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The Academy is overseen by a Board of Directors and maintains an Advisory Council, Research Council, and International Task Force to advise on all matters related to the professional and scientific development of NMT™. With the exception of the Research Council, the composition of the councils is a majority NMT™ Professional Affiliates.  The Academy facilitates endeavors in a variety of areas including but not limited to continuing education, student training, research, information sharing, and reimbursement.

Academy Team

Kim Albanowski

MA, Operations

Sophia Christiana

MMus, Community and Affiliate Engagement

Corene Thaut

Founding and Executive Director, PhD

Board of Directors

The Board is responsible for overseeing all activities of the Corporation including overall policy and direction. The Board delegates responsibility of day to day operations to the executive director and the councils in order to:

  • Protect the integrity of the NMT™ system of standardized techniques
  • Facilitate development and promulgation of the NMT™ system of standardized techniques Promote responsible and ethical practice by Academy Professional Affiliates
  • Ensure availability of best-practice treatment for those seeking therapy

Michael Thaut

Founding and Scientific Director, Co-Chair, PhD

Dr. Volker Hoemberg

M.D. , Co-Chair, President of the WFNR

Corene Thaut

Founding and Executive Director, PhD

Dr. Dafin F. Muresanu

M.D., President of EFNR

Dr. Nirmal Surya

M.D., President IFNR

Dana Boering

M.D., EFNR Secretary General

Dr. Gerard E. Francisco

M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Director

Stephanie Clarke

PhD, Professor Emeritus at Faculty of Biology and Medicine

Advisory Council

The Advisory Council is a working body responsible for providing objective input, working support, and recommendations to the NMT™ Academy related to actions that impact the future direction and growth of NMT™.

To advise in order to:

  • Protect the integrity of the NMT™ system of standardized techniques
  • Facilitate development and promulgation of the NMT™ system of standardized techniques
  • Promote responsible and ethical practice by Academy Professional Affiliates
  • Ensure availability of best-practice treatment for those seeking therapy

Caitlin Hebb

Chair

Suzanne Oliver

Ethics, Teaching Faculty

Carolyn Dobson

Public Relations and Advocacy

Elizabeth Nightingale

International Affiliate Task Force Liaison

Nicole Richard Williams

Public Relations and Advocacy

Cheryl Jones

Public Relations and Advocacy

Research Council

Under review. Please contact Scientific Director, Dr. Michael Thaut for more information. 

Additional Teaching Faculty

Kathrin Mertel

MM, Teaching Faculty

Charlene Santoni

PhD, Teaching Faculty

Ruth Rice

DPT, Teaching Faculty
Dr. Corene Thaut

Executive Director, The Academy for Neurologic Music Therapy

Associate Professor, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto

Program Head, Applied Music and Health, University of Toronto

Associate Professor, ArtEZ School of Music-ArtEZ Conservatorium

Corene P. Hurt-Thaut received her master’s in music therapy, and her PhD with an interdisciplinary focus of music, neuroscience and statistical design, from Colorado State University. At Colorado State University she served as a special assistant professor of music therapy from 1997-2014, teaching classes in piano technique, music therapy methods and counseling for psychiatric populations, music therapy methods in neuro-rehabilitation, research in music therapy, advanced techniques in neurologic rehabilitation, and seminars in Neurologic Music Therapy®. She was a research associate at The Center for Biomedical Research in Music at Colorado State University from 1997-2015.  She is the co-founder and Program Director for The Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy® since 1997, and is currently assistant professor and research associate at the University of Toronto, and associate professor at the ArtEZ School of Music – ArtEZ Conservatorium.   She is nationally and internationally recognized for her clinical expertise in the evidence based practice of Neurologic Music Therapy®, with clinical experience including 3 ½ years as a music therapist at Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital and the Center for Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University Medical School in Atlanta, 4 years as a Neurologic Music Therapist at Poudre Valley Hospital and The Center for Neurologic Rehabilitation in Fort Collins, Colorado, and 10 years of private practice and community outreach Neurologic Music Therapy® session.  Her work has included a diverse range of clinical populations including: stroke, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and psychiatric disorders.  She served on the exam committee for the National Certification Board for Music Therapy (CBMT) as both a member and Committee Chair from 2001-2006, as an elected member of the CBMT National Board of Directors from 2009-2013, and more recently on the Practice Analysis Committee (2015) and as a co-author of the Self-Assessment Exam (2016) .  She has also served as President and Vice President of the Midwestern Region of American Music Therapy Association.   Dr. Hurt-Thaut has numerous research publications in the area of music and motor control as well as ten book chapters highlighting specific applications of Neurologic Music Therapy® to her credit.

