Dr. Farzin Irani
Ph. D.
Dr. Irani initially obtained a Master of Science in Counseling and Human Relations (Secondary School Counseling) from Villanova University. She subsequently received a Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (Neuropsychology track) from Drexel University after completing a Pre-doctoral Clinical Internship at Brown University. She then completed two Post-Doctoral Fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania involving Clinical Neuropsychology and advanced research training supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH T32 Institutional National Research Service Award). Prior to joining the faculty, she was also an Adjunct Professor at Drexel University and has previously taught diverse groups of high school, post-baccalaureate, undergraduate and graduate students.
Dr. Irani teaches graduate courses such as Biological Basis of Behavior, Neuropsychological Assessment, Psychometrics, Professional Issues and Ethics and Diversity.
Dr. Irani’s clinical research interests are in understanding brain-behavior relationships across the lifespan in diverse populations. Her work has integrated traditional and computerized neuropsychological assessment with neuroimaging methods in order to ultimately improve social and functional outcomes for individuals with brain disorders such as schizophrenia. Her program of research has also focused on understanding the impact of aging on neurocognition (e.g. memory) and social cognition (e.g. affect perception) in diverse groups. Her research and training has been funded by grants and awards from government (NIH, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Pennsylvania Department of Education) and non-government sources (American Psychological Association, Drexel University, Brown University, Private Industry Council of Philadelphia).
Dr. Irani is a licensed psychologist who has a private practice in clinical neuropsychology. She also actively serves on the boards of the Philadelphia Neuropsychology Society and the National Academy of Neuropsychology Diversity Committee.
Biological Basis of Behavior
Diversity
Neuropsychological Assessment
Professional Issues and Ethics
Psychometrics
Neuropsychology, Brain Imaging, Social Cognition/Emotion Processing, Self-Processing, Aging, Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis, Diversity
PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES
- Da Silva, F.N., Irani, F., Richard, J., Brensinger, C.M., Bilker, W.B., Gur, R.E. & Gur, R.C. (2012). More than just tapping: Index finger-tapping measures procedural learning in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, in press [e-pub ahead of print].
- Irani, F., Seligman, S., Kamath, V., Kohler C. & Gur, R.C. (2012). A meta-analysis of emotion perception and functional outcomes in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, in press [e-pub ahead of print].
- Irani, F., Brensinger, C.M., Richard, J., Calkins, M.E., Moberg, P.J., Bilker, W.B., Gur, R.E., & Gur, R.C. (2012). Computerized Neurocognitive Test Performance in Schizophrenia: A Lifespan Analysis. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(1), 41-52.
- Gur, R.C., Irani, F., Seligman, S., Calkins, M., Richard, J. & Gur, R.E. (2011). Challenges and Opportunities for Genomic Developmental Neuropsychology: Examples from the Penn-Drexel Collaborative Battery. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 25, 1029-41.
- Irani, F., Kalkstein, S., Moberg, E. & Moberg, P.J. (2010). Neuropsychological Performance in Older Patients with Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analysis of Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Studies. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 37, 1318-26.
- Romero, H., Lageman, S., Kamath, V., Irani, F., Sim, A., Surez, P., Manly, J., & Attix, D. (2010). Proceedings of the Challenges in the Neuropsychological Assessment of Ethnic Minorities: Problem Solving Summit. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 23, 761-779.
- Irani, F., Sweet, L., Haley, A., Gunstad, J., Jerskey, B., Mulligan, R.C., Jefferson, A., Poppas, A., & Cohen, R. (2009). An fMRI Study of Verbal Working Memory, Cardiac Output, and Ejection Fraction in Elderly Patients with Cardiovascular Disease. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 3, 350-357.
- Irani, F. (2008). A search for autoprosopagnosia in schizophrenia. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.
- Koffler, S.P., Hampstead, B.M., Irani, F., Tinker, J., Kiefer, R.T., Rohr, P., & Schwartzman, R.J. (2007). The neurocognitive effects of 5 day anesthetic ketamine for the treatment of refractory complex regional pain syndrome. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 22, 719-729.
