People

a child joyfully plays with an interactive exhibit

Within caregiving contexts, we study how involving families and their loved ones in participatory arts can bring about better outcomes in health and wellbeing for themselves and their relationships.

Meet the Team

The project team for the NEA Caregiving Research Lab comprises health scientists, arts researchers and practitioners, in partnership with community arts organizations and health agencies. Lab activities are co directed by CHC Project Directors Tamara Underiner and David Coon, respectively a theatre historian and research psychologist.

Community-based artist and researcher Stephani Etheridge Woodson and pediatric nursing researcher Elizabeth Reifsnider are chief Investigators for the study with Childsplay.

Personality/social psychologist Shelby Langer heads up the second project with Cancer Support Community Arizona, and David Coon leads "Sounds of the Symphony," our third project featuring a collaboration with the Phoenix Symphony and the Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix).

The opinions expressed in materials on this website are those of the author(s) and do not represent the views of the National Endowment for the Arts Office of Research & Analysis or the National Endowment for the Arts. The Arts Endowment does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information included in these materials and is not responsible for any consequences of its use. This NEA Research Lab is supported in part by awards from the National Endowment for the Arts (Awards: 1862894-38-C-20, 1906811-38-22 and 1936483-38-24).