IU School of Nursing

When a child with cancer finds comfort in a song, it’s more than music, it’s medicine. Sheri Robb, PhD, a Walther Professor of Supportive Oncology in the Indiana University Schools of Nursing and Medicine, has built an international reputation for developing a rigorous program of research that is helping us better understand how making music together can improve health outcomes in children and parents.

Robb is a board-certified music therapist with degrees in music therapy and early childhood special education. Before joining the School of Nursing faculty in 2011, she left her position as a tenured associate professor to pursue advanced research training as a post-doctoral fellow at IU. She knew that advanced research training would be necessary to reach her goal of conducting the type of studies needed to impact change at a national level.

“As a clinical music therapist, in a relatively young and emerging field, I wanted to help grow the body of scientific evidence that would inform the application of music to improve health, establish its benefits, and grow the availability of music therapy as a standard of care,” Robb said.

The Healing Power of Music

For the past two decades, Robb and her research team have explored how music engagement can lower distress and improve positive health outcomes in children with cancer and their families.

“We now have data to support the benefits of an Active Music Engagement intervention for young children (ages 3-8 years) with cancer and their parents,” Robb explained. “It is one of only a few behavioral health interventions designed to address both parent and child distress at the same time.

“In addition to lower treatment-related distress, the intervention also lowers traumatic stress symptoms in parents,” she continued. “Our research has allowed us to answer more nuanced questions about who benefits the most from the intervention and how does it work.” 

Robb also made significant contributions to Sound Health, a groundbreaking collaboration between NIH and the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., that worked to understand how listening, performing, or creating music can improve one’s health and wellness.

Mentoring the Next Generation of Nurse Scientists

As a mentor, Robb is deeply committed to nurturing future PhD nursing students with a passion for discovery. She invites students to join her research team to participate in her music health research and gain hands-on experience. 

“Our team values collaboration and the importance of interdisciplinary team science,” she said. “So, the opportunity to see cross-disciplinary communication in action and how different perspectives enrich scientific work, which lead to solutions, outcomes, and innovations that could never be accomplished in isolation.”