Anna Palumbo, a graduate of NYU’s Music Therapy Program and current doctoral candidate in the Rehabilitation Sciences program at NYU, received the Ruth L. Kirchstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Health, the most prestigious award from the NIH for doctoral students. Anna’s research investigates the neural and physiological mechanisms of music interventions for stroke rehabilitation, specifically examining the role of music improvisation in promoting movement and reward. A certified Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapist herself, she developed this research based on experiences working with the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy at NYU Steinhardt on a study investigating a collaborative intervention for stroke rehabilitation combining music therapy and occupational therapy, called Music Upper Limb Therapy - Integrated (MULT-I), which has been demonstrated to improve upper limb recovery, reduce depression and increase brain derived neurotrophic factor. Her current work is conducted in the Ripollés Lab at NYU Steinhardt and in collaboration with the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy.
