Chantelle Caputo*
Chantelle Caputo’s background as a violinist music therapist and neurologic music therapist has led her to work with diverse clinical populations, including neurorehabilitation, long-term care, palliative care, autism, and adapted music lessons. A current PhD Candidate, she completed her Master of Arts in Music Therapy (MA) magna cum laude from Berklee College of Music, specializing in Conventional and Integrative Medicine, as well as her Bachelor of Music Therapy (BMT) from Wilfrid Laurier University, with a concentration in violin and psychology. She is a Certified Music Therapist (MTA), Neurologic Music Therapist (NMT), and Registered Psychotherapist (RP). Chantelle’s current research involves the use of paired Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation with Neurologic Music Therapy for upper extremity stroke recovery.

Candela Castro*
Candela Castro is a PhD student in Music and Health Sciences (Collaborative Program in Neuroscience). She acquired with honors a degree in Music Therapy from University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, completed the Neurologic Music Therapy training and has recently finished her MA in Music and Health Sciences from University of Toronto.Candela has clinical experience in adults’ neurorehabilitation (FLENI), and teaching experience as an Assistant Professor at University of Buenos Aires (Faculty of Psychology), where she was also advisor and jury of Music Therapy graduating thesis. She has collaborated in various research related to music and neurosciences in Argentina (Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Buenos Aires, University of San Martin), winning an Undergraduate Research Grant, taking part in scientific publications and being peer reviewer of scientific journals of latin america. Her research interest lies in the scientific foundations of NMT in rehabilitation of cognitive functions after a brain injury.

Iue-Nin Annie Chu*
Annie is a Ph.D. student in Music and Health Sciences and the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto. She obtained her M.A. in Music and Health Science with a neuroscience certificate in 2021, following a B.M. in Music Therapy and a minor in chemistry from Southwestern Oklahoma State University (USA) in 2020. Annie has been honored with awards, including the GSSA from Taiwan and OGS. Fueled by passion, she aspires to make a significant contribution to the exploration of music as a nonpharmacological intervention for individuals with neurological disorders across cultures. Currently, her research focuses on the clinical neuroscience of music, with a specific emphasis on music-induced plasticity in Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Hayoung Kwon*
Hayoung Kwon is a PhD student in Music and Health Sciences at the University of Toronto, where she is also enrolled in the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience. She holds an MA in Music Therapy from Ewha Womans University in South Korea and is a Korean Certified Music Therapist (KCMT). In 2024, she completed her Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) Training, further deepening her expertise in neurologic rehabilitation through music-based interventions. Her research focuses on the role of music in physical rehabilitation for individuals with Parkinson’s disease, investigating its effects on motor function.

Stéphanie Lavigne*
Stéphanie is a PhD Candidate in Music and Health Sciences. Her interest in the Neurologic Music Therapy clinical approach and fundamental neuroscience brought her to Toronto to study under the supervision of Dr. Michael Thaut. Her current doctoral research investigates auditory-motor synchronization using multimodality neuroimaging methods (fMIRS, fNIRS-EEG), and applying the network science framework for data analysis.

Bing Li*
Bing Li is a third year PhD Candidate at the Music and Health Science program in University of Toronto. Her research interest emphasizes on neurodegenerative diseases and general aging population. Her current doctoral research project is a cross-cultural investigation of using Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) interventions in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

Yinan Li*
Yinan Li is a PhD student in Music and Health Sciences at the University of Toronto. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Therapy from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. Before beginning her doctoral studies, she worked as a music therapist at the China Rehabilitation Research Center with patients affected by stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury. She has also completed a wide range of clinical internships across medical, educational, and community settings, illustrating her diverse clinical experience. Yinan holds professional certifications as a Registered Music Therapist (Chinese Music Therapy Industry Committee) and a Nationally Certified Primary Psychotherapist in China. Her master’s thesis, “The Effects of Therapeutic Songwriting on Self-Concept and Depression Symptoms among Female Breast Cancer Patients after Mastectomy,” was included in the Abstract Collection of the 23rd National Academic Conference of the Chinese Psychological Society in 2021. In 2023, she led a music therapy workshop at the Annual Academic Conference of the Psychosocial Oncology Committee (CPOS), Anti-Cancer Association in Beijing, China. In 2024, she completed her Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) training. Her current research interest focuses on stroke rehabilitation.

Liv McIsaac*
Liv is an MA student in the Music and Health Sciences program at the University of Toronto. She graduated from McMaster University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Music specializing in Music Cognition as well as a minor in English and Cultural Studies. During her time at McMaster, Livwas a research assistant at the MAPLE Lab under the direction of Prof. Michael Schutz where she contributed to an ongoing research project investigating emotional and modal perception of piano preludes. In 2023, Liv was awarded an Undergraduate Student Research Award which allowed her to complete 15 weeks of intensive research at the lab over the summer. Liv was also part of a research team at McMaster under Prof. Joseph Resendes that worked collaboratively with George Brown College to research and develop an educational video game to be implemented in undergraduate music education. Liv is a classically trained double bassist and a lifelong guitar player who considers music to be an incredibly powerful aspect of her life. As she progresses in her academic journey, understanding the nuanced relationship between music and the mind has become the pinnacle of her focus.

Kathrin Mertel*
Kathrin Mertel, MM, NMT-F, Diplom-Music Therapist is a present PhD student. She earned her diploma in music therapy in Germany in 2003 and completed her Master’s Degree in Neurological Music Therapy (NMT) at Colorado State University in 2005. For 15 years she worked full-time as a Neurological Music Therapist in Germany, focused on treating patients suffering from TBI and cerebral palsy in Neurological Rehabilitation and with hearing-impaired persons at the Cochlear Implant Centre of the University Hospital Dresden, Germany. She established interdisciplinary treatment concepts based on NMT techniques for motor rehabilitation, auditory perception training, and cognitive training/rehabilitation. In addition to her clinical work, Kathrin has contributed to publications and has given lectures and workshops in Germany. From 2007-2020 she had a teaching assignment at the Music Therapy Institute of the University of the Arts in Berlin, Germany. Kathrin is a regular teaching assistant at the NMT- training institutes of the Academy of Neurological Music Therapy. Her current dissertation project involves targeted multi-modal auditory music training for adult cochlear implant users to improve their speech understanding in noise, including the neural changes after training via EEG recordings.

Gloria Tian*
Gloria is currently a PhD student majoring in Music and Health Sciences under Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaHRC). She currently holds a BMus in Classical Performance (Violin) from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and a MMus in Applied Music and Health from the University of Toronto. Gloria has worked alongside a wide spectrum of populations throughout her clinical training, but hopes to probe into research addressing application of neurologic music therapy (NMT) techniques as a non-pharmacological intervention during neurorehabilitation – following the event of brain injury in paediatric and/or adult populations. Similarly, utilising her performance background in research with professional performing musicians.

Bree Bartha*
Bree Bartha is a Master of Arts student in Music and Health Science and a member of the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology with a Minor in Psychology and a Concentration in Athletic Performance and Injury Management from Wilfrid Laurier University. Under the supervision of Dr. Michael Thaut at the Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaHRC), Bree is completing clinical training in stroke rehabilitation while pursuing coursework in Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT). Her research interests are situated at the intersection of kinematics, neurorehabilitation, and musicianship. She combines her experience as a songwriter and recording artist with rigorous academic inquiry, exploring the relationship between artistic practice and music-based approaches to motor rehabilitation.