International Abstracts

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The 'Music and Medicine' international abstract Editor Bernardo Canga, works with a team of international translators to offer the journal's abstracts in as many languages as possible.

Our Team

German Translator: Monika Nöcker-Ribaupierre, Dr.sc.mus.

Monika Nöcker-Ribaupierre has over 20 years of clinical experience, working in NICU, with developmentally delayed and multiply disabled children. Currently, her primary focus is auditory stimulation after premature birth. Prior to this, Monika was chair of the postgraduate music therapy training program at Freies Musikzentrum Munich e.V. and Vice President of the European Music Therapy Confederation. She is Vice-President of the International Society of Music in Medicine and serves on the scientific board of “Musiktherapeutische Umschau”, Bundesverband ”das frühgeborene Kind” e.V. and the Editorial Board of the interdisciplinary journal Music and Medicine. She has published a number of books, book chapters and articles.

Japanese Translator: Dr. Kana Okazaki-Sakaue, D.A, MT-BC, NRMT, ARAM

Kana is a music therapist trained both in the UK and USA. She studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music, London, England and was trained at the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre in London. She also obtained a Master's and Doctorate degree in Music Therapy at New York University, USA. She is currently working as an Associate Professor at the Kobe university, Japan and also serving as a board member of the Japanese Association of Clinical Music Therapy. She has been appointed as the Chair of Education, Certification, and Regulation Commission of the World Federation for Music Therapy from 2023-2026. She also serves as the training director of the Japanese Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Training Program in Tokyo. She has been active as the Advisor for Tohoku Music Therapy Project, supporting music therapy work for survivors after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, since 2011. Her current clinical work includes special education setting as well as experiential training for music therapists and trainees. She supervises music therapists and other related professionals such as psychologists and psychiatrists. Her specific research is clinical improvisation.

Japanese translator: Aiko Onuma, MT-BC

Aiko Onuma is a music therapist/educator who works in the greater Boston area as well as internationally. Aiko is currently the president of “Kakehashi” Music Therapy Connection Group and provides music therapy services and individualized music instruction for all ages and levels. She holds a Bachelor degree of Music Therapy from Berklee College of Music.

Chinese Translator: Yi-Ying, MA, MT-BC

Yi-Ying currently works at Taipei Medical University Hospital in Taiwan, serving multiple population in medical setting. She completed graduate studies at Montclair State University in the U.S. and was clinically trained in Beth Israel Medical Center.

Korean Translator: Juri Yun, MT-DMtG, KCMT

Dr. Yun is a certified music therapist who earned a Master's degree in Music Therapy from the Institute for Music Therapy in Berlin, Germany, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Music Therapy from Ewha Womans University in South Korea. She holds certifications as a vocal psychotherapist trained by Dr. Diane Austin and as a Music and Imagery therapist trained by Dr. Lisa Summer. Presently, she serves as an Adjunct Professor at Ewha Womans University in Korea, while also holding positions as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Scientific Committee for the National Association of Korean Music Therapists. Actively engaged as a clinician and researcher, Dr. Yun has an extensive background in working with adolescents facing adjustment challenges, as well as individuals with developmental and psychotherapeutic needs. Since 2016, she has fulfilled the role of translator for the Korean versions of abstracts for the IAMM Journal, contributing to the international dissemination of the journal.lies in working with adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders and children with special needs.

French translator: Kate Walker

Kate Walker, originally from Australia, is a music therapist based in France. Her clinical experiences include children and adults with sensory impairments (specifically visual and auditory), adult psychiatry, as well as people with dementia and Alzheimer's. Her research interests include neurologic music therapy, the effects of cultural influences, and the many ways music interacts with our brains. Kate was a presenter at the 2021 and 2022 Online Conference for Music Therapy. She holds a Master's of Art Therapy, specializing in Music Therapy, from the University of Paris Descartes, France.

Turkish translator: Sukru Torun MD, MT-TR

Sukru Torun is a full-time Professor of Neurology with 30 years of experience and a music therapist authorized by the Turkish Ministry of Health in 2016 for Turkey. Currently, he is the chair of the first music therapy master training program approved by the Turkish Council of Higher Education in 2021 at Anadolu University Health Sciences Institute and the music therapy department. Dr. Torun is the member Complementary and Functional Medicine Scientific Board of the Ministry of Health. Also, serves in the workng groups of dementia-behavioral neurology, quality of life and neurorehabilitation of the Turkish Neurological Society. Having many scientific publications related to his fields of study, Dr. Torun is also one of the academic editors of PLoS ONE, a SCIE and SSCI indexed and Q1 category journal covered by WoS. Professor Torun continues his music therapy research and practice for developmental and acquired neuropsychosocial disorders in the country's first officially approved music therapy unit, which he established in Eskişehir in 2017.