Dr. Michael Thaut

Professor Faculty of Music

Faculty of Medicine Institute of Medical Sciences and Rehabilitation Science Institute

Director, Music and Health Science Research Collaborative and Graduate Programs, Collaborator Scientist, CAMH Neuroimaging

Affiliate Scientist St. Michael’s Hospital, CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR TIER I IN MUSIC, NEUROSCIENCE AND HEALTH

University of Toronto

Michael H. Thaut received his PhD in music with a cognate minor in movement science in 1983 and his masters in music 1980, both from Michigan State University. He also studied at the Mozarteum Music University in Salzburg, Austria. He holds a German Diploma degree in psychology/education. At Colorado State University (CSU) he was Professor Music since 1986-2015 and Director of the School of the Arts 2001-2010. He received a joint appointment as Professor of Neuroscience in 1998. He was Director of the Center for Biomedical Research in Music since 1994. Since 2016 he is Professor of Music with cross appointments in Neuroscience and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Toronto where he directs the Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaHRC) and the Masters/PhD programs in Music and Health Sciences. He has been a Visiting Professor in medical and music schools around the world (Germany, Italy, USA, Japan), and 2010-2012 was chancellor of the SRH University System in Germany.

Over the past decade he and his co-investigators have received over 4 million in prestigious and highly competitive research funding from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and private foundations. He has received the American Music Therapy Association’s National Research Award 1993 and its National Service Award 2001. His recent publication (with Volker Hoemberg), The Oxford Handbook of Neurologic Music Therapy® (2014), was second overall in the British Medical Association (BMA) 2015 Book Awards for ‘Best New Book in Neurology’ (60 entries), an unprecedented achievement for a work in music therapy/medicine. Dr. Thaut has authored/co-authored abpout 250 scientific publications in multiple fields. His publications have appeared in journals like Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Brain Sciences, Neuroimage, Music Perception, Biological Cybernetics, Movement Disorders, etc. His books have been translated into Korean, Japanese, and Chinese. He is globally in demand as a keynote speaker on music, brain, and neurorehabilitation.

His research career has been focused on the neural and psychophysical basis of music and rhythm perception and clinical application of music and rhythm to motor, speech/language, and cognitive training in neurologic disorders. He is the founder of the evidence-based treatment system of Neurologic Music Therapy® whose certificate training has been endorsed by the World Federation of Neurorehabilitation. He is President of the International Society for Clinical Neuromusicology, Vice President of the International Society for Music and Medicine, a Management Board Member of the World Federation of Neurorehabilitation, and an elected Overseas Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (U.K.). In addition to his groundbreaking work as a researcher and clinician, Dr. Thaut is an accomplished musician and violinist in the classical and folk genre, having toured and recorded extensively, especially in folkmusic. His anthology of European and North American Fiddle Music (Das grosse Fiddlebuch) has been in print since 1981.

Dr. Volker Hoemberg, MD

President, World Federation of Neurorehabilitation
Head of Neurology, SRH Health Center, Bad Wimpfen, Germany
University of Düsseldorf
Vice President, European Federation of Neurorehabilitation Societies
Secretary General, International Society for Clinical Neuromusicology

Dr. Dafin F. Muresanu, MD, PhD, MBA, FEAN

President of the European Federation of NeuroRehabilitation Societies (EFNR)
Secretary General AMN (Academy for Multidisciplinary Neurotraumatology)
Past President of the Romanian Society of Neurology
Professor of Neurology, Chairman Department of Neurosciences
“Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Chairman “RoNeuro” Institute for Neurological Research and Diagnostic
Corresponding Member of the Romanian Academy

Dr. Nirmal Surya, MD, DNB (Neuro), FIAN, MNAMS, FAAN

Prof. Dr. Nirmal Surya (DNB, MD, MBBS) is the Past President of the Indian Academy of Neurology, Founder President of the Indian Federation of Neurorehabilitation, and Founder Trustee & Chairman of the Epilepsy Foundation, Mumbai, India. With over 30 years of experience, his areas of expertise include neurorehabilitation, stroke, and epilepsy. Professor Surya has chaired a large number of seminars, workshops, conferences, and symposia in the field of neurology & neurorehabilitation. From a clinical standpoint, Dr. Lim is deeply engrossed in understanding how physical function influences the overall quality of life for individuals grappling with chronic pain and disability. His work not only contributes to the academic understanding of these phenomena but also holds practical implications for improving the well-being of those experiencing such challenges.

