Lisa Genova (born November 22, 1970) is an American

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, neural circuits, and glial ...

and author. She

self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pri ...

her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

'' Still Alice'' (2007), about a

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

professor who suffers early onset

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

. The book gained popularity and was acquired by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...

; it was published in January 2009 by Pocket Books (now Gallery Books). There are over 2.6 million copies in print, and it has been translated into 37 languages. It was chosen as one of the thirty titles for World Book Night 2013. The book was adapted into a film in 2014 and won the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year ...

for

Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent films, ...

's highly acclaimed performance as Alice Howland. Genova has written fiction about characters dealing with

neurological disorder A neurological disorder is any disorder of the nervous system. Structural, biochemical or electrical abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord or other nerves can result in a range of symptoms. Examples of symptoms include paralysis, muscle weakn ...

Gallery Books Gallery Publishing Group is a general interest publisher and a division of Simon & Schuster which houses the imprints Gallery Books, Pocket Books, Scout Press, Gallery 13, and Saga Press. Jen Bergstrom is the Senior Vice President and Publisher. ...

published her next three novels, ''Left Neglected'', ''Love Anthony'', and ''Inside the O'Briens'', all ''New York Times'' bestsellers.

Life and science career

Genova graduated

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA) ...

, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

with a BS degree in biopsychology, and in 1998 she received a PhD in

neuroscience Neuroscience is the science, scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a Multidisciplinary approach, multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, an ...

from Harvard University. She did research at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the third oldest general hospital in the United Stat ...

East,

Yale Medical School The Yale School of Medicine is the graduate medical school at Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. The primary te ...

McLean Hospital McLean Hospital () (formerly known as Somerville Asylum and Charlestown Asylum) is a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. It is noted for its clinical staff expertise and neuroscience research and is also known for the large number of ...

, and the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the lat ...

. Genova taught

neuroanatomy Neuroanatomy is the study of the structure and organization of the nervous system. In contrast to animals with radial symmetry, whose nervous system consists of a distributed network of cells, animals with bilateral symmetry have segregated, defi ...

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is cons ...

fall 1996.

Literary and related career

''Still Alice''

Her first novel was ''Still Alice'' (2007), about a woman who suffers early-onset

. The central character, Alice Howland, is a 50-year-old

cognitive psychology Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of mental processes such as attention, language use, memory, perception, problem solving, creativity, and reasoning. Cognitive psychology originated in the 1960s in a break from behaviorism, which ...

professor at Harvard and a world-renowned linguistics expert. She is married to an equally successful husband, and they have three grown children. The disease takes hold swiftly, and it changes Alice's relationship with her family and the world. Genova self-published the book in 2007 with

iUniverse iUniverse, founded in October 1999, is an American self-publishing company based in Bloomington, Indiana.Kevin Abourezk"iUniverse to move to Indiana" incoln Journal Star, January 22, 2008 History iUniverse focuses on print-on-demand self-pub ...

. The book was later acquired by

and published in January 2009 by Pocket Books (now

). It was on ''The New York Times'' best seller list for more than 59 weeks. There are over 2.6 million copies in print, and it has been translated into 37 languages. The book was later adapted for the stage by Christine Mary Dunford for the

Lookingglass Theatre Company Lookingglass Theatre Company is a non-profit theater company in Chicago, Illinois. History Lookingglass was founded in 1988 by David Schwimmer, David Catlin, Eva Barr, Thom Cox, Lawrence DiStasi, Joy Gregory, David Kersnar, and Andy White. The co ...

in Chicago. The play was produced from April 10 – May 19, 2013. Neon Park Productions and

Killer Films Killer Films is a New York City-based independent film production company founded by movie producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler in 1995. The company has produced a number of the most acclaimed American independent films over the past tw ...

produced a film adaptation of '' Still Alice'' in 2014, starring

as Alice, and co-starring

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nic ...

Kristen Stewart Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2012, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Aca ...

, and

Kate Bosworth Catherine Anne Bosworth (born January 2, 1983) is an American actress. Following minor roles in the films '' The Horse Whisperer'' (1998) and ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), she rose to prominence with her role as a young surfer in the box-offi ...

. Moore won an Academy Award for Best Actress at the

87th Academy Awards The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2014 and took place on February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 ...

for her role.

''Left Neglected''

''Left Neglected'' (2011) tells the story of a woman who suffers from left neglect (also called hemispatial or unilateral neglect), caused by a traumatic brain injury. As she struggles to recover, she learns that she must embrace a simpler life. She begins to heal when she attends to elements left neglected in herself, her family, and the world around her. It was a ''New York Times'' bestseller, the #1 Indie Next Pick for January 2011, the Borders "Book You’ll Love" for January 2011, and the #4 Indie Reading Group Pick for summer 2011. Left Neglected was chosen by the Richard and Judy bookclub in the UK.

