Arts, Health & Humanities Unite at FSU Symposium

Interdisciplinary event explores how creative and scholarly perspectives can improve healthcare and human well-being

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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Florida State University's Arts-Health-Humanities Symposium VI brought together faculty and students from across disciplines to share research exploring the connections between the arts, humanities, and health. The event featured presentations, performances, and poster sessions highlighting emerging scholarship in areas like music therapy, interior design for older adults, and the use of creative arts in medical education.

Why it matters

The symposium demonstrates how interdisciplinary collaboration can lead to innovative approaches to healthcare and human well-being. By bridging the arts, humanities, and medical fields, researchers are uncovering new ways to support physical, mental, and emotional health through creative expression and scholarly inquiry.

The details

The symposium featured a range of research projects, including master's student Angelina Ciardi's work exploring the arts and athletes with disabilities, associate professor Daejin Kim's research on how interior design can help older adults age in place, and doctoral students Parintorn "Pim" Pankaew and Shun Ee "Racheal" Yap's findings on how adolescents use music for stress management and emotional expression. Other presentations covered topics like the use of lullabies in Puerto Rico, entrepreneurship in music therapy, and the role of creative arts in medical education.

  • The Arts-Health-Humanities Symposium VI took place on February 10, 2026.
  • The Festival of the Creative Arts, of which the symposium is a part, continues through February 16, 2026.

The players

Angelina Ciardi

A master's student who presented research exploring the arts and athletes with disabilities.

Iain Quinn

A professor and research fellow in the Arts and Humanities, as well as the director of the Festival of the Creative Arts.

Daejin Kim

An associate professor in the College of Fine Arts whose research focuses on how interior design strategies can help older adults age in place.

Tana Jean Welch

An associate professor at the College of Medicine who discussed the "HEAL: Humanism Evolving through Arts and Literature" creative arts journal.

Adriana Lizardi-Vázquez

A doctoral student in music therapy who presented research on lullabies used by caregivers in Puerto Rico.

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What they’re saying

“By bringing together researchers from different disciplines, the symposium creates opportunities to collaborate and expand research across campus.”

— Iain Quinn, Professor and research fellow in the Arts and Humanities, director of the Festival of the Creative Arts (Mirage News)

“Design has the power to support both safety and autonomy. When we consider the lived experience of older adults, we can create environments that promote independence without sacrificing dignity.”

— Daejin Kim, Associate professor in the College of Fine Arts (Mirage News)

“There's a disconnect between how students are trained and the professional realities they will face. Future music therapists must develop professional and entrepreneurial skills alongside clinical training to navigate today's healthcare and wellness industries.”

— James E. Riley, Researcher (Mirage News)

“In times of shared challenge, the arts remind us that connection is essential. They help us build community, process experience and support one another in ways that are fundamental to human health.”

— Michael Bakan, Professor of ethnomusicology (Mirage News)

What’s next

The Festival of the Creative Arts continues on February 16, 2026, with a screening of "Nickel Boys," a film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead.

The takeaway

The Arts-Health-Humanities Symposium demonstrates how interdisciplinary collaboration can lead to innovative approaches to healthcare and human well-being, highlighting the power of the arts and humanities to support physical, mental, and emotional health.