Following an improvised explosive device detonation during a military mission, Captain Luis Avila was left paralyzed and unable to speak.  With intensive physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and music therapy, Avila began his recovery. The music therapy provided by the Creative Forces program proved to be an essential rehabilitation tool and helped Avila regain […]

For the fifth year running, Baltimore is set to exceed 300 homicides in 2019.  With the New York Times calling this violence a “tragedy”, it is easy to fall into despair about whether change is possible at all. Marilyn Ness’ documentary “Charm City” takes a different tack on the problems the city faces.  In the […]

At IAM Lab’s most recent Dialog Series talk, Jill Sonke, Director of the Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida, gave “a little State of the Union address” on the field of Arts in Health. Before an audience of healthcare practitioners and researchers, Sonke also sought to lay the groundwork for a […]

“There are two common and dangerous misconceptions about psychological trauma,” states Dr. James S. Gordon in the introduction to his new book, “The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma.” “The first is that trauma comes to only some of us…The second is that trauma is an unmitigated disaster, causing permanent emotional crippling, requiring never-ending […]

The International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab) hosted its inaugural Dialog Series this spring, featuring singer/songwriter turned public health researcher Tasha Golden PhD. Dr. Golden’s workshop, Advancing Health Equity: Embracing the Creative Process to Evolve Health Research, demonstrated the value of using the arts as an innovative tool for communication, research and healing in […]

In June, a diverse group of engineers, biomedical researchers, artists and clinicians gathered in Cancun, Mexico for the 2019 International Graphonomics Conference on Mobile Brain-Body Imaging, Neuroscience of Art, Innovation and Creativity. Each year, participants gather to explore the intersection of arts and science through the lens of contemporary and portable neuroimaging. These innovative technologies, […]

To witness the healing power of music, you don’t have to look any further than the spontaneous outbursts of singing by thousands of people as they watched in horror and disbelief at the flames shooting out of the Notre-Dame Cathedral on Monday. In these gentle voices, there is the sound of sorrow and grief in […]

Healing through arts is ancient practice with innumerable applications in modern day medicine. Yet integration of the arts into contemporary healthcare has its challenges, requiring thoughtful cross-sector collaboration to shape and grow the field. With this mind, the International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab) at Johns Hopkins University gathered a diverse group of researchers, […]

The second annual National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH) conference, part of the Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo, took place in Austin, TX this past October 2018. This dynamic event provided opportunities for a highly interdisciplinary cohort, including researchers, public health officials, policy makers, healthcare professionals and artists, to share knowledge at the intersection […]

Dialogues Between Neuroscience and Society Panel on Music and the Brain.  Pictured from left to right:  Charles Limb, Pat Metheny and Richard Huganir. The 2018 Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA started on a spectacular note this November, featuring the legendary jazz guitarist Pat Metheny in the public lecture Dialogues Between Neuroscience […]