''Love Anthony''

''Love Anthony'' her third ''New York Times'' bestseller was published by Gallery Books in September 2012; the main character is Anthony, a nonverbal boy with autism. This story goes inside the mind of autism and how he affects two women. An October 2012 Indie Next pick and a People Magazine Great Read.

''Inside the O'Briens''

''Inside the O'Briens'' was published by Gallery Books in April 2015. It focuses on members of the O'Brien family, several of whom have inherited

Huntington's disease Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is a neurodegenerative disease that is mostly inherited. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental abilities. A general lack of coordination and an uns ...

, and how the disease affects their lives and relationships. It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction in 2015. It was a #1 hardcover fiction title in Canada and a ''New York Times'' bestseller.

''Every Note Played''

''Every Note Played'' is Genova's fifth novel and was released in March 2018. It follows the main character, a pianist by trade, as he discovers and lives with a diagnosis of ALS.

Audiobooks

* 2009: ''Still Alice'' (

Audible Audible may refer to: * Audible (service), an online audiobook store * Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks * ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player * Audible finish or ru ...

, read by Lisa Genova) * 2015: "Inside the O'Briens (

, read by Skipp Suddwith) * 2018: ''Every Note Played'' (

afterword An afterword is a literary device that is often found at the end of a piece of literature. It generally covers the story of how the book came into being, or of how the idea for the book was developed. An afterword may be written by someone other ...

read by Lisa Genova) * 2021: ''Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting (''

, read by Lisa Genova )

TV and film

Since her first novel was published, Genova has become a professional speaker about Alzheimer's disease. She has been a guest on ''

The TODAY Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...

,'' ''

Dr. Oz Mehmet Cengiz Öz (; born June 11, 1960), known professionally as Dr. Oz (), is an Turkish American former professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Columbia University, television presenter, author and former political candidate. The son of Tur ...

,'' '' CNN,'' ''

PBS News Hour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events. Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the progr ...

,'' and the ''

Diane Rehm Show ''The Diane Rehm Show'' was a call-in show based in the United States that aired nationally on NPR (National Public Radio). In October 2007, ''The Diane Rehm Show'' was named to the Audience Research Analysis list of the top ten most powerful nat ...

.'' She appeared in the documentary film '' To Not Fade Away.'' It is a follow-up to the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning film, ''Not Fade Away'' (2009), about Marie Vitale, a woman who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at the age of 45.

Awards and honors

On April 23, 2015, it was announced that Genova will receive the third annual Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, an award "recognizing a contemporary storyteller whose work has had a significant impact on the public dialogue". The award is bestowed by the

Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy The Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University Salve Regina University is a private Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy an ...

Salve Regina University Salve Regina University is a private Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The university enrolls m ...

. Genova was also awarded with the Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award, which recognizes individuals whose actions have promoted greater understanding of Alzheimer's and its effects on diagnosed individuals, families and caregivers. She received the Abe Burrows Entertainment Award for the film ''Still Alice'',

Global Genes Global Genes is a global non-profit advocacy organization for individuals and families fighting rare and genetic diseases. The organization is associated with a blue denim "Genes Ribbon" that is intended to raise awareness of patients affected by r ...

- Fourth Annual RARE Champions of Hope Award, Bates College Sesquicentennial Award and the

American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Founded in 1961, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) is a professional organization of leading brain and behavior scientists. The principal functions of the college are research and education. Their goals in research are to offe ...

Media Award for Informing the Public about Treatment and Ongoing Research in Medical Illness. The

Alzheimer's Association The Alzheimer's Association was founded by Jerome H. Stone with the help of several family members in Chicago, Illinois, and incorporated on April 10, 1980, as the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc. It is a non-profit Ame ...

awarded Genova the Rita Hayworth Award on May 7, 2016. Genova was awarded an honorary degree from Bates College, in

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

on May 29, 2016.

Personal life

Genova was married and had a daughter in the year 2000. She started writing full-time in 2004 following her divorce.

References

External links

* *
Simon & Schuster Author Page

Lisa Genova interviewed on ''Conversations from Penn State''

Lisa Genova's Official Wattpad Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Genova, Lisa 1970 births 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American neuroscientists American writers of Italian descent American women academics American women neuroscientists American women novelists American women scientists Bates College alumni Harvard Medical School faculty Harvard University alumni Living people McLean Hospital people Novelists from Massachusetts