Music Research Network Investigator Meeting

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2026 Annual Music Research Network Investigator Meeting artwork

The annual Music Research Network Investigator Meeting held on Monday, June 8, 2026 was a dynamic gathering that brought together faculty, researchers, clinicians, professionals, and members of the public to explore the transformative role of music in health and well-being.

The symposium convened leading researchers, clinicians, and federal partners from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Together, they examined emerging research on how music influences pain management and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

The symposium featured keynote lectures from distinguished experts in the field:

  • Theodore Zanto, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
  • Jose “Pepe” Contreras-Vidal, PhD, University of Houston

Agenda

Time Event
12:00 – 12:20 p.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Dr. Yolanda Ogbolu (The Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of University of Maryland School of Nursing)
Dr. Wen Chen (NIH, NCCIH)
Dr. Lisbeth Nielsen (NIH, NIA)
Dr. Jane Simoni (NIH, OBSSR)
Sunil Iyengar (NEA)
12:20 – 1:20 p.m.

Keynote Introduction:
Dr. Shelley White (University of Utah)

Keynote: Mechanisms of Transfer: How a Digital Music-Based Intervention Can Facilitate Cognitive Function Across the Life Span
Dr. Theodore Zanto (University of California San Francisco)

Q&A
1:20 - 2:05 p.m.

Keynote Introduction: Dr. Julene Johnson (University of California San Francisco)

Keynote: Advancing Data Standards, Neurotechnology, and Mechanistic Approaches for Understanding Brain Activity in Music-Based Interventions
Dr. José “Pepe” Contreras-Vidal (University of Houston)

Q&A
2:05 - 3 p.m.

Music Networks and Working Group Highlights
Moderator: Dr. Erin Burke Quinlan (NIH, NCCIH)

Music4Pain Research Network
Dr. Joke Bradt (Drexel University)
Dr. Sheri Robb (Indiana University)

Music & Dementia Research Network
Dr. Julene Johnson (University of California San Francisco)

Audio Analgesia Research Network
Dr. Debra Burns (University of Memphis)

ENSEMBLE Research Network
Dr. Jeffery Dusek (University of California Irvine)

Q&A
3 - 3:15 p.m. Break
3:15 - 4:15 p.m.

Pilot Awardee Highlights, Part 1
Moderators: Dr. Coryse St Hillaire-Clarke or Dr. Elise Rice (NIH, NIA)

Music4Pain Research Network

Investigating the Effects and Mechanisms of Group Drumming on Pain Sensitivity in Dementia: A Pilot Study Using Neuroendocrine and Psychophysical Biomarkers
Dr. AZA Allsop (Yale University)

An Investigation of the Intersection of Affect and Meaning in Music-Based Pain Modulation
Dr. Claudia Denoue (University of Virginia School of Medicine)

Effects of Music-Based Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation During Walking on Nociceptive Signaling and Muscle Activation in People with Chronic Pain Due to Knee Osteoarthritis
Dr. Deepak Kumar (Boston University)

Audio Analgesia

Impacts of Music-Based Intervention on Pain in Individuals with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Mechanistic Pilot Study
Dr. Weizi Wu (Yale University School of Nursing)

Building a Mouse Model of a Tambura Music-Based Intervention for Pain
Dr. Stephen L. Boehm II (Indiana University Indianapolis)
4:15 - 4:25 p.m. Break
4:25 - 5:25 p.m.

Pilot Awardee Highlights, Part 2

ENSEMBLE

Assessing Molecular Mechanisms and Effects of Music Therapy in Youth with Sickle Cell Disease Using Single-Cell RNA Sequencing
Dr. Manoj Bhasin (Emory University)

Mechanisms Within the Autonomic Nervous System Underlying Music Therapy’s Analgesic Effects in Sickle Cell Disease (MASTERMIND)
Dr. Kamal Chernali (University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University)

Music & Dementia Research Network

Calming Improvisatory Music for Alzheimer’s Anxiety: Exploring the Mechanistic Basis
Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour (Northwestern University)

Investigating Deficits in Gait and Brain Function in Alzheimer's Disease with Integrated Brain-Body Imaging 
Dr. Lou Awad (Boston University)

Music-Evoked Nostalgia in Mild Cognitive Impairment
Dr. Assal Habibi (University of Southern California)
5:25 - 5:30 p.m.  Meeting Wrap-Up: Key Take-Home Messages and Next Steps