Re-Imagining Health Through the Arts
NYU Steinhardt is proud to host the second annual symposium with the Jameel Arts & Health Lab as part of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Healing Arts Week on Monday, September 22, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The World Health Organization reminds us that health is not only the absence of illness but the integration of physical, mental, and social well-being—a vision incomplete without the arts. At a moment when empathy, scientific integrity, and human dignity feel increasingly fragile, the arts offer vital nourishment: challenging assumptions, strengthening resilience, and cultivating compassionate, connected communities.
This year’s symposium asks a bold question: What if engaging in the arts were recognized as a health behavior—like sleep, nutrition, exercise, time in nature, and social connection?
Join researchers, practitioners, artists, and innovators as we spotlight the powerful and multifaceted ways the arts and arts therapies foster physical health, mental wellbeing, and civic care across the lifespan.
Program of Events and Speakers
Registration and Musical Overture | 8:30 a.m.
Join the Music: A Participatory Overture – Alan Turry, Assistant Professor and Director of NYU Steinhardt’s Music Therapy Program, and students
Opening | 9 a.m.
Opening remarks: Jack Knott, Gale and Ira Drukier Dean, Steinhardt School of Culture Education, and Human Development
Special remarks: Laurie Cumbo, Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for the City of New York
Conference Chair: Nisha Sajnani, Professor and Director of NYU Steinhardt Graduate Program in Drama Therapy; Director, Arts & Health @ NYU; Founding Co-Director, Jameel Arts & Health Lab
Stephen Stapleton, Co-Director, Jameel Arts & Health Lab
Catherine Cassidy-Dedics, Director, Global Healing Arts
Keynote from Professor Daisy Fancourt | Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health
From cradle to grave, engaging in the arts has remarkable effects on our health and wellbeing. This talk will give a whistlestop tour of the evidence from decades of studies gathering data from neuroimaging, molecular biomarkers, wearable sensors, cognitive assessments, and electronic health records. The talk will make the case for why the arts—alongside diet, sleep, exercise and social connections—are the forgotten fifth pillar of health.
Daisy Fancourt is a British researcher who is a professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at University College London. Her research focuses on the effects of social factors on health, including loneliness, social isolation, community assets, arts and cultural engagement, and social prescribing. Daisy is Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health and Head of the Steering Committee for the Jameel Arts & Health Lab. She is listed by Clarivate as one of the most highly cited scientists in the world. Prof. Fancourt is the author of the upcoming Art Cure: The Science of How Art Saves Lives.
Morning Plenary Longtable | The Arts and Youth Mental Health | 10 a.m.
Around the world, one in seven young people faces a mental health challenge, making adolescence one of the most vulnerable stages of life. Meeting this crisis calls for bold, creative, and culturally grounded approaches that can truly support youth resilience and wellbeing.
Chair: Christopher Bailey, Arts & Health Lead, World Health Organization and Co-Founding Co-Director, Jameel Arts & Health Lab
Gael Aitor, Award-winning podcast producer, founder of GrownKid, and creator of Teenager Therapy with over 1 million followers worldwide. Aitor has hosted high-profile guests including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and co-founded Astrolescence to support youth mental well-being.
Meredith O'Connor, pop artist and record label founder, is the creator of the global You Are Not Alone movement with the National Alliance on Mental Illness. An award-winning activist and TEDx speaker recognized by the UN, Recording Academy, and U.S. Congress, she uses her platform to elevate mental health and inspire millions worldwide
Susan Magsamen, Founder and Executive Director of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins, where she leads research on arts, aesthetics, and health. She also co-directs the NeuroArts Blueprint and co-authored the bestseller Your Brain on Art.
Sarah Phillips, MPA, Associate Director of Public Policy in The Carter Center’s Mental Health Program, where she leads efforts on behavioral health parity, youth mental health services, older adult mental health, and advocating the decriminalization of mental illness and substance use disorders.
Hollie Smith-Charles, Director of Creative Health and Change at Arts Council England with over 20 years’ experience across festivals, museums, and place-based initiatives, focusing on the arts’ role in tackling social and health inequalities including through youth-led initiatives.
