Vanessa Giffoni M N P Peixoto, MD, MSc
PhD Student
Vanessa is a Geriatrician in Brazil and a fourth-year doctoral student in the Psychobiology program at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil. Her PhD studies focus on understanding how older adults’ cognition is affected after COVID-19 infection. At MAPP, she is engaged in the Portuguese branch of the Boston Latino Aging Study. In her free time, she loves dancing ballet, going to the Catholic church, and traveling with her family.
Liana Mendes Santos, PhD
Researcher
Dr. Mendes Santos joined the MAPP in June 2023. She is bilingual (Portuguese and English). She completed her doctoral degree in Neuropsychiatric and Behavioral Science at the Federal University of Pernambuco – Brazil, and her postdoctoral training in Clinical Neuropsychology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro – Brazil. After her postdoctoral internship, Dr. Mendes Santos worked as a research consultant for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) – World Health Organization (WHO) at the Ministry of Health of Brazil. Her research interests focus on aging, neuropsychological assessment in Latinos and Alzheimer’s Disease. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, baking, and traveling.
