Carlos Chirinos-Espin

Carlos Chirinos, PhD, MMus, is a scholar, producer, and musician whose work connects music, social impact, and global development. His research explores how music creates social value beyond entertainment to build community, shape public health communication, and express cultural identity.

At New York University, Professor Chirinos leads research at the intersection of music, health, and civic engagement. He studies how songs and artists can inspire social awareness and behavior change. His initiative BEAT SCD, developed with NYU’s School of Global Public Health and the Adekunle Gold Foundation, uses music to reduce stigma and support mental health for people living with Sickle Cell Disease. His work on prosocial messages in popular music helped inspire the Recording Academy’s Harry Belafonte “Best Song for Social Change” Award. He also collaborates with Latin music legend Rubén Blades on projects exploring how songs convey social values.

Professor Chirinos’ teaching bridges music business, social impact, and cultural policy. He is Associated Faculty in the NYU School of Global Public Health, where he teaches the course Health Communications, exploring how culture and creativity influence behavior change and community well-being. He also teaches and develops courses on the global music industry, connecting creative practice with commerce, and exploring how artists and organizations navigate innovation, technology, and social responsibility. Dedicated to mentoring emerging professionals, Professor Chirinos advises master’s student colloquies, guiding interdisciplinary projects that link research, entrepreneurship, and creative strategy.

Professor Chirinos has led music-based development projects across Africa. His campaigns—supported by the World Bank, IDRC, DFID, and the Wellcome Trust—have used songs and radio to promote health and social goals in the Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ghana, and Uganda. His award-winning project Africa Stop Ebola received the Grand Challenge for Development award from the White House, CDC, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Beyond academia, Chirinos is a composer, saxophonist, DJ, and also a curator and producer of live music experiences. He co-created VAYA, a Latin Music concert and talk series at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium, and curated and produced the 2024–25 Lincoln Center Visionary Artist Rubén Blades, featuring as on-stage narrator in the performance of Maestra Vida with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Scientific American, the BBC, and CNN.

Professor Chirinos holds PhD and Masters of Music from SOAS, University of London. Before joining NYU, he taught at City University and SOAS, University of London, where he received the Director’s Teaching Prize in 2009.