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On Sunday, October 11th, 2026, NOAH announced this year’s winners of the Cam Busch NOAH Arts in Health Awards. The awards were presented at the Memorial Art Gallery – University of Rochester during NOAHCON 26. 

About the NOAH Awards:
The awards are open to NOAH members: individual artists working in all disciplines, or arts in health programs or projects in a healthcare facility or community setting.

Four programs were recognized with 1st place awards and five received honorable mentions in the Arts Advancing Social Justice, Arts Building Resilience, Arts for Innovation, and Arts Transforming Environments categories. 1st place winners received $500 and free registration to NOAH’s annual conference. This year’s recipients are:

ARTS ADVANCING SOCIAL JUSTICE

Recognizes the positive impact of a program or project on communities that have been historically marginalized due to socioeconomic and racial inequities.

Winner

“BRAIN BOUQUETS”

Tasanee Durrett

Honorable Mention

“SAGACITY Leadership”

Simply Youth Institute

Individuals involved:

Athena Delene
Steven

Thank you to all the entrants for the Arts Advancing Social Justice Award!

Heart Stories

https://lifeonart.org/visions-of-hope

Heart Stories 

Life On Art, California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation–Central California Women’s Facility and the Correctional Training Facility; California Arts Council Arts in Corrections program

UPAYA-Transforming Slum spaces, Uplifting Lives

https://www.vanvaasi.org/slum-spaces

Individuals Involved:
Furniture design collaborator: Saws and Beans studio, Nagpur
Video Editing and Compiling: Harshal Pilania
Photography and Videography: Rohan

Creative Wellbeing Workshop

https://www.vonabyvh.com/workshops-1/project-four-l3zw3-dk9py-xcmem-llk7k-cnfna-k6dfm

VONA

Individuals Involved:
Vladyslava Hrytsiuk — Creator, Facilitator, Workshop Designer
Valeriia Demidova — Photographer
West Hollywood Library — Host Venue

ARTS BUILDING RESILIENCE

Recognizes the efficacy of the arts in combating burnout and fostering resilience among healthcare providers, family caregivers, or individuals in community settings.

Winner

“Expressive Arts in Foster Care”

Constanza Roeder Consulting, LLC and St. Jude’s Ranch for Children

Individuals Involved:

Program Lead: Constanza Roeder
Host institution leadership: Lisa Guerra and Laura Rendon-Lopez

Honorable Mention

“The Grief Gallery: An Arts-Based, Object-Centered Approach to Community Bereavement Support in a Public Hospital”

Charlene Lam / The Grief Gallery. Unidade Local de Saúde Santa Maria (Santa Maria Local Health Unit), Lisboa, Portugal.

Individuals involved:

Charlene Lam / The Grief Gallery

Unidade Local de Saúde Santa Maria (Santa Maria Local Health Unit), Lisboa, Portugal

Thank you to all the entrants for the Arts Building Resilience Award!

Art Space for patients and caregivers

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Individuals Involved:
Madison “Tory” Rendall
Kasey Marsh

Culture Change in Dementia Care: Building Resilience Through Empathy, Joy and Human Connection

Vamos Theatre, PrimeLife, Alley Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company

https://www.vamostheatre.co.uk/arts-in-health

Individuals Involved:
Rachael Savage, Honor Hoskins, Hazel Ratcliffe (Vamos Theatre), The Royal Shakespeare Company, Vicki Shaw (PrimeLife), Alejandra Bacelar Pereira
Aron De Casmaker, Angela Laverick, Joshua Patel (Sharing Joy cast), Cathy Bencivenga, Chaney Tullos (Alley Theatre), Pete Hazelwood (Warehouse Digital), Ian Sherriff.

 

Rejuvenation Station: Arts-Base Respite for Burnout Mitigation and Resilience

Aesthetic Audio Systems

www.rejuvenationstations.com

Individuals Involved:
David Corbin, President Aesthetic Audio Systems
Annette Ridenour, Vice President Aesthetic Audio Systems
Gary Malkin, Music Director and Emmy Award-winning composer/music artist

Harmonizing for Health

NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine Department, Juilliard Extension, Yale School of Public Health

Individuals Involved:
1) Larissa Trinder, Assistant VP NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine Department,
2) John-Morgan Bush, Dean of Juilliard Extension,
3) Dr. Judith Lichtmann, Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) Director, Humanities, Arts, and Public Health Practice at Yale (HAPPY) Initiative; Co-director, Center for Neuroepidemiology and Clinical Neurological Research

ARTS FOR INNOVATION

Recognizes the creative use of media, technology, or artistic programming to drive meaningful impact within a defined community or audience.

