Advancing Arts and Health (2020 Event)

Judy Simpson, a board certified music therapist and the Director of Government Relations for the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), represents the music therapy profession with legislators and agencies on the state and federal level.  Since 2005, Judy has led AMTA’s national state recognition initiative in collaboration with the Certification Board for Music Therapists. She has presented and participated in advocacy trainings and events in 28 states and has contributed to legislative and regulatory language in 40 states. Prior to her work with AMTA, Judy’s 17 years of clinical experience involved developing music therapy programs in hospital settings, including physical rehabilitation, oncology, labor and delivery, psychiatry, ICU, and general medicine.

www.musictherapy.org

Naj Wikoff is the National Marketing Director for Aesthetics, Inc. and serves as Vice President of the National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH). Wikoff, an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University, is a founding member of Lesley’s Institute for Arts in Health and the National Initiative for the Arts in Health in the Military. He is the, former director of the Healing Arts program of the C. Everett Koop Institute at the Dartmouth Medical School and of Arts and Productions at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City.

Twenty-two years ago, Wikoff established Creative Healing Connections, which uses the arts and nature to support the healing of women living with cancer, military spouses, and veteran and active duty service women living with PTSD and Military Sexual Trauma. The two-time Fulbright Senior Scholar regularly consults on arts and health, healing spaces, and arts and trauma issues to health and arts institutions, and has worked with victims of terror and war in Palestine and Israel. In addition, for the past twelve years, as arts coordinator for Connecting Youth and Community, Wikoff has been using the arts to reduce the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs by teens.

Donna Betts, PhD, ATR-BC, is Clinical Research Director for Creative Forces®: National Endowment for the Arts Military Healing Arts Network, managed in partnership with Americans for the Arts and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine. Dr. Betts is a Past President of the American Art Therapy Association (2015-2017), and a former associate professor of art therapy at the George Washington University (2009-2018). An award-winning researcher and author, Dr. Betts has presented internationally on a range of topics. Throughout her career, she has advocated for the arts and continues to promote arts in health, art therapy, and the creative arts therapies through involvement in various organizations including the National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH). Dr. Betts’ forthcoming co-edited book, Bridging the Creative Arts Therapies and Arts in Health: Toward Inspirational Practice, underscores her commitment to collaboration and increasing access to the arts.