Letter by the President of the Royal, Dr. Florence Dzierszinski, announcing Dr. Gilles Comeau as senior scientist at the Royal:
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Gilles Comeau will be joining The Royal as a senior scientist within the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR).
Dr. Comeau is an expert in the field of music pedagogy (the method and practice of teaching music) and a full professor in the School of Music, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He is also the founder and director of the Music and Health Research Institute (MHRI) at the University of Ottawa. He will remain the director of MHRI and we at The Royal look forward to continuing and enhancing our collaboration in this important initiative.
We know that music – either listening, learning, or performing – can alter an individual’s emotions and affect their mood, encourage sensory and cognitive functions, and improve physical activities and social interactions. Each of these factors can in turn trigger psychological, physiological, social and behavioural responses that improve wellbeing. The influence of music on mood is well established but we have much to learn about the therapeutic use of music.
As a senior scientist at The Royal and full professor at uOttawa, Dr. Comeau will lead the development of a music and mental health research program. The research program – a collaboration between the IMHR and MHRI - will examine how the brain responds to music and the efficacy of music interventions at the individual level. Just as symptoms and experiences of mental illness vary from individual to individual, so do responses to and preferences of music. This work will use a wide variety of music (styles/instruments/techniques) as well as brain imagining, EEG, and other leading edge research tools available here at The Royal.
We at The Royal look forward to working with Dr. Comeau and to the benefits that this research collaboration will bring to people living with serious mental health issues. Welcome to the IMHR.
Sincerely,
Dr. Florence Dzierszinski
President, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), and Vice-President, Research,
The Royal
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Gilles Comeau will be joining The Royal as a senior scientist within the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR).
Dr. Comeau is an expert in the field of music pedagogy (the method and practice of teaching music) and a full professor in the School of Music, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He is also the founder and director of the Music and Health Research Institute (MHRI) at the University of Ottawa. He will remain the director of MHRI and we at The Royal look forward to continuing and enhancing our collaboration in this important initiative.
We know that music – either listening, learning, or performing – can alter an individual’s emotions and affect their mood, encourage sensory and cognitive functions, and improve physical activities and social interactions. Each of these factors can in turn trigger psychological, physiological, social and behavioural responses that improve wellbeing. The influence of music on mood is well established but we have much to learn about the therapeutic use of music.
As a senior scientist at The Royal and full professor at uOttawa, Dr. Comeau will lead the development of a music and mental health research program. The research program – a collaboration between the IMHR and MHRI - will examine how the brain responds to music and the efficacy of music interventions at the individual level. Just as symptoms and experiences of mental illness vary from individual to individual, so do responses to and preferences of music. This work will use a wide variety of music (styles/instruments/techniques) as well as brain imagining, EEG, and other leading edge research tools available here at The Royal.
We at The Royal look forward to working with Dr. Comeau and to the benefits that this research collaboration will bring to people living with serious mental health issues. Welcome to the IMHR.
Sincerely,
Dr. Florence Dzierszinski
President, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), and Vice-President, Research,
The Royal