A new initiative led by Indiana University School of Nursing researcher Sheri Robb, PhD, MT-BC, will help translate decades of music therapy research into practical tools that improve supportive care for children with cancer and their families.
Supported by a $380,000 grant from The Faris Foundation, the Active Music Engagement Evidence-to-Action Initiative will transform more than 25 years of research into resources that help children’s hospitals nationwide implement an evidence-based music therapy intervention shown to reduce distress, improve family well-being, and lessen traumatic stress symptoms among parents during a child's cancer treatment.
The two-year project is led by Robb, Walther Professor of Supportive Oncology at the IU School of Nursing, and Krista Longtin, PhD, who serves as co-principal investigator. Longtin has a dual faculty appointment in communication and obstetrics and gynecology, and serves as as an associate dean for faculty affairs and professional development at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Rather than generating new evidence about whether the intervention works, the initiative focuses on a different challenge: ensuring that proven research findings reach clinical practice and the families who stand to benefit most.
"The Faris Foundation's investment comes at a pivotal moment," Robb said. "After more than two decades of research demonstrating the benefits of Active Music Engagement for children with cancer and their parents, the challenge is no longer generating evidence but ensuring that evidence reaches clinical practice. This initiative represents one of the first large-scale efforts in the United States to translate a mature body of music therapy research into practical tools that can support implementation, improve equitable access to care and enhance outcomes for children and families."
Active Music Engagement is a rigorously developed music therapy intervention that engages young children with cancer and their parents in shared music experiences designed to support coping and emotional well-being during treatment. Backed by decades of National Institutes of Health-funded research, AME is among the most extensively studied music therapy interventions for pediatric oncology patients and their families.
Recent studies have also helped researchers better understand which children and families are most likely to benefit from the intervention, creating opportunities to deliver supportive care more effectively and equitably.
The initiative will synthesize findings from the full AME research portfolio into stakeholder-specific resources for clinicians, hospital administrators, family advocates and healthcare leaders. It will also establish communication and dissemination infrastructure to support future implementation efforts across pediatric cancer care settings.
"For more than 25 years, our research has focused on understanding how music can be used to alleviate the distress and potential trauma associated with pediatric cancer treatment," Robb said. "That work has produced strong evidence that Active Music Engagement can reduce distress in children and parents, improve family well-being and lessen traumatic stress symptoms in parents."
The project represents a significant milestone for both the IU School of Nursing and the Walther Center for Supportive Oncology, a center within the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center dedicated to improving quality of life and supportive care for individuals affected by cancer.
The grant also reflects growing recognition of the role evidence-based creative arts therapies can play in improving health outcomes. This is the largest grant The Faris Foundation has awarded to date in support of creative arts therapies research.
“We believe every child with cancer should have access to art and music as part of their treatment plan, not as something extra, but as an essential part of caring for the whole child and family,” said Asha Virani, MD, founder of The Faris Foundation. “The evidence shows that music therapy can reduce distress, strengthen connection, and support families through the challenges of treatment. With this grant, we are helping move decades of research into clinical practice so that more children can benefit, wherever they receive care.”
Support from The Faris Foundation is expected to help position the initiative as a national model for translating evidence into practice, not only in music therapy but also across creative arts therapies and pediatric supportive care. The work will lay the foundation for a planned National Institutes of Health-funded implementation study involving six pediatric hospitals across the United States.
Through partnerships with children's hospitals and engagement with leaders from the Children's Hospital Association, researchers hope the initiative will accelerate adoption of evidence-based supportive care approaches and expand access for families nationwide.
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About IU School of Nursing
The IU School of Nursing is annually ranked among the top nursing schools in the nation. Founded in 1914, the school offers programs from the BSN through the post-doctorate and is composed of campuses in Bloomington, Fort Wayne, and Indianapolis. The IU School of Nursing is ranked No. 13 in the nation for undergraduate nursing programs and its online MSN in Nursing Education is ranked No. 6 in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
About The Faris Foundation
The Faris Foundation brings brighter days and better treatments to children with cancer. We follow the very words and the "heartprint" of our Chief Angel Officer, Faris D. Virani, and we hold our work to his same high standards: to be bold, original and transformative in all that we do.
Our work is focused in four key areas, each inspired by Faris' own words: childhood cancer research; creative arts programs at children's cancer centers; public engagement and awareness around childhood cancer; and care packages for children with cancer.
Media Contact: Glenda Shaw | 317-278-2048 | glenshaw@iu.edu