Dr. Briana Woods-Jaeger, Associate Professor of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences at Emory University and a licensed clinical psychologist. She leads culturally responsive, trauma-informed interventions using mixed methods to address mental health disparities among marginalized youth and families.
Dr. Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Courtney Sale Ross University Professor at NYU Steinhardt whose research advances early childhood development, immigration, and poverty reduction. He co-leads global initiatives such as Ahlan Simsim with Sesame Workshop/IRC and Play to Learn in refugee and crisis settings.
Morning Remarks
Anya Herasme, Associate Commissioner, Department of Aging for New York City
Performance | Let’s Move the World | 11 a.m.
A dance celebrating brain health and belonging created by Queens-based LGBTQIA+ elders and allies.
Magda Kaczmarska, MFA, is a dance artist, researcher, and Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health. She brings two decades of experience in dance and neuropharmacology research to her work advancing creative aging, brain health, and dementia care. She is the founding executive director of DanceStream Projects (NYC), which builds creative communities and supports brain health through co-creative dance.
Hilary Brown-Istrefi is a Canadian-American dance artist and co-founder of the award-winning collective Same As Sister, Hilary Brown-Istrefi is a teaching artist and choreographer with DanceStream Projects.
Queens Center for Gay Seniors is the first center in Queens dedicated to LGBTQIA+ elders. Queens Center for Gay Seniors has served older adults since 1976 and is home to Rainbow Stories in the Moment, created by DanceStream Projects.
Performers: Cicero Balcazar, Evelyn Camejo, Nimet Celebi, Belma Cespedes, Susan Chang, Lana Chen, Antonia Damato, Rebecca Hervas, Susan Lippman, Dinyar Master, Robert Misa, Olga Montes, Barbara Moss, Fumiko Ohno, Leatitia Paul, Teonila Perez, Janice Quinter, Brandy Yanagisawa, Hilary Brown-Istrefi (DSP team)
Morning Panel | The Arts and Noncommunicable Diseases
On September 25, 2025, world leaders will meet at the UN for the Fourth High-Level Meeting on noncommunicable diseases, which account for over 70% of global deaths, to set new goals through 2050. This panel highlights new research on how the arts can help prevent, manage, and reduce the burden of NCDs while strengthening community health.
Chair: Dahlia Rizk, DO, MPH, Professor, Icahn School of Medicine and Physician at Mt Sinai Health System
Joke Bradt, Professor and Director of the PhD Program in Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University. She is internationally recognized for leading NIH- and NEA-funded clinical trials that demonstrate the impact of music therapy on pain and cancer care.
Marygrace Berberian, Clinical Associate Professor of Art Therapy, NYU Steinhardt. She advances community-based art therapy practice and policy, with a focus on social justice, education, and mental health.
Vicky Karkou, Professor at Edge Hill University and Director of the Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing, UK. Her research has shaped global practice in dance movement psychotherapy and strengthened the evidence base for creative health.
Michael Koon Boon Tan, Dean of Knowledge Translation, University of the Arts Singapore. His work bridges arts, care, and cultural policy, advancing creative health and resilience across Asian and global contexts.
Jill Sonke, PhD, U.S. Cultural Policy Fellow, Stanford University, Co-director of the EpiArts Lab at the University of Florida in partnership with University College London, and Director of Research within the UF Center for Arts in Medicine. She is a pioneer in arts in public health, informing U.S. cultural policy and international practice through her leadership and research.
Discussant: João Monteiro, Editor in Chief, Nature Medicine
Lunch
Performance | Dancing Dreams
Dancing Dreams and NYU Steinhardt Physical Therapy – An Arts & Health Partnership
Dancing Dreams, a nonprofit providing adaptive dance for children and teens with physical and medical challenges, celebrates ability, resilience, and joy through annual performances featuring over 100 young dancers. This program will be introduced by founder and pediatric physical therapist Joann Ferrara, followed by reflections from Dancing Dreams graduate and 2023 Muscular Dystrophy Association National Ambassador Leah Zelaya, and NYU Clinical Professor of Physical Therapy Elaine Becker. The conversation will be moderated by Smita Rao, Inaugural Robert S. Salant Endowed Associate Professor and Chair of NYU Physical Therapy.
