About Dr. Toglia

Joan Toglia, Ph.D, OTR/L, FAOTA  has over 40 years of experience in Occupational Therapy, with a specialization in Neuro Rehabilitation and cognitive impairments following acquired brain injury including stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders.   Her advanced graduate and doctoral work in Educational Psychology includes specializations in cognition & learning as well as measurement & evaluation.

Dr. Toglia is internationally recognized as a leader in the rehabilitation of persons with cognitive deficits and has contributed extensively to the field as a clinician, author, educator and researcher. A prolific scholar and educator, she has authored more than 100 publications and delivered over 200 workshops and lectures worldwide, including in Asia, Australia, Canada, Israel, South America, South Africa, and Europe. Topic areas have included assessment and treatment strategies to optimize functional cognition, intervention strategies for those with mild traumatic brain injury or subtle cognitive deficits, self-awareness, functional cognitive performance-based assessments, right hemisphere dysfunction, nonverbal learning disability, spatial neglect, visuospatial deficits, and rehabilitation of executive dysfunction across different ages and diagnostic groups, and cognitive rehabilitation treatment methods.

She is best known for her work on Dynamic Assessment and the MultiContext approach to cognitive rehabilitation. Her research includes metacognitive strategy intervention, or cognitive interventions for promoting self-awareness, strategy use, and generalization; assessment tools; and the relationship between cognitive impairments and occupational performance.

Dr. Toglia has been recognized for her leadership and contributions to Cognitive Rehabilitation Theory and Practice by the American Occupational Therapy Association through the AOTA Award of Merit, the highest Association honor recognizing an occupational therapist (OT) who has demonstrated extensive leadership through sustained and significant contributions to the profession. Past honors also include the AOTA Achievement Award and appointment to the Roster of Fellows of the American Occupational Therapy Association.