Winner

“MindClay”

MindClay

Individuals involved:

Marco Pinter
Chelsea Brown
Maria Luisa Torres
Jon Boogz
Kaita Lepore Mrazek

Honorable Mention

“ICanFeel: A New Frontier in Expressive Digital Care”

MD Anderson Cancer Center Texas 

Individuals involved:

Dr Carlos Roldan, Dr Robyn Cruz, Andrew Porter, Gwenaelle Duchesne, Signe Ruddy, La Casa de Carlota BCN

Honorable Mention

“Music-Guided Resonance Breathing: A Composed Arts-in-Health Intervention for Surgical Stress Reduction”

Independent Artist / Composer / Creative Arts Therapist in cooperation with Leopold Mozart College of Music, University of Augsburg; Kempten University of Applied Sciences; University Hospital Augsburg; KJF Klinik Josefinum gGmbH

Individuals involved:

Peter Michael von der Nahmer – Composer / Artistic Research Collaborator
Prof. Dr. Susanne Metzner – Principal Research Lead / Music Therapy Research
Dominik Fuchs – Research Collaborator
Philipp Morgott – Clinical Research Collaborator
Carmen Ding – Research Collaborator
Nora K. Schaal – Research Collaborator
Philip Hepp – Clinical Research Collaborator
Leopold Mozart College of Music, University of Augsburg
Kempten University of Applied Sciences
University Hospital Augsburg, Clinic for Gynaecology and Obstetrics
KJF Klinik Josefinum gGmbH

Thank you to all the entrants for the Arts for Innovation Award!

Revival

Dances For A Variable Population

http://www.dvpnyc.org

Individuals Involved:
Naomi Goldberg Haas

Bobcat ArtsCare Program

https://www.ohio.edu/well-being/bobcat-artscare

Ohio University

Individuals Involved:

Dr. Sharon R. Boyle, LPMT, MT-BC, Associate Professor of Music Therapy and Director of Arts in Health, Co-creator of Bobcat ArtsCare, Chair of BAC Advisory

Wes Bonadio, Director of Well-Being & Recreation, Co-creator of Bobcat ArtsCare

Tony Gregory, Director for Student Organizations and Campus Programming, Co-creator of Bobcat ArtsCare

Sara Schoenhoft, Assistant Director, Fitness & Well-Being

Caitlin Kraus, MM, MT-BC, Senior Psychologist/Counselor, Co-Creator of Bobcat ArtsCare, BAC Advisory Group

Michelle Gorman, Campus Community Health Worker

Kayla Boswell, Student Supervisor for Bobcat ArtsCare

Shadrack Bannor, Graduate Assistant in Well-Being & Fitness

Alison Sincoff, Professor of Flute, BAC Advisory Group

Sarah Ramey, Assistant Professor of Dance, BAC Advisory Group

This is ME Expressive Arts Experience

https://jaxtpa.org/this-is-me/

The Performers Academy, Inc

Individuals Involved:
Kathryn McAvoy

We Made This Film

https://www.wemadethis-film.com/

Individuals Involved:
Marilena Marchetti
Julie Meslin

AIMagination: Arts and Technology for Mental Health, Youth Empowerment, and Community Connection

https://thefineartprogramandcollectionsatmontefioreeinstein.com/yes-gallery

Montefiore Einstein

Individuals Involved:
Jenny Seham, Ph.D, Director, Arts and Integrative Medicine (AIM), Facilitator, AIMagination, Montefiore Einstein
Olivia Davis, Curator, Fine Art Program and Collection at Montefiore Einstein
Dori Polovsky, Ph.D, Facilitator AIMagination, Montefiore Einstein
D.J. Smith, CCO, Glimpse Group
Vicky Barranguet, Artist, Facilitator, AIMagination

Immersive Paintings at Honickman Center

Immersive Paintings at Honickman Center

Individuals Involved:
Art (immersive Paintings): Lyn Godley

Grey Matters Dance Initiative: Integrating Arts, Science, and Workforce Development for Community and Healthcare Well-Being

Weber State University, Northern Utah Rehabilitation Hospital

Individuals Involved:

Dr. Juan Carlos Claudio

Patient Photography Program

Cook Children’s Medical Center

Individuals Involved:
Sydney Peel
Anne Stankus
Karen Gilmore
Katie Campbell

SPACE: Seeing Possibilities and Cultivating Exploration

www.montefiore.org/artprogram

Montefiore Einstein

Individuals Involved:
Dr. Jenny Seham, Olivia Davis, Curator, D.J. Smith, Technologist, and Dr. Jessica Snyder, NASA Researcher

Strange Bedfellows: Contemporary Tragedy & The Commercial Determinants of Health

https://auralhistory.substack.com/p/strange-bedfellows

Independent Arist & Community Scholar

Individuals Involved:
Patrick Paulus

ARTS TRANSFORMING ENVIRONMENTS

Recognizes the positive impact of a program or project in a healthcare environment.

