(*) Collaborative Program in Neuroscience (CPIN)
PhD Students in Music and Health Sciences
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.
Lauren Cole*
Lauren is an accredited Neurologic Music Therapist and a current PhD student. She completed her Master of Arts in Music and Health Sciences (MA) at the University of Toronto, as well as her Hon. B.A in Music Therapy at Acadia University. Lauren has experience working as a Research Coordinator with Dr. Michael Borrie’s Cognitive Clinical Trials Group in London, Ontario. She hopes to contribute to the advancement of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease research, exploring music as a non-medicinal therapeutic approach.
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.
Tara Henechowicz*
Tara Henechowicz is a Ph.D. candidate in Neuroscience (Music and Health Science) at the Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory at the University of Toronto where she is the recipient of an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. With support from a scientific research grant from the GRAMMY Museum Foundation, Tara’s dissertation focuses on collecting and analyzing genomic data of musicians and non-musicians to examine the genetic overlap of music, motor, and brain traits. In addition to genetics, Tara is passionate about the field of music cognition and neuroscience and she has published research on the topics of Neurologic Music Therapy, performance kinematics, and neurorehabilitation. Prior to her doctoral studies, Tara received her M.A. in Music and Health Science with a certificate in Neuroscience and Bachelor of Music with Honours, Specialization in Music Theory, Music History major, and Psychology minor from the University of Toronto.
Anna Karpazis*
Anna is a second year PhD Candidate studying Music and Science with an interest in motor rehabilitation and optimization following brain injury. With a background in Music Therapy (MA) and Percussion Performance (BA), Anna is currently involved in a collaborative study with the University of Toronto’s kinesiology lab, examining the role of sensory information during movement.
Julia Kowaleski*
Julia Beth Kowaleski is a PhD student in Music and Health Sciences. She received her Bachelors of Music Therapy from Wilfrid Laurier University (2010) and her Masters of Music and Health Sciences from the University of Toronto (2017). She completed the Neurologic Music Therapy training in 2013. Julia founded the first music therapy practice on the island of Antigua (2010) working with children, youth, and young adults to address a variety of needs. Her work in Antigua also included providing training in conjunction with Peace Corps volunteers for youth, young adults, and public school teachers about integrating children with special needs into camp and classroom environments, creating a masterclass program for aspiring young musicians, playing trombone and steel pan in calypso bands and steelpan orchestras for carnival, and performing as a member of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force band. In 2017, Julia founded Julia’s Place Music Therapy which specializes in providing music therapy services for neuro-rehabilitation and child and youth development in Ontario. She serves in the president role on the Music Therapy Association of Ontario Board of Directors (2016-).
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
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.
Melissa Tan*
Melissa is a PhD candidate in Music and Health Sciences. She holds a MA in Music Therapy from the University of Roehampton in London, UK and is also a Neurologic Music Therapy Fellow (NMT-F) and Registered Psychotherapist (RP). Prior to her PhD studies, Melissa worked as a clinician on research conducted by Megha Sharda, PhD, to examine the neurobehavioural outcomes of music therapy interventions for social communication for children with autism. Currently, Melissa is studying the music-based assessments and NMT applications for individuals at suicide risk.
Jessica Teich*
Jessica Teich (pronounced teach) is a PhD candidate in Music and Health Sciences at the University of Toronto. In 2007, she received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Berklee College of Music. After graduating Magna Cum Laude, Jessi taught lessons while pursuing a music career during which she won over a dozen international songwriting awards and recorded several albums, including two in Paris. In 2017, after a decade-long career, she decided to restructure the role that music played in her life. Subsequently, in 2020, she completed a Master of Music in Music Therapy at Arizona State University. This included fulfilling her internship, completing her neurologic music therapy (NMT) training, and eventually working as a part time clinician under the tutelage of Suzanne Oliver at Neurologic Music Therapy Services of Arizona. Her experience working with various neurodivergent populations in a clinical setting led her to become curious regarding the many facets of NMT. Jessi’s current research interests include the application of NMT regarding motor performance, multi-sensory integration, and self-regulation in children with autism.
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.
MA Students in Music and Health Sciences
Sahara Haylestrom
Victoria Yuan*
Victoria Yuan is an MA student in Music and Health Sciences and in the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto. Victoria holds a Bachelor of Music in classical piano Comprehensive Studies with a Minor in Psychology and Certificate in Health Applications in Music from the University of Toronto (2023). She is honoured to be recognized through the University of Toronto Student Leadership Award, Faculty of Music Arthur Plettner Scholarships, and as a University of Toronto Scholar. Victoria is passionate about interdisciplinary music and health research as well as sharing the joy and connection music can bring through performance, outreach, and education. She is currently investigating the clinical effects of a Neurologic Music Therapy intervention program in individuals with neurological movement disorders.