Afternoon Concurrent Breakout Sessions | 1:30 p.m.
The afternoon invites you to join interactive deep dives with thought leaders, advocates, and practitioners, exploring one of four focus areas: Brain Health, Creative Aging, and Memory Care; Arts and Youth Mental Health; Arts and Military-Connected Communities; and Local Ecologies of Arts and Civic Health.
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Chair: Elisabeth Bahr, Postdoctoral Research Associate at NYU Jameel Arts & Health Lab, is a multidisciplinary artist and researcher exploring the therapeutic applications of the arts.
Discussant: Dominic Campbell, Co-founder of Creative Aging International; Bealtaine Festival Director, and inaugural Atlantic Fellow for Equity and Brain Health.
Laughter is the Best Medicine!
In today’s high-stress world, collective play offers release, boosts mental wellness, and acts like a gym for the brain, strengthening adaptability and sparking new neural pathways. By laughing and creating together, participants cultivate empathy, belonging, and community well-being, leaving them inspired to weave more play into daily life for healthier minds and more connected communities.
Melissa Ferraro is a performer, writer, founder of Camp Mel, and longtime Drama educator at The Parkside School who uses improv to spark resilience, creativity, and connection.
Stephen Sheffer is a Brooklyn-based, award-winning improviser, actor, and writer. He led Improv for Work & Wellness’ first Improv for Parkinson’s workshop at Mount Sinai and has taught across North America for clients like NYC Health & Hospitals, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and Duke University.
Right to Music
Dan Cohen is long-time arts and health advocate and founder of Music and Memory and the Right to Music, advancing access to music for health, connection, and dignity.
Connect, Create, Engage: A Creative Wellness Approach for the Dementia-Care Partner Exchange
Natasha Goldstein-Levitas is a board-certified dance/movement therapist, and Aging & Dementia Specialist. With 24 years of experience, Natasha Goldstein-Levitas shares creative, evidence-based strategies to improve quality of life.
Erica Curcio is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Board-Certified Art Therapist. Curcio is founder of Art Therapists at Home, bringing neurodegenerative art therapy directly into people’s homes.
Kendra Ray is Vice President of Research & Innovation in Aging at MJHS and NYU professor, Dr. Kendra Ray is a licensed creative arts therapist and leading researcher on music-based dementia interventions.
Magda Kaczmarska is a dance artist, researcher, and Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, Magda Kaczmarska is founder of DanceStream Projects, advancing brain health and creative aging through dance.
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Chair: Alex Rodriguez, Interdisciplinary researcher and Public Health PhD candidate at UF, advances arts engagement as a public health strategy and serves as an RWJF Health Policy Scholar and Think Tank Board Member for the American Journal of Public Health.
Discussant: Doris Sommer, Ira and Jewell Williams Professor at Harvard University, founder of Cultural Agents who advances civic engagement and development worldwide through the arts, humanities, and participatory programs for education and democracy.
Youth Voice on Arts and Thriving
Susan Magsamen, Founder and Executive Director of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins, where she leads research on arts, aesthetics, and health. She also co-directs the NeuroArts Blueprint and co-authored the bestseller Your Brain on Art.
Gael Aitor, Award-winning podcast producer, founder of GrownKid, and creator of Teenager Therapy with over 1 million followers worldwide. Aitor has hosted high-profile guests including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and co-founded Astrolescence to support youth mental well-being.
Ed Greene is a child development advocate with over 40 years of experience. Greene has shaped early learning globally through senior roles at Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network, Sesame Workshop, Cito, and service on multiple education boards.
Ellen Galinsky, President of the Families and Work Institute and WFRN, is a researcher and best-selling author (Mind in the Making, The Breakthrough Years) focused on child and adolescent development, work-life, and parenting.