Dana Boering

Senior Neurologist Emeritus, SRH Medical Center Bad Wimpfen (Germany)

 

Dr Dana Boering is a highly trained neurologist with specializations in neurorehabilitation and neurophysiology. During her professional career, she has developed extensive scientific collaborations with prestigious universities like the University of Essen, the University of Düsseldorf in the field of plasticity after stroke. Since 2009, Dr Boering collaborates with the Coma Science Group in Liege, Belgium. Also, she currently serves as the Secretary General of the European Federation of Neurorehabilitation Societies.

Gerard E. Francisco, MD​

The Wulfe Family Chair in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Distinguished Teaching Professor, University of Texas System, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Chairman and Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Chief Medical Officer and Director, NeuroRecovery Research Center, TIRR Memorial Hermann

Stephanie Clarke
Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Biology and Medicine in Lausanne. As former Head of the Neuropsychology and Neurorehabilitation Clinic at the University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland, Stephanie Clarke was closely involved in neurorehabilitation to in- and outpatients in postacute and chronic stages of brain lesions, with particular emphasis to neuropsychological rehabilitation and speech therapy. With her group Stephanie Clarke continues research projects that combine investigations of cognitive functions and of the functional organization of the human cerebral cortex, with particular interest in the organisation and plasticity of the human auditory cortex.
Caitlin Hebb, MT-BC, NMT-F

The Clinical Operations Manager and practicing Neurologic Music Therapy® Fellow for MedRhythms Therapy. She graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Therapy and holds her fellowship in Neurologic Music Therapy®. Caitlin is responsible for managing MedRhythms partnerships and shepherding the development and implementation of new NMT™ programs. Caitlin is passionate about education providing clinical and professional supervision to MedRhythms team of clinicians and other colleagues. She is also the Internship Director and Practicum coordinator where she manages academic affiliations and provides clinical placements for students. Caitlin has spoken at several regional and national conferences focusing on the use of Neurologic Music Therapy® in neurorehabilitation and with various neurological populations.

Suzanne Oliver, MT-BC, NMT-F

Suzanne Oliver is the Founder and Executive Director of Neurologic Music Therapy® Services of Arizona (NMTSA), a nonprofit organization that has provided clinical music therapy services to the Phoenix community for over 40 years.  She also founded a school for students with autism, approved through the Arizona Department of Education, in 2007. Suzanne is a Board Certified Music Therapist who received her NMT™ training in 1999, and a Neurologic Music Therapy® Fellow, having completed four Fellowships to date through the Academy. Suzanne assisted in developing the Academy for Neurologic Music Therapy® and co-authored the Medical Coding and Records Manual: Neurologic Music Therapy®. Her passion is to educate the community on current research regarding the impact of rhythm on the brain and how this knowledge can positively impact the treatment of individuals with neurologic differences and improve their everyday life.

Carolyn A. Dobson, CMDCP, AAP-BC, MT-BC, NMT-F
Carolyn is a Neurologic Music Therapy® Fellow providing clinical services, program consultation, and professional supervision in the Dallas, TX metroplex. Carolyn’s primary clinical focus includes older adults with neurodegenerative diseases and those with acquired/traumatic brain injuries. She is a current member of the NMT™ Academy Advisory Council.
Elizabeth Nightingale, MSc Music Therapy, NMT-F

Elizabeth is an accredited Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)® Fellow and holds the role of Neuro Services Lead at Chiltern Music Therapy, leading on business development in the neurorehab/medicolegal sectors. She also works clinically in a mixture of in-patient rehabilitation and in the community with case managed children/adults. Elizabeth is a regular conference presenter and guest lecturer and has had her work and research published in the Brain & Spinal Injury Handbook, NR Times, British Journal of Music Therapy and Journal of Dementia Care. She has recently co-authored a chapter with Corene Thaut on the NMT™ technique Developmental Speech & Language Training Through Music (DSLM)® for the updated edition of the Handbook of Neurologic Music Therapy®. Elizabeth is also a member of the Advisory Council for the Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy®.