- Irani, F., Platek, S.M., Panyavin, I., Calkins, M.E., Kohler, C., Siegel, S.J., Schachter, M.C., Gur, R.E. & Gur, R.C. (2007). Self-face recognition and theory of mind in patients with schizophrenia and their first degree relatives. Schizophrenia Research, 88, 151-160.
- Irani, F., Platek, S.M., Bunce, S., Ruocco, A.C. & Chute, D. (2007). Applications of functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to neurobehavioral disorders. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 21, 9-27.
- Siegel, S.J., Irani, F., Brensinger, C., Kohler, C., Bilker, W., Ragland, J.D., Kanes, S.J., Gur, R.C. & Gur, R.E. (2006). Prognostic variables at intake and 3 year level of function in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 433-41.
- Irani, F. & Siegel, S.J. (2006). Predicting Outcome in Schizophrenia, Psychiatric Times, 23, 69-70.
- Irani, F., Dankert, M., & Siegel, S.J. (2004). Patient and family attitudes towards schizophrenia treatment. Current Psychiatry Reports, 6, 283-288.
- Irani, F., Dankert, M., Brensinger, C., Bilker, W., Nair, S., Kohler, C., Kanes, S.J., Turetsky, B., Moberg, P., Ragland, J.D, Gur, R.C., Gur, R.E. & Siegel, S.J. (2004). Patient attitudes towards surgically-implantable, long-term delivery of psychiatric medicine. Neuropsychopharmacology, 29, 960-968.
- Ralph, M.R., Ko, C.H., Antoniadis, E.A., Seco, P., Irani, F., Presta, C. & McDonald, R.J. (2002). The significance of circadian phase for performance on a reward-based learning task in hamsters. Behavioural Brain Research, 136, 179-184.
ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRIES, BOOK CHAPTERS AND REVIEWS
- Irani, F. (2010). Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy. In Cohen, R., & Sweet, L. (Eds.), Brain Imaging in Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience and Behavior (93-103). New York: Springer.
- Irani, F. (2010). Cardiac Output and Ejection Fraction: Impact on Structure and Function. In Cohen, R. & Gunstad, J. (Eds.), Cardiovascular Disease and Neuropsychology (233-239). New York: Oxford University Press.
- Irani, F. (2010). Judgement of Line Orientation. In Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., & Caplan, B. (Eds.), Encylopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. New York: Springer.
- Irani, F. (2010). Nystagmus. In Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., & Caplan, B. (Eds.), Encylopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. New York: Springer.
- Irani, F. (2010). Visual-spatial ability. In Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., & Caplan, B. (Eds.), Encylopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. New York: Springer.
- Irani, F. (2010). Visuoperceptual ability. In Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., & Caplan, B. (Eds.), Encylopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. New York: Springer.
- Irani, F., & Kalkstein, S. (2010). Catatonia. In Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., & Caplan, B., Encylopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. New York: Springer.
- Irani, F., & Libon, D. (2010). Confabulation. In Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., & Caplan, B., Encylopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. New York: Springer.
- Irani, F. & Ruocco, A.C. (2010). Delusion. In Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., & Caplan, B., Encylopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. New York: Springer.
- Garrett, K., Irani, F., Libon, D.J. & Swenson, R. (2010). The Kluver-Bucy or Temporal Lobe Syndrome. In Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., & Caplan, B., Encylopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. New York: Springer.
- Gur, R.C., Levin, S., Irani, F., Panyavin, I. & Platek, S.M. (2006). Sex differences in spatial cognition. In S. M. Platek, J. P. Keenan, and T. K. Shackelford (Eds.),Evolutionary cognitive neuroscience. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
- Irani, F. (2001). A school counselor’s guide to understanding and fostering resilience in at-risk children and youth. Concept – Graduate Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 25, 99-112.