Jacqueline Jones is the former President & CEO of the Foundation for Child Development. Jones was the first U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning and has decades of experience as a researcher and educator.
A Global Call for Reclaiming the Arts in Public Schools
Heddy Lahmann is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of International Education at NYU and the author of From Margins to Masterpieces: Charting Pathways to Strengthen Arts in Global Arts Education for Community Arts Network and Porticus.
Cultivating Creativity: Contemporary Perspectives on K-12 Art Education
Lindsay Johnson is an artist, educator, and writer twice nominated Illinois Art Educator of the Year, Lindsay Johnson teaches middle school art and exhibits her work nationally.
Antonia Ruppert is a Chicago artist and educator who has inspired for over 30 years and was named Cook County’s Peggy Montes Unsung Heroine in 2023.
Rhavin Haynes is an instructional designer and artist who creates learner-centered curricula and holds degrees in Art Education (BFA) and Instructional Design (MPS, Loyola University Chicago 2025).
Evelyn Sanford-Nicholson is a multidisciplinary artist and arts leader, and Polk Bros. Director of School, Youth & Community Programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
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Chair: Maria Hodermarska is Clinical Associate Professor of Drama Therapy at NYU Steinhardt, leading disability justice and ethics initiatives in drama therapy and has extensive experience supporting trauma-affected and at-risk youth.
Discussant: Alisha Ali, Associate Professor at NYU Steinhardt and director of the ACTS Lab, researches and develops arts- and empowerment-based programs addressing trauma, including the DE-CRUIT theatre program for military veterans.
Re-Imagining Health Through Movement: An Interactive Artistic Intervention with Exit12
Román Baca, Iraq War veteran and Artistic Director of Exit12 Dance Company, uses dance to explore military experiences, storytelling, and healing while engaging audiences worldwide.
NEA Creative Forces® Creative Arts Therapies Research with Military-Connected Populations
Bill O’Brien, Senior Advisor for Innovation & Director of Creative Forces®, has led military and veteran arts programs since 2011 and previously produced Broadway’s Tony-honored BIG RIVER.
Liz K. Freeman MA, DMT-BC, Lead Dance/Movement Therapist for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation and NEA’s Creative Forces®, provides integrative care for service members with traumatic brain injuries and psychological health conditions.
Melissa Walker Freeman, ATR-BC, LPAT, Lead Art Therapist for Creative Forces® and Healing Arts Program Coordinator at NICoE, treats service members with traumatic brain injuries and psychological health concerns and was recognized in National Geographic and gave a TED talk on art therapy.
Rebecca Vaudreuil, MSW, EdM, MT-BC, Lead Music Therapist for Creative Forces®, publishes extensively and edited Music Therapy with Military and Veteran Populations.
Supporting the Well-being and Social Connectedness of Military-Connected Communities through Clinical and Community-Based Arts Workshops
CAPT. (Ret.) Moira McGuire, retired US Public Health Service nurse officer, founder of Walter Reed Arts in Health Program, Board Member of the National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH), and leads arts and health initiatives for military-connected communities. McGuire is an adjunct lecturer for George Mason University and the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine and serves as Co-Executive Director of the US Public Health Service Music Ensemble.
Mallory Van Fossen is a licensed, board-certified art therapist and educator who has coordinated creative arts programming at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for over a decade. She is a faculty member at Notre Dame of Maryland University and Maryland Institute College of Art.
Sarah Moore is the Community Specialist for the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Arts In Health Program. Sarah also works pro-bono to expand community access to arts for well-being with multiple train the trainer programs worldwide in Bosnia, Guatemala, Kenya, and Ukraine.
Dr. Niyati Dhokai, Research Associate Professor at George Mason University, is founding director of the Veterans and the Arts Initiative, which has served over 20,000 military-connected individuals through arts programming.