Winner

“Musical Rounds”

Stanford School of Medicine, Kaiser Santa Clara, VA Palo Alto, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

Individuals involved:

Founder and Host: Melanie Ambler
Producers: Grace Carroll and Chase Morano
Audio Engineer: Michael Shofi
Visual Design: Janice Tjan

Sponsors: Stanford MedScholars, Arnold P. Gold Foundation, Healing Hands Scrubs, Peak II Foundation, Honeywell Arts Fellowship

Honorable Mention

“Curating for Health”

NYC Health + Hositals/Arts in Medicine

Individuals involved:

Ryan Patrick, Curator, Arts in Medicine
Emireth Herrera Valdez Curator, Arts in Medicine
Dr. Eric Wei, Clinical Advocate CEO Bellevue Hospital
Monica Marino Director of Programming, Arts in Medicine

Thank you to all the entrants for the Arts Transforming Environments Award!

Arts in Healthcare

https://www.leehealth.org/utility/for-volunteers/arts-in-healthcare

Lee Health

Individuals Involved:
Lee Health and employees
Barb Duncan, Volunteer
Shela Howard, Volunteer
Malory Houston, Volunteer
Pam Green, Volunteer
Devin Turk, Manager Creative Services
Kimberlynn & Zeppelin Hobbs Patient & Parent
Brittany Allen, Clown
Emily Johnson, Clown
Doug MacGregor, Volunteer
Orange River Elementary School
LARC singers
Timothy Gomez, Performer
Classic Sounds, Performers
Madison Massey, Performer
Emily Franz, Performer
Happy Ukulele Group
HEARTS group
Special Populations of Cape Coral
Volunteer Leadership
Daniel Perkins, Knights of Columbus
WINK News – Taylor Petras
Jane Imbasciani, Volunteer

Storytelling Through Animation

Brown Health Hasbro Children’s Hospital

Individuals Involved:

Kyle McDonald, MFA, C-IAYT / Healing Arts Manager Brown Health
Cristin Searles Bilodeau / Director Providence Children’s Film Festival

Bloom Employee Collaborative Mural

Houston Methodist Hospital

Individuals Involved:

Melissa Aytenfisu
Shay Thornton- Kulha

The Day of Dance

Georgetown University Medical Center, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

Individuals Involved:

Julia Langley, Faculty Director, Georgetown Lombardi Arts and Humanities Program (AHP)
Noni Ford, Program Manager, Georgetown (AHP)
Deborah Riley, Movement Artist-in-Residence, Co-Director, Day of Dance
Anthony Hyatt, Musician-in-Residence, Co-Director, Day of Dance
Denaise Seals, Videographer, Day of Dance

Layered Stories

https://thefineartprogramandcollectionsatmontefioreeinstein.com/meccmh

Montefiore Einstein

Individuals Involved:
Olivia Davis, Curator, Dr. Jenny Seham, Clinical Psychologist, and Gail Garcia, Artist

Memory Loss and Art

https://tac.clemsoncity.org/arts-in-wellness

The City of Clemson Arts Center, Clemson Downs Senior Living Facility

Individuals Involved:
James Hill
Ruthie Millar
Joan Rossini
Emily Burton
Natalie Childs
Krissi Williams
Christy Williamson
Shea Abramo
Katlyn Cohane

Creative & Healing Arts

https://stanfordhealthcare.org/for-patients-visitors/creative-healing-arts-program.html

Stanford Health Care

Individuals Involved:

Video Creation
Jason Leung, Videographer, Editor
Kyra Sycip, Video Co-Director, Editor
Sophina McDaniel, MPH, CWP, Video Co-Director, Editor

Creative & Healing Arts Team members featured in the video
Amanda Casillas, Director of Service Excellence
Sophina McDaniel, Manager of Creative & Healing Arts
Kerry Lee Laird, Art Facilitator
Michelle Doan, Virtual Reality Facilitator
Mariechristine Lopez, Music Facilitator
Jacqueline Lynaugh, Music Facilitator
Claudia Slayman, Music Facilitator
Michael Schwartz, Music Facilitator
Steven Scholom, Ambient Music Facilitator
Sheila Khan, Sound Healing Facilitator

