Tania Giovannetti, Ph.D., ABPP-CN

Tania is a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Temple University and a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist. Her research seeks to understand how brain aging and disease affect everyday functioning. Using performance-based assessments, virtual reality, and digital technologies, her laboratory develops innovative methods to measure everyday cognition and function in real-world settings, with the goal of improving the detection and treatment of age-related cognitive disorders. She works closely with community organizations throughout Philadelphia to advance research that addresses the needs of older adults and strengthen services that support healthy aging, independence, and quality of life. Outside the lab she enjoys exploring Philadelphia’s art and food scene with family and friends.

tgio@temple.edu

Amanda Nichols

Amanda is the lab’s clinical research coordinator and a second-year master’s student studying Health Data Science. Her research interests include social determinants of health, neuroimaging, and psychiatric disorders. She previously studied Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, minoring in Neuroscience and Studio Arts. In her free time, Amanda enjoys drawing/painting, cooking, listening to music, playing/watching basketball (Go Sixers!), and hanging with her two cats, Cleo and Jinx. 

amandagnichols@temple.edu

Sophia Holmqvist, M.A.

Sophia is sixth-year doctoral student currently on internship at UCSD/VA San Diego . Her research interests include examining relations among neuroimaging/biomarkers, culturally sensitive measures of cognition and function, and data derived from novel technologies (i.e., wearables) to inform cognitive decline risk and detection in older adults. In her free time, Sophia loves hiking, anything involving the outdoors, painting, and exploring the great food in Philly!

sophia.holmqvist@temple.edu

Kimberly Halberstadter, M.A.

Kimberly is a fourth-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program. Her research interests include investigating the roles of cognitive functioning and psychological well-being in everyday task performance and quality of life. Specifically, she is interested in how this information can be used to improve methods for early detection and intervention for people at risk for dementia, using novel technologies for such efforts. In her free time, Kimberly loves to cook and explore Philly’s robust food scene, read, and spend time with her Maine Coon Luna

Kimberly.halberstadter@temple.edu

Moira McKniff, M.A.

Moira is a fourth-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program. She went to Temple University for undergraduate (Class of 2020) with a degree in Psychology and minor in Cognitive Neuroscience. Her research interests include testing novel technology to assess and detect subtle difficulties in functional and cognitive impairment, and understanding how immigration, acculturation, and learning a second language affects memory, cognition, and neuropsychological test performance. In her spare time, Moira enjoys traveling to new places, running, reading, painting, and cooking.

moira.mckniff@temple.edu

Gladiliz Rivera-Delpín, M.A.

Gladiliz is a first-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program. She earned her master’s degree in Academic and Research Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico, where her thesis examined bilingualism as a potential protective factor in Alzheimer’s disease. Her research interests include everyday functioning, bilingualism and cognitive reserve, and the sociocultural and contextual factors that influence cognitive health among Hispanic and Latino older adults. In her spare time, Gladiliz enjoys learning languages, painting, listening to Bad Bunny, and spending time with her two cats, Akira and Azula.

griveradelpin@temple.edu

Sophia DiConza

Sophia is a second-year master’s student in the Temple University neuroscience program.  She earned her bachelor’s of science in psychology and a minor in biology from Fairfield University.  Sophia’s research interests revolve around the building of patient profiles that can predict future pathological cognitive aging.  In her free time, Sophia enjoys reading, exploring Philadelphia with her friends, and playing the viola. 

Sophia.diconza@temple.edu

Shrey Patel

Shrey is a junior in neuroscience on the pre-med track and wants to become an MD-PhD in neurosurgery with an emphasis on applications of neuroscience in everyday adults. His research interests include the effect of memory on neurodegenerative diseases in the geriatric population. He is currently leading a research project that validates online assessment scores against manually administered test scores, examining how these measures relate to older adults’ self-perceived motor and cognitive deficits and their performance on functional accomplishment tasks.

Nico Vorkunova

Nico is a pre-med junior neuroscience major with a psychology minor and aspires to be a psychiatrist. Their research interests involve both geriatric and pediatric cognitive health, with an emphasis on early prevention strategies. Along with this lab, their research experience includes conflicts of interest in pediatric psychiatry as an intern for Geisinger College of Health Sciences. Outside of lab, they volunteer at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in patient care, serve as a volunteer crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line, and lead Broad Street Line A Cappella as their music director.

Medina Hucks-Gonsalves

Medina is a Phi Theta Kappa member, a Catto Scholar and graduated from Community College of Philadelphia Summa Cum Laude with an Associate Degree in Psychology. Currently, Medina is a senior psychology major, minoring in Cognitive Neuroscience at Temple University where she is a member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. Her interests lie at the intersections of psychology, neuroscience, and cognition and she hopes to specialize her focus with research. She is passionate about investigating the neurobiological processes that underpin trauma, with a particular interest in grief, and how these circumstances influence cognition. Knowing biology is the basis of behavior, Medina’s goal is to gain a deeper understanding about the effects of events by investigating these experiences at their most rudimentary levels. Outside of Medina’s research and psych/neuro interests, she loves traveling, anything labeled “adventure”, and football. GO BIRDS!