Tania Giovannetti, Ph.D.

Email:  tgio@temple.edu
Phone: (215) 204-4296

Interests: The cognitive neuropsychological analysis of various neurological syndromes, including dementia and schizophrenia. I am most interested in how these illnesses influence sequential, object-directed, everyday tasks such as coffee making (i.e., naturalistic action), error detection and correction, and semantic knowledge. The aims of my research are to develop and refine theories of normal cognitive processes, understand how these processes are represented in the brain, and inform rehabilitation therapies for patients with neuropsychological deficits.

Tania Giovannetti, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, with a joint appointment in the Clinical and Cognitive Psychology Programs. Her general research interests lie in cognitive neuropsychology, the study of behavior and cognition and their neurological substrates. Within this field of study, Dr. Giovannetti has explored impaired (and preserved) cognitive operations in various neurological diseases, including dementia and schizophrenia. Her work in this area is focused on understanding the neurocognitive functions recruited for planning and executing everyday tasks such as coffee making (i.e., naturalistic action), semantic knowledge, and error detection and correction. The long-term goals of her research are to develop and refine theories of normal cognitive processes, understand how these processes are represented in the brain, and inform treatments for individuals with cognitive deficits from neurological damage or disease.

Dr. Giovannetti earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Drexel University in 1999. She completed her predoctoral internship at Long Island Jewish Medical Center/Hillside Hospital and from 1999 to 2001 she trained as a NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow in Neurologic Rehabilitation through the University of Pennsylvania and Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute. She has extensive clinical training and experience in neuropsychological assessment, treatment planning, and cognitive rehabilitation with individuals suffering from a range of disorders, including degenerative dementia, stroke, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and others. In 2003 she worked as a clinical neuropsychologist in the Stroke Service of MossRehab Hospital. With respect to teaching, Dr. Giovannetti has taught courses in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology since 2000 as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Neuropsychology Graduate Program at Drexel University.

Dr. Giovannetti is a member of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, International Neuropsychological Society, Psychonomic Society, and American Psychological Association. She also serves on the board of the Philadelphia Neuropsychology Society. Dr. Giovannetti spends her leisure time enjoying the visual and performing arts and studying Than Vo Dao kung fu, a Vietnamese derivative of Chinese style martial arts.