards

Hanna Damasio has received many important awards for her work. In 1992, she won the Pessoa Prize for her great contributions to science and literature.

She was chosen to be a member of the American Neurological Association in 1995. In 1997, she became a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2004, she shared the Jean-Louis Signoret Prize in cognitive neuroscience. This award was for her groundbreaking work in understanding how we think about and interact with others (called social cognition).

In 2010, she received the Cozzarelli Prize from the United States National Academy of Sciences. This award was for one of the best articles in behavioral neuroscience published that year. In 2011, Hanna Damasio and her husband, Antonio Damasio, received special honorary doctorate degrees. These were from a university in Switzerland for their important work in neurology. She also has honorary doctorates from other universities, including the Sorbonne in Paris and the Universities of Lisbon and Aachen.

Personal life

Hanna Damasio is married to Antonio Damasio. He is also a very well-known neurologist who studies how emotions and thinking are connected. Together, they lead the Brain and Creativity Institute (BCI) at the University of Southern California. When she has free time, Hanna Damasio enjoys sculpting.

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."

See also

In Spanish: Hanna Damásio para niños