35th Annual PAMA International Symposium
"No Gain with Pain: Preventing and Overcoming Physical and Emotional Pain in Performing Artists"
June 29 - July 2, 2017
Westin Resorts - Snowmass, Colorado
Take a look at our amazing line-up. Click to view the schedule
For more information, visit our website.
Or, click here to register!
Questions may be directed to Dorry Allen services@artsmed.org or Julie Massaro executive@artsmed.org.
New! Friday Night Salons
Friday, June 30, 2017 - 7:00 - 9:30 pm
- Role of Primary Care in Performing Arts Medicine
- Reefer Madness - Perils and Pearls for Chronic Pain Treatment
- Enter the World of Biomechanics Research
- Playing Through the Pain - Athletes and Artists
Click here to learn more about these great salons.
Already registered? No problem! You can add a salon to your registration by clicking here.
Accommodations Update:
Both the Westin and Wildwood are sold out of rooms for the night of the 28th. The Wildwood has a few rooms left in the block for the rest of the weekend. If you are still looking for a place to stay, take a look at some of the near by hotels - Snowmass Inn, Pokolodi, and Stonebridge (please note that we do not have a special arrangement for these hotels).Official Conference T-shirts
Pre-order Ends June 1st!
Pre-order for the Official Conference T-shirt ends June 1st! Purchase one or more of these great shirts to support the Brandfonbrener/Lederman Legacy Fund. Your purchase helps to support world-class experts in PAM to present as keynotes at future PAMA conferences. Ordering now also ensures you get the right size shirt!
You may still purchase a shirt even if you have already registered for the symposium. Click here and add the t-shirt to your cart. You will be asked to select your size.
Participant Performance
Back by popular demand! Calling all symposium attendees: Share your musical, dance, voice, or acting talent with other attendees through this fun and entertaining venue. The participant performance will take the stage on Friday, June 30 from 3:45 - 5:00 pm.
If you wish to participate, please send an email to Julie Massaro at
executive@artsmed.orgAspen Music Festival
Once again we will be receiving free tickets to various concerts at the Aspen Music Festival for our attendees. Take a look at the great concerts available to our registrants or click here to view the full calendar of events. Registered attendees will receive an email with a link to sign-up for concert tickets.
June 29:
9:30am Aspen Chamber Symphony Dress Rehearsal in the Tent
6pm Aspen Chamber Symphony Performance in the Tent
July 1:
10am Opera Scenes Masterclass in the Wheeler
4:30pm Chamber Music in Harris Concert Hall
July 2:
9:30am Aspen Festival Orchestra Dress Rehearsal in the Tent
4:00pm Aspen Festival Orchestra Performance in the Tent
We would like to thank our friends at the Aspen Music Festival and School for this amazing opportunity!
Pre-conference Certificate Course
In conjunction with ACSM
June 27 - 28, 2017 (Tuesday - Wednesday)
Snowmass, Colorado
Extend your learning – attend our 2-day pre-conference certificate course geared toward the practicing professional.
The Essentials of Performing Arts Medicine is a two day multidisciplinary enrichment course offered by the PAMA education committee. Designed to match the professional interests and career goals of both clinicians and educators new to performing arts medicine, this course will showcase the music and dance communities through a behavioral and social science perspective while highlighting specific opportunities and techniques for engagement, education, prevention, and treatment in response to various arts-specific health concerns. Collectively, participants will hear introductory and research-based lectures on associated risk factors, life-span issues, and the interactive, cultural, and contextual distinctions of health problems that are unique to performing artists.
Learn More
Register Now
Symposium Opportunities - Exhibit | Advertise | Sponsor
This is your opportunity to market your product or services to this unique target audience. The PAMA International Symposium is a gathering of physicians, therapists, athletic trainers, educators, artistic directors, and other health care and performing arts professionals and students from around the world.
Meet the PAMA Board Nominees
The PAMA Board slate will be voted on by members at the Annual General Meeting on Saturday, July 1.
Jason Hu, MD
Dr. Hu is an attending physiatrist, is the Director of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in the Department of Orthopedics & Rehabilitation at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens. He is an instructor in Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Dr. Hu is a native of Queens, and did most of his education and training in New York. Dr. Hu earned his bachelor’s degree from the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education - City University of New York and his medical degree from New York Medical College. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at John Hopkins University/ Sinai Hospital. He completed his residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at New York- Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell. He completed his fellowship training in sports and interventional spine medicine at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago/Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where he had the opportunity to work with Dr. Alice Brandfonbrenner in her weekly clinic.
Dr. Hu subspecializes in spine, sports, and performing arts medicine. His research interest is in dance medicine. He has been dancing since the age of 11. While he had never danced professionally, he continues to participate in talent shows, recreationally.
