Lecture by Kathleen Van Buren, PhD
Director for Humanities in Medicine at Mayo Clinic
Abstract:
In this presentation, I will share perspectives on my journey as an applied and medical ethnomusicologist across academic and public sector spaces. The talk is structured as a series of notes and perspectives on: my personal journey to date, the disciplinary and practice-based landscapes of arts and humanities in relation to health, Mayo Clinic and the work of the Humanities in Medicine team, and being an ethnomusicologist in a clinical setting. I conclude with practical tips I wish I had known as a student and young professional, ideas to consider, and notes of gratitude.
Biography:
Kathleen Van Buren, PhD, is Director for Humanities in Medicine at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Van Buren is an ethnomusicologist with special interest in medical and applied ethnomusicology, arts and social change, and musics of Africa. She received an MA in 2002 and a PhD in 2006 from the Department of Ethnomusicology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She holds a BA in English and a self-designed BM in ethnomusicology from Lawrence University and Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Dr. Van Buren has worked in a variety of academic and public sector contexts, including as Lecturer in Ethnomusicology in the Department of Music at the University of Sheffield, UK, and Visiting Scholar for the Institute of Music Research, University of Würzburg, Germany. She has conducted research in Cameroon, Kenya, Ghana, Bolivia, Peru, Haiti, and the United Kingdom, and has published and presented papers and workshops around the world on a variety of topics, including on music and HIV and AIDS and on how to develop artistic creations that meet local needs and aspirations. She is active in multiple professional organizations, including serving on the Steering Committee for the Health Humanities Consortium. In her role at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Van Buren works with a team of arts administrators, educators and practitioners to integrate arts and humanities into the healing environment through clinical practice, education and research.
Part of the Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy Colloquium Series, this event is sponsored by The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Department of Ethnomusicology