Grant: Planning Grants - Priority Announcement: Gender, Sex and Health Research

There is an increasing body of research documenting the effectiveness of music therapy as a clinical intervention for health & wellness in a variety of areas-from medical & mental health settings to specialized services for survivors of violence. Only recently has this research included an explicit examination of the role of gender-most notably with the beginnings of feminist approaches to music therapy among individual researchers & evidence-based practitioners working at the grass-roots level. This work is new & has been completed in isolation to-date, yet it has meaningful implications for improved understanding of gender in social determinants of health, health services, & music therapy clinical interventions. In order to promote this work & cultivate research collaborations, the time is right to host a meeting on music therapy, gender, & health. Held in conjunction with a Gender, Health, & the Creative Arts Therapies Conference (also organized by the Principal Applicant), this planning meeting will bring together international experts on gender & health dimensions in clinical intervention, & research in music therapy in general & in its application with survivors of violence in particular. The meeting will create the first-ever opportunity for experts in this emerging field to develop research agendas & collaborations, thereby building capacity & establishing a solid foundation for future research. A significant number of the invitees work with survivors of violence. As a result, the meeting will focus on the clinical practice of music therapy as a whole, with a stream dedicated to work with survivors of violence, encompassing dimensions of power and gender and their interaction with such factors as race, class, culture, & ability. Through knowledge translation & research capacity building, the meeting will contribute to improving both the quality of life & health service provision for the increasing number of Canadians receiving music therapy services.