18 Facts About Margaret Giannini

Margaret Joan Giannini was an American physician and a specialist in assistive technology and rehabilitation.

Margaret Giannini was the first director of the National Institute of Disability Rehabilitation Research.

Margaret Giannini was born in Camden, New Jersey, the daughter of Francesco and Rose Antonia Giordano Giannini.

Margaret Giannini attended Camden High School, Boston University and Temple University, and earned her medical degree in 1945 at Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital.

Margaret Giannini served her internship at the New York Medical College, where she became a professor of pediatrics, with an early specialty in pediatric oncology.

Margaret Giannini helped organize and lead the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, and University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service.

Margaret Giannini was president of the American Association on Mental Deficiency, and the American Association of University Affiliate Programs.

Margaret Giannini was inter-regional advisor to the United Nations on disability and technology.

Margaret Giannini appeared in medical videos including The Seattle Foot, Audiology, and Environmental Medicine.

Margaret Giannini co-wrote a manual, Choosing a Wheelchair System.

Margaret Giannini co-wrote the textbooks Neonatal Neurology and Behavioral Neurology in the Elderly.

Margaret Giannini chaired the editorial board of the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development.

Margaret Giannini became director of the National Institute of Handicapped Research in 1980, appointed by Jimmy Carter.

Margaret Giannini retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1991.

Margaret Giannini became Director of the Office on Disability when the office was launched in 2002.

In 1960, Margaret Giannini was named Woman of the Year by the American Women's Medical Association.

Margaret Giannini married fellow physician Louis Joseph Salerno in New York City in 1948.

Margaret Giannini died at home in San Diego, California on November 22,2021, at the age of 100.