Dr. Antonio Terracciano

Dr. Antonio Terracciano received his doctoral degree from the Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli and Università degli Studi di Cagliari. Before joining the Department of Geriatrics, Dr. Terracciano was a staff scientist at the National Institute on Aging, NIH. His research focuses on how psychological traits and genetic factors contribute to physical and mental health across the lifespan. Dr. Terracciano uses longitudinal and cross-cultural methodologies to examine changes in traits with age, from adolescence to older adulthood.

Dr. Terracciano has also led and participated in large collaborative genome-wide association studies to identify common genetic variants associated with personality traits, depression, and cigarette smoking. His research aims to individuate factors that contribute to health and longevity, by reducing health risk behaviors and promoting resilience against diseases of aging, such as Alzheimer’s disease.