2025 Jury

Dr. Shanaé R. Burch

Dr. Shanaé R. Burch (she series/NaéBur) is a theatremaker, published poet, contemplative collagist, and artist-researcher committed to listening and creating healthful narratives towards “community euphoria” — a shared feeling of wellbeing. Her poetry as scholarship appears in Health Promotion Practice, where she serves as a Board member and co-associate editor of Poetry for the Public’s Health, and in an edited volume on racism and public health. She is an alumna of Emerson College, Harvard University, and Columbia University. Before becoming the first postdoctoral researcher at the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine—where she journeyed with the ON/OP Arts for EveryBody campaign and contemplated community accountability—she was a stage actress, part-time nanny, and Instacart shopper. She previously developed Rutgers University’s inaugural Introduction to Arts in Health course, partnering with NJPAC to create more accessible curricula. Now serving as President/CEO of Community Conversations: Sister to Sister, she focuses on intergenerational gatherings for health. She further bridges liberatory work and creative health through her consulting practice, Creating Healthful Narratives, LLC. She is a proud member of the 2024-2025 Public Theatre’s BIPOC Critics Lab and Actors Equity Association. Her praxis is informed by her spiritual practice as Deacon of Double Love Experience, her 3-world majors marathon training, extended practice with new play development, and playing her favorite Kokoroko records on her Victrola. www.shanaeburch.com

Cam Busch

Cam Busch is the owner of the Art Therapy Consults and Studio, Private Practice, Chattanooga, TN. Committed to the value of utilizing arts in healing and wellness with children, adults and geriatrics with physical and emotional challenges and life adjustment disorders. 

Modern day pioneer and bridge builder for the arts and health among interdisciplinary organizations, including the creative arts therapies, the visual and performing arts and holistic nursing. Nominated for the highest award of the American Art Therapy Association, the Honorary Life Member. Received the Tennessee Art Therapy Association Distinguished Service Award and HLM. 

Licensed, registered and board certified art therapist ( 28 years to present ). Supervisor and mentor to rising arts therapists and arts in healthcare practitioners. 

Licensed, registered and board certified Psychiatric and Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, retired 2015. ( 20 years practice ). 

Exhibiting artist and photographer ( 50 years to present ). Extensive solo and group exhibitions, state, national and international, including the Washington National Cathedral, the1996 0lympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, and Russia, China, Ireland and Italy. 

National Arts in Healthcare Consultant NEA/SAH Leadership Initiative Grant training recipient, 2001. Inaugural Creative Center for Women with Cancer, New York City Hospital Artist in Residence training recipient, 2002. 

Benefactor of the arts in healthcare through ( 30 years to present ) elected voluntary board and committee service local, national and international. American Art Therapy Association, Inc., Tennessee Art Therapy Association, Inc., Society for the Arts in Healthcare, Global Alliance for Arts in Health, CHI Memorial Healthcare Foundation, Association for Visual Arts, AIM center, The Sophia Institute, Racial Justice Council, in Charleston, SC, Sculpture Fields at Montague Park, Arts Based Collaborative, University of TN at Chattanooga, National Advisory Freedom Sings USA, National Organization for Arts in Health ( NOAH ) founding member, Core Curriculum writer, Juror for the Hamilton Awards, inaugural steering committee for NOAH founding board of directors. 

Created the Cam Busch Endowed Arts for Health Lecture Series for CHI Memorial Healthcare, Chattanooga, TN, now in its 21st year. Partners have included the Chattanooga Theatre Center, Hunter Museum of American Art, and the University of TN at Chattanooga. Founding member of the CHI Memorial Arts in Health Program (1996) and the Tennessee Art Therapy Association (1993). 

Marcel Foster

Marcel W. Foster, MPH (they/them), is the Research & Evaluation Associate at NYU Steinhardt. They also serve as adjunct faculty with the Center for Arts in Medicine at University of Florida, and are the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Performance Hypothesis.

They evaluate health initiatives for clients including the US Agency for International Development, Ministry of Health – Sierra Leone, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health. Currently, they lead evaluation initiatives for vaccine confidence programmes, Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, and Dance for Parkinson’s.

Marcel is an Emory University 40 Under 40, and serves as the Co-Chair for Arts, Culture, and Museums at the American Evaluation Association. Marcel brings over 10 years of experience as a dance-theatre creator and performer, working  with the Guthrie Theater, Pig Iron Theater, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Pasion y Arte Flamenco, Susan Rethorst, and David Gordon.

Lisa M.W. Eldred

Lisa Eldred has worked in the arts and museum field for 30 years and holds a bachelor’s degree in arts administration and a master’s degree in art history. For the last 18 years she has worked at the AAM-accredited, interdisciplinary institution of Denver Botanic Gardens as Director of Exhibitions, Art & Learning Engagement and Head Curator of Art. Her work brings together art and the natural world to foster social connection, wellbeing, and wonder.

She is active in broader museum and public gardens community, acting in service roles for the American Alliance of Museums, American Public Gardens Association, and Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Jennifer Wilcox

Jennifer Wilcox is Principal and founder of Cotter/Wilcox, LLC, and has more than 20 years of experience in the association and non-profit communities. She has successfully led large-scale change management processes focused on technology implementation, new product development, leadership development, customer service and brand repositioning and management. She has taught membership development courses at the University of Maryland and facilitated retreats for associations and not-for-profit groups. Jennifer also serves as the Director of Education for The Center for Health Design.