International partner meeting in Cambridge

From March 22nd - 24th, the UK HOMESIDE team at the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research (CIMTR) at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) welcomed international partners from the Norwegian Academy of Music (Norway), the University of Physical Education (Poland), Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften Würzburg-Schweinfurt (Germany) and University of Melbourne (Australia) for the final international research team meeting. This was a significant reunion for the international team, who had last met in Cambridge over three years earlier when the trial was just beginning, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 3-day meeting, the research team discussed initial results, continued work on qualitative sub-projects and explored possibilities for future research in the field of music therapy and dementia. Results are still under analysis by the statistical team at University of Melbourne, so reports on these will follow in the main paper, which the team hopes to publish in the summer. 

On Friday 24th March, we welcomed colleagues from Anglia Ruskin University and study partners to the Jerome Booth Music Therapy Centre for presentations from all country leaders and PhD students working on the trial. Country leaders including Principal Investigator Prof Felicity Baker (University of Melbourne), Prof Helen Odell-Miller (UK), Dr Jeanette Tamplin (Australia), Dr Ania Bukowska (Poland), Prof Thomas Wosch (Germany) and Prof Karette Stensaeth (Norway) all presented insights relating to study investigation within each participating country. Six PhD students working on the study also presented on their sub-studies relating to HOMESIDE, including Jodie Bloska (Anglia Ruskin University), Nina Wollersberger (Anglia Ruskin University), Kate McMahon (University of Melbourne), Carina Petrowitz (Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften Würzburg-Schweinfurt) and Kristi Stedje (Norwegian Academy of Music).