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Chair: Yazmany Arboleda, Inaugural People’s Artist, NYC Civic Engagement Commission
Voices from a Changing Landscape: Sounds of Houston and Sonic Memoirs
Renate 艶子 Rohlfing MM, MA, MT-BC is co-founder of Sounds That Carry, an NYU Steinhardt Nordoff‐Robbins Clinician and Research Scientist, Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, and advocate for music as a civic resource.
Jasmine Edwards MA, LCAT, MT-BC, Adjunct Faculty, NYU Music Therapy, doctoral candidate, elevates cultural humility in clinical practice and teaching, with experience across private, school, community, and medical pediatric settings.
Austin Lewellen, Managing Director of Kinetic Ensemble, creates collaborative music while serving his communities through climate disaster relief and arts accessibility initiatives.
Kevin Kwan Loucks, CEO of Chamber Music America and Juilliard-trained pianist, is an arts executive with over 15 years of international performing arts expertise, and is working to advance national performing arts leadership and advocacy.
Delaney Smith, Senior Director at Resnicow and Associates, develops strategic communications campaigns for arts and culture organizations, raising visibility and engagement across the sector.
Art-Making, Mindfulness & Connection: An Effective Framework for Addressing Loneliness in Diverse Groups
Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH, faculty at Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is President and Founder of The Foundation for Art & Healing and author of Project UnLonely, advancing creative expression for health and wellbeing.
Nathalie Jean Baptiste, MPH, directs wellness programming across six Northwell hospitals and led the Northwell UnLonely Project, using arts-based initiatives to address workplace loneliness.
Jackson Gieger, public health advocate and MSPH candidate at Johns Hopkins, serves on The Foundation for Art and Healing’s Young Adult Advisory Council, guiding arts-based interventions for mental health and community connection.
Danielle Palmisano, DPA, LMSW, Chief Program Officer at JASA, oversees life-enhancing services for 40,000 clients, spanning health, legal, mental health, and elder justice initiatives.
Performance | Sing for Hope | 3:30 p.m.
Sing for Hope harnesses the power of the arts to build happier, healthier communities and foster wellbeing and connection for all people. Introduced by Lis Chirinos, Sing for Hope’s Director of Arts in Public Health, this session highlights the organization’s recent pilot of participatory group singing in adult day centers and long-term care facilities across New York City. Conference participants will join Sing for Hope Artist Partners Tina Fabrique and Simón Gómez Villegas in a collective sing-along, to experience firsthand how communal music-making can spark memory, strengthen bonds, and support wellbeing.
Afternoon Remarks
Rick Luftglass, Executive Director of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
Short Talks | Innovations in Arts, Health, and Technology
At the crossroads of arts, health, and technology, we find bold new ways to heal, connect, and imagine healthier futures—while also recognizing the need to navigate risks and ethics with care.
Robyn Landau, Co-Founder and Director of Kinda Studios
Kinda Studios is an interdisciplinary collective of women in science and the arts, transforming neuroscience into sensory, embodied experiences that expand access, equity, and real-world impact.
Luke Dubois, Co-Chair of the Department of Technology, Culture, and Society, NYU Tandon School of Engineering; Founding Co-Director of the NYU Ability Project
Sensorium AI is a long-range initiative around machine learning-based technologies for reimagining the human voice in the context of access, expressivity, and identity. Imagined in the context of a contemporary opera, the project consists of a set of open source tools for developing novel, personal synthetic voices that can then be performed expressively using a variety of input technologies
Felicity Baker, Associate Dean Research for the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne; MATCH Project Principal Investigator
The MATCH project is developing an evidence-based, culturally sensitive mobile app that uses music interventions and AI to reduce agitation, improve mood, foster connection, and support caregiving across all stages of dementia.
Chris Appleton, Founder and CEO of Art Pharmacy; Lucy Bailey, Director of Research at Art Pharmacy
Art Pharmacy enables personalized social prescribing services with healthcare, university, corporate, and government partners to address the nation’s most intractable health challenges.
Closing | Finding Our Balance
Deborah Damast, Director of Dance Education at NYU Steinhardt, will end the day with an interactive movement experience to help us reflect and integrate insights from the day.