Meet the Music4Pain Research Network team
Joke Bradt, PhD, MT-BC
Principal Investigator | Department of Creative Arts Therapies, Drexel University
I am a Professor and Director of the PhD program in the Department of Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University (Philadelphia) and a board-certified music therapist. My Music, Creativity, and Wellness lab is focused on researching the impact of music therapy interventions on chronic pain and symptom management and investigating underlying mechanisms. With a wealth of experience in multidisciplinary research, I am committed to advancing understanding of how music-based interventions exert their impact on people’s pain experience.
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Patrick H. Finan, PhD
Co-Investigator | Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia School of Medicine
I am a clinical pain psychologist and the Harold Carron Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. My lab focuses broadly on explicating psychological and neurobiological mechanisms of chronic pain. Within this domain, my team specifically seeks to identify how emotions and pain interact, who evidences characteristics of emotion-related risk and resilience, and when changes in emotions facilitate or inhibit the experience of pain. I am currently evaluating the utility of a music-based affective pain modulation task as a mechanistic endpoint in clinical trials testing the effects of Savoring Meditation and psilocybin administration in patients with chronic pain.
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Mark P Jensen, PhD
Co-Investigator | Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington
I am the UW Medicine’s vice chair for research in Rehabilitation Medicine and a UW professor of Rehabilitation Medicine. With over 30 years of experience as a rehabilitation psychologist, I have dedicated my career to evaluating the effects and mechanisms of innovative pain interventions, including music-based treatments. As a PI or Co-I of over 20 clinical trials funded by federal sponsors, I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. My commitment to understanding the mechanisms underlying the benefits of pain interventions aligns seamlessly with the Network’s mission to advance research in this critical area.
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Sheri Robb, PhD, MT-BC
Co-Investigator | School of Nursing, Indiana University
I am a Walther Professor of Supportive Oncology in the Indiana University Schools of Nursing and Medicine. I am internationally recognized for my expertise in pediatric music therapy and behavioral intervention research. As a board-certified music therapist, my program of research focuses on the development and testing of music interventions to manage distress and improve positive health outcomes in children and adolescents with cancer and their caregivers. I am an established investigator with nineteen years of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health. Additionally, I led the publication of Reporting Guidelines for Music-based Interventions to address calls for more transparent and accurate reporting in music intervention research.
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Mathieu Roy, PhD
Co-Investigator | Department of Psychology, McGill University
As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology in McGill University I am a neuropsychologist on the Core Investigator Team, my research is at the forefront of understanding how the brain encodes the subjective experience of pain. I utilize various psychophysical and brain imaging techniques to elucidate central nervous system mediators of pain-reducing interventions, including music. My expertise lies in identifying brain markers of perceived pain, contributing to the Network’s mission to explore innovative approaches to chronic pain management.
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Julian Thayer, PhD
Co-Investigator | School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine
I am a Distinguished Professor in Psychological Science within the School of Social Ecology. As a leading psychophysiologist and jazz musician, my research focuses on psychophysiological aspects of self-regulation, particularly parasympathetic influences on physical and mental health. Investigating cardiac sympathetic-vagal activity in response to music and the effects of music on psychophysiological responses to stress, I bring a unique perspective to the Network’s exploration of music’s impact on pain and well-being.
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Robert Zatorre, PhD
Co-Investigator | Department of Psychology, McGill University
As a Cognitive Neuroscientist at the Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University, I bring my expertise as a cognitive neuroscientist to the Network. My research focuses on the neural substrate for music cognition, using methods such as functional and structural MRI, MEG, EEG, and brain stimulation techniques to understand the intricate connection between music and the brain. Of relevance is my extensive work on the mesolimbic reward circuitry, shedding light on the role it plays in mediating musical pleasure, a crucial mechanism explored within the Network.
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