Arts Initiative Virtual Series: Arts, Mental Health & Social Distancing

The BU Arts Initiative and the BU Wellbeing Project welcome presenters, Dr. Girija Kaimal, Dr. Sarah Lipson, and Dr. Jeremy Nobel, to discuss their work, contemporary mental health issues for college students, and the mental health benefits of a variety of arts engagement activities. They will also share relevant resources everyone can utilize. The discussion will be moderated by BU Arts Initiative Managing Director, Ty Furman. Learn more about our presenters below.

Participants will also have a chance to ask questions and share additional resources you have found helpful during this time.

Once you've registered through Eventbrite, please keep an eye out for an email from us through Eventbrite with the Zoom link and information to attend virtually within 24 hours of the event. If you RSVP within 24 hours, you will receive the link on Wednesday throughout the day.

For more information about the virtual series, please visit: bu.edu/arts/virtual-arts.

Presenters:

Girija Kaimal, EdD, ATR-BC is Associate Professor in the PhD program in Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University and President-Elect of the American Art Therapy Association. Dr. Kaimal's research broadly examines the physiological and psychological health outcomes of visual and narrative self-expression. Her Health, Arts, Learning and Evaluation (HALE) Lab is funded by the U.S Department of Defense, the National endowment for the Arts as well as University research groups. Current studies include: Examining the role art therapy in pediatric hematology/oncology settings; the impact of art therapy for military service members with traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress; the role of narratives and portraiture to enhance awareness on gulf war veterans; and; the applications of new media like virtual reality in promoting creative approaches to health and well-being. Girija is also an active visual artist and more details on her work are available at www.girijakaimal.com.

Sarah Ketchen Lipson, PhD, EdM is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Law Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. She is co-Principal Investigator of the Healthy Minds Study and Associate Director of the Healthy Minds Network. Dr. Lipson's research focuses on understanding and addressing mental health inequalities in adolescent and young adult populations, especially college students. She employs varied methodologies, including large-scale epidemiological surveys and population-level interventions.

Jeremy Noble, MD is Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine. He currently serves on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine and is the founder of the Foundation for Art and Healing. He is also a poet, a photographer, and a teacher—a practitioner of the humanities. With the unique background and training to bridge scientific and humanistic disciplines, he has contributed to significant explorations into how creative expression mitigates illness and enhances well-being. He has become a prominent advocate for creative engagement, ancillary to and integrated with traditional medical care, as a pathway to healing.