About
Dr. Janne Punski-Hoogervorst, MD, PhD, is a research physician, psychological trauma specialist, and meaning-centered counsellor. She is the founder of the Montreal Center for Logotherapy, where she supports individuals facing grief, trauma, and major life transitions through existentially grounded, value-oriented psychotherapy.
With a background in psychiatry and a doctorate in trauma research, her work bridges neuroscience, clinical care, and logotherapy to explore how people make meaning of suffering, and how that meaning can support healing, resilience, and growth. She is currently affiliated with the Behavioral Neurobiology Lab in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Haifa, where her research focuses on trauma-related neurodysregulation and the role of meaning in recovery.
Research experience
Dr. Punski-Hoogervorst’s academic work is grounded in an interdisciplinary approach that connects psychiatry, neuroscience, occupational therapy, and existential psychology. She completed her PhD in psychological trauma at the University of Haifa in Israel, conducting her research within the Behavioral Neurobiology Lab of the Department of Occupational Therapy.
Her research focuses on the psychobiological effects of trauma and the role of meaning as a protective factor in posttraumatic adaptation. Specifically, she investigates attentional, emotional, and sensory dysregulation in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially those impacted by war, forced migration, and systemic violence. Her studies use a combination of clinical and neurophysiological tools — including electroencephalography (EEG), near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), electrodermal activity (EDA), and facial electromyography (EMG) — to examine how trauma affects self-regulation and daily functioning.
In addition to clinical and physiological data, Dr. Punski also explores the narrative and existential dimensions of trauma, focusing on how survivors and their descendants process moral injury, historical trauma, and identity rupture. Her work includes research with Holocaust survivors, refugees, and individuals impacted by intergenerational trauma.
She is actively involved in international collaborative efforts through the Global Collaboration on Traumatic Stress, where she contributes to theme groups on armed conflict, climate change, and culturally sensitive trauma care. These projects aim to advance research and practice frameworks that are globally relevant, contextually grounded, and ethically informed.
Across all her academic work, Dr. Punski-Hoogervorst remains committed to integrating scientific rigor with human insight, examining how meaning is made in the aftermath of trauma, and how it can serve as a compass for recovery.
To stay up-to-date about her research efforts, please also see ORCID and Google Scholar:
Clinical experience
Dr. Punski-Hoogervorst’s clinical experience began in the Netherlands, where she worked as a nurse assistant in psychogeriatric and psychiatric care settings. She later worked as a social worker for the Salvation Army, supporting individuals living with chronic mental illness, substance use challenges, and housing insecurity.
She completed her MD/MSc at Leiden University, with a clinical focus in adult psychiatry. During her medical training, she rotated through a wide range of disciplines—including psychiatry, internal medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, and primary care—developing a broad understanding of mental and general health across different populations and settings. As part of her medical training, she also gained clinical experience in Suriname, Israel, and the West Bank, where she worked across diverse health systems and patient populations.
Her psychiatric training and clinical work encompassed several areas of specialization:
- Acute psychiatry, including work on closed inpatient wards;
- Consultation-liaison psychiatry, providing care for patients with complex comorbidities in hospital settings;
- Forensic psychiatry, working with individuals involved in the criminal justice system;
- Dual diagnosis care, addressing co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders.
After completing her medical degree, Dr. Punski-Hoogervorst worked as a physician in acute psychiatric settings, followed by roles in community and public health, including medical coordination during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she supported vaccination screening and public health communication initiatives.
In more recent years, her clinical work has focused on meaning-centered therapy, with an emphasis on logotherapy and trauma-informed care. She founded the Montreal Center for Logotherapy to support individuals facing grief, trauma, burnout, identity loss, moral injury, and major life transitions. Her therapeutic approach emphasizes values-based reflection, existential clarity, and the search for meaning as a foundation for recovery.
Leadership roles
Dr. Punski-Hoogervorst’s leadership trajectory began during medical school, where she was actively involved in the European Medical Students’ Association (EMSA). Between 2012 and 2016, she held several roles aimed at advancing health education, cross-cultural dialogue, and human rights in medicine:
- President and Local Coordinator, EMSA-Leiden: in this role, she organized educational and public outreach initiatives, including the Teddy Bear Hospital, Mini-TBH, Beardoctor, the Twinning Project, and Movies & Medicine. She also represented the chapter in international collaborations and exchanges.
- Officer, European Support Division for European Integration: promoting collaboration and dialogue across European medical faculties, with a focus on shared learning and academic mobility.
- Member, European Advocacy Group for Human Rights: advocating for the inclusion of human rights and ethics in medical education across Europe, and supporting policy work on access to care and health equity.
For Dr. Punski’s Dutch medical licensing registration, see the BIG-register:
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