Greek translator: Maria Dimatati

Maria Dimatati has begun her first piano lessons at her early age. After she has acquired the piano diploma (D. Eunouhidou’s class) she achieved a Degree in Musicology / Music Pedagogics (AUTH). Her interest to enrich her academic background on the neuroscientific grounds of music led her to complete Postgraduate studies in Music Psychology (MSc in Music, Mind & Brain, UOL). She has published peer-reviewed research on Psychomusicology and she has presented her study on absolute pitch (AP) and congenital Visual Impairment (VI) at several International Conferences while she currently gives guest lectures to University and other Educational Institutions on the topic of Music Psychology. She has previously worked as a piano tutor and as a Music Educator in public and private elementary schools while she currently coordinates Music classes for infants and pre-schoolers and children with special needs. The last years, after she has attended further studies in Therapeutic Music (MHTP) she collaborated with Psychiatry Clinics, Rehabilitation Centers and Nursing Homes for the Elderly and the Greek Association of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders. Along with her activity on teaching and research she organises and gives improvisational music concerts in the context of music and wellbeing.

Spanish translator: Elkin Dario Franco

Master in Music Therapy from the International University of La Rioja, Spain. Certificate in Arts in Medicine from the University of Florida, USA. Certificate in Neurological Music Therapy. Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy, Canada. Certificate in Music Therapy in Intensive Care, Sociedad Argentina de Terapia Intensiva, Argentina. Certified in NICU-MT, The National Institute for Infant and Child Medical Music Therapy, USA. Member of the International Association of Music and Medicine. Member of the Colombian Association of Music Therapy. Member of Latin American Music Therapy Network. Member of the Editorial Team of PUENTES, the Iberoamerican Journal of Music Therapy in Intensive Care. Member of the translation team of Música y Medicina Magazine. Bachelor in Music Education, University of Antioquia, Colombia. Coordinator of the Music Therapy Program at the Concejo Children's Hospital in Medellin, Colombia. He has experience as a Music Therapist in the Hospital, Educational and Social fields. Manager of musical projects for social transformation with vulnerable communities. He has a strong interest in the continuous inquiry and reflection of the music therapy practice and is an international speaker.

Hebrew translator: Tamar Hadar, PhD

Tamar Hadar, PhD, The School of Creative Arts Therapies, University of Haifa; Department of Education, Western Galilee College & Tel-Chai College, Israel.

A music therapist, supervisor & lecturer, working with children and families in an early intervention unit and in a private practice. Her research centers on clinical improvisation – theory & assessment; music therapy for infants & preterm babies; and culturally sensitive music therapy. Tamar has originated a time-oriented model for analyzing clinical improvisations.

Hebrew translator: Dikla Kerem, M.A., PhD., FAMI, EAMI accred., music therapist-GIM/MI/MB, and psychotherapist

Dr. Dikla Kerem received her M.A. in music therapy from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, USA (1982), and her Ph.D. from Aalborg University, Denmark (2009) where her doctoral thesis examined the effect of music therapy on deaf children with cochlear implants. She holds a psychotherapy certificate from the University of Haifa (2000) and has about 30 years of clinical experience with children, adolescents and adults, as well as extensive experience supervising music therapists. She is a fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery (FAMI), an EAMI (European Association of Music and Imagery) accredited BMGIM therapist (The Helen Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music) (2020) and served as a member of the EAMI board for two years. Dr. Kerem was a co-founder of the Master’s Degree music therapy program at the University of Haifa in Israel, and chaired the program for six years. She was also a lecturer in the M.A. music therapy program at Bar Ilan University. She is also currently a supervisor at the School of Psychoanalytically Oriented Arts Psychotherapy at the University of Haifa. In July 2021, Dr. Kerem’s peers at The Israeli Association for Creative Arts Therapies (YAHAT) recognized her achievements by awarding her a prestigious certificate of appreciation.

Farsi translator: Dr. Amir H Yassari

Dr. Amir H Yassari is a distinguished professional in psychiatry and neuroscience. He received his MD from the Medical University of Vienna and worked globally in various internships and research. His pursuit of a Master of Science in Cognitive Neuroscience led to a celebrated thesis on emotional processing and intelligence.

His academic journey included valuable research stints at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and UC San Diego's Psychiatry Department. Subsequently, at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Dr. Yassari honed his skills across multiple units, notably leading the Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Unit in 2020.

Dr. Yassari's dedication to mental health care inspired the establishment of the Anxiety & OCD Research Group and the Sports Psychiatry Outpatient Services, along with roles emphasizing quality and safety in healthcare. Additionally, he founded MindBrain Clinicum in Hamburg, providing specialized mental health care and therapy.

In his PhD project, Dr Yassari explores the impact of a novel sound stimulation auditory training program (Music for the Mind) on individuals with depression, aiming to enhance mindfulness, neurocognitive abilities, and social interactions and reduce depressive symptoms. This research could pioneer a unique, practical add-on therapy for depression.

Besides his clinical practice, Dr Yassari contributes to mental performance coaching through Coaching Fast Forward GbR and supports academic research as an ad-hoc reviewer for the Frontiers Psychiatry journal.

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