Science on Tap: Music Therapy

Pain and anxiety after a surgery can be difficult for anyone to deal with, but it can be especially difficult for adolescents (and their parents) who undergo painful orthopedic surgery.

This presentation will describe an interdisciplinary research study to determine the effectiveness of specific music therapy interventions on adolescentsʼ pain and anxiety after spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis. Due to the outcomes of this study, music therapy is now becoming an important clinical intervention for post-operative pain at The University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital.

Guest speakers include:

• Mary Adamek, Clinical Professor, Carver College of Medicine
• Kristen Nelson, Clinical Music Therapist, The Stead Family Children's Hospital
• Charmaine Kleiber, Associate Professor Emeritus, College of Nursing