Esther C. Nolton, MEd, LAT, ATC, CSCS
Esther Nolton (née Esther Chou) currently serves as the Director of Clinical Research for Inova Sports Medicine in Fairfax, Virginia. She obtained her Bachelor's of Science with honors from George Mason University in Athletic Training with minors is Psychology and Biology. Following the completion of her Master of Education degree from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia) in Sports Medicine, Nolton continued working as a Certified Athletic Trainer at Hawai'i Pacific University in Honolulu, Hawaii. Throughout many years as a student and certified Athletic Trainer, Nolton worked at various high schools, NCAA (Division I, II, and III) universities, and with competitive NCA/NDA teams. As a former dancer and musician herself, she now continues to utilize her skills in Sports Medicine to benefit Performing Artists. Since 2013, Nolton's graduate studies have been focused on translational clinical research and quantitative survey research methodology in education and medicine. Nolton teaches students in the Athletic Training Education Program at George Mason University and School of Medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University. She is also pursuing her doctorate in Human Movement Science at George Mason University. Nolton is currently serving her second year as the Chair of the PAMA Research Committee and as an Editorial Board member of the Medical Problems of Performing Artists journal. She is committed to developing sound research practices to advance the field of Performing Arts Medicine. 
Dr. Paul Schaefer is a physician in primary care sports medicine. He has a special interest in the medical needs of performing artists and has had additional training in this area. Dr. Schaefer graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he also completed his residency and fellowship. Prior to medical school, Dr. Schaefer was a collegiate choral conductor and voice teacher. He and his wife have three children, and they all enjoy involvement in the arts along with outdoor activities such as biking, running, and skiing.PAMA Welcomes New Assistant
PAMA Is happy to welcome Nathalie Reid as our graduate assistant focusing on our pre-conference workshop. She comes to us with experience as a teacher, researcher, author, and presenter. She is currently a 2nd year PhD student at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Nathalie has experience as a post secondary and public high school teacher. We are happy to have you with us Nathalie!
2018 PAMA International Symposium
Call for Abstracts Coming Soon - Save the Date
June 28 - July 1, 2018
Glamor and Grit: Building An Entourage for Health
- Health education in performing arts training (physical and psychological)
- Access to appropriate health care
- Training & educating Performing Arts Medicine specialists to meet the needs of this population
- Addressing the cultural biases that perpetuate unhealthy habits/ practices in the arts
- Creating safe working environments for performers
Deadline for abstract submissions will be October 15, 2017.
The abstract submission system will be open in August 2017.
Members Christoff Zalpour and Marc Brodsky presented a 90-minute workshop entitled “Performing Arts Medicine: Building Resiliency and Preventing Injuries in Musicians” at the World Congress of Integrative Medicine and Health in Berlin, Germany on May 4. The Congress was sponsored by Faculty from Academic Health Centers in Germany, Sweden, and USA (Georgetown University).
PAMA Members - Let us know where you are speaking! We will be making announcements in each newsletter. Send your information to Dorry Allen at services@artsmed.org.
There is Still Time to Enroll/Renew Your PAMA Membership
It is a great time to enroll as a new member or to renew your PAMA membership. The MPPA Journal has just been mailed to enrolled members. Those who sign-up now will still receive the March issue. You will also be able to take advantage of the symposium registration discount for members. PAMA regional meetings also offer a discount to PAMA members.
Join others from around the world in an organization comprised of dedicated medical professionals, artists educators, and administrators with the common goal of improving the health care of the performing artist.
Click to learn more about becoming a PAMA member
Or, click here to enroll now
PAMA Toronto Regional Meeting in the Press
The PAMA Toronto Regional Meeting is featured in WholeNote magazine in an article written by Allan Pulker. View the article here.
Interactive flip-through
Full magazine .pdf
Psychological Health in Schools of Music
State of the Art Reviews (StARs)
This is the third in a series of PAMA collaborations focused on the prevention of health problems in schools of music.
Shout Out to NOMC - Congratulations on 20 Years!
To Your Health
Articles Wanted
Are you interested in being published in a magazine? International Musician magazine is accepting submissions for their wellness feature "To Your Health".
International Musician magazine is the official monthly publication of the American Federation of Musicians, serving 80,000 professional musicians in the United States and Canada. The readers of the International Musician are professional musicians working in all genres of music. They run the gamut from classical to country and from polka to punk. They tour and record. They play in clubs and in symphonies.
If you are a PAMA Member, please consider submitting an article. To Your Health articles should be around 650 words and written directly to the layman musician, who is not a health expert. The article should offer direct, helpful tips and advice, and not just information about various health conditions. All articles are subject to approval and editing from the editors.
Send your article to Dorry Allen at services@artsmed.org to be considered. You will be notified via email if your article has been accepted. Please note that the Research Committee will only review submissions received from currently active PAMA members in good standing with the organization.
Upcoming Events
Summer NATS workshop, Legacy of Excellence, will be held July 20-22, 2017 in Boulder, CO.
Visit the NATS website for more details:
https://www.nats.org/cgi/page.cgi/national-workshops.html