Nicole Richard Williams, PhD, MT-BC, MTA, NMT-F

Dr. Nicole Richard Williams has been an NMT™ since 2016 and NMT™-Fellow since 2019. She completed her MA and PhD in Music and Health Sciences with Drs. Michael and Corene Thaut at the University of Toronto in 2024. Dr. RW works as an Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she has taught since 2021. She is active as a new member of the NMT™ Advisory Council and has published several journal articles related to clinical practice in NMT™ in journals such as Frontiers in Neuroscience and the Journal of Music Therapy. Her current areas of clinical practice and supervision are middle school-aged trauma-informed NMT™ & memory care.

Cheryl Jones, Registered Psychotherapist, PhD, NMT-F

Dr. Cheryl Jones, PhD, works as a Neurologic Music Therapy® Music Therapist with individuals who have sustained an acquired brain injury or who are living with a neurodegenerative disorder. Dr. Jones earned her PhD in Music and Health Sciences at the University of Toronto where she was also a member of the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience (CPIN). She holds her Master of Music Therapy from Wilfrid Laurier University with a focus on music-centred psychotherapy and is a registered psychotherapist. She has advanced training in Neurologic Music Therapy ®(NMT™), is a Neurologic Music Therapy®-Fellow, and serves on the advisory council for the Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy®. Dr. Jones has taught in the music therapy departments at Wilfrid Laurier University, Concordia University, and most recently at the University of Miami. She is a regular guest lecturer at conferences and universities. Her clinical work has been featured in 2 national CBC radio documentaries and in a book, Allison’s Brain. Dr. Jones has published several articles and book chapters regarding the use of music-based interventions to address a range of goal areas. Based on her studies, research, and years of clinical experience, Dr. Jones has developed a music therapy model: Therapeutic Music Training (TMT). TMT uses the process of learning to play an instrument, specifically the piano, to address cognitive rehabilitation goals and/ or psychosocial health. She currently resides in Ottawa, Canada, where she maintains a private practice Con Brio Music Therapy.

Kathrin Mertel

Kathrin Mertel earned her diploma in music therapy in 2003 and completed her Master’s Degree in Neurologic Music Therapy® in 2005.  2006 – 2011 she was working full-time at a Neurological Rehabilitation Center in Dresden where she mainly treated patients suffering from TBI and cerebral palsy. From 2011-2021 she was working at the Cochlear Implant Center of the University Hospital Dresden. There she established a treatment program focused on auditory perception training and cognitive training. In addition to her clinical work, Kathrin Mertel is the author of publications, gives lectures and workshops and held a teaching assignment at the Music Therapeutic Institute of the University of the Arts in Berlin until 2020. In Fall 2021 Kathrin began her Ph.D. studies under Dr. Michael Thaut at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Charlene Santoni, PhD

Charlene Santoni received her Master’s Degree in Vocal Pedagogy and her Ph.D. in Music and Health Science with a specialization in voice from The University of Toronto. Her doctoral research explored ways of influencing oral-nasal balance in speech and singing in typical speakers and speakers with hypernasality. Her work earned publication in the Journal of Voice, Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, and The International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. She also co-authored a chapter on music-inspired speech and language rehabilitation that is featured in the Oxford Handbook for Music and the Brain. She is currently a guest lecturer at The University of Toronto and a sessional singing voice instructor at McMaster University. She also maintains a private studio where she provides advanced singing training, singing voice rehabilitation services, and Vocal Intonation Therapy (VIT)®. In 2014, she was awarded The National Association of Teachers of Singing Voice Pedagogy Award. Charlene is a Neurologic Music Therapy® Affiliated Professional that specializes in Vocal Intonation Therapy (VIT)®. For more information about Dr. Santoni, you can visit her website:  www.charlenesantoni.com.

Ruth Rice, DPT

Ruth Rice has been involved with research on the effects of rhythm and music for neurological rehabilitation techniques for the last 20 years and has also been a clinician treating orthopedic and neurological diagnoses for the last 22 years. Ruth received her Masters’s degree in Physical Therapy in 1988 and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2008.  She has been a clinician at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins for the last 20 years and also is an instructor/facilitator for 3 Neurologic Music Therapy® community exercise groups per week, she also continues with research projects with the Center for Biomedical Research in Music at Colorado State University.