Lisa Genova

Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, she is the New York Times bestselling author of novels Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens, Every Note Played and the nonfiction book Remember: the Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting. Lisa's writing focuses on people living with neurological diseases and disorders who tend to be ignored, feared, or misunderstood, portrayed within a narrative that is accessible to the general public. Through fiction, she is dedicated to describing with passion and accuracy the journeys of those affected by neurological diseases, thereby educating, demystifying, and inspiring support for care and scientific research. She has written about Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, autism, Huntington's disease, and ALS. Her next novel is about a comedian who has bipolar disorder. Still Alice was adapted into a film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, and Hunter Parrish. Julianne Moore won the 2015 Best Actress Oscar for her role as Alice Howland. Film adaptations for Inside the O’Briens and Every Note Played are in production. In 2015, Lisa was named one of the U.S. Top 50 Influencers in Aging. She received The Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, the Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award, The Global Genes RARE Champions of Hope Award, and The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Media Award for Informing the Public about Treatment and Ongoing Research in Medical Illness. In 2016, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bates College, The Alzheimer's Association's Rita Hayworth Award, and The Huntington’s Disease Society of America Community Awareness Award. Her 2017 TED talk, What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer’s, has been viewed over 5 million times. Her 2021 TED talk, How Memory Works and Why Forgetting is Totally Okay, was viewed over one million times in its first month.

Brain health; Story as a vehicle for empathy and conversation that fuels social change

You're going to be dead someday. Do it now.

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