Call for Abstracts
The PAMA symposium is designed to meet the research and practice needs of physicians, therapists, athletic trainers, educators, artistic directors, and other health care and performing arts professionals who seek to improve the well-being of performing artists.
All professionals and students are encouraged to submit an abstract. Submissions are not restricted to PAMA members.
We encourage the submission of a wide variety of evidence informed abstracts including those that are research or educational in nature (state of the art/science, evidence review and clinical updates) as well as proposals for workshops and panels. Abstracts submitted to PAMA will undergo a blind review by the Research Committee.
All abstracts accepted for a poster presentation will be automatically entered in to the poster competition and will be eligible for a prize.
About the Theme:
The theme of 2020 Vision for Prevention: Pathways to Prime Performance was selected to encourage research, education, and conversation by promoting the highest quality of care for all performing artists by striving to overcome the unique occupational challenges they face.
Abstract submissions should show relevance to the theme in any of these ways:
- Enhance the understanding of root causes of medical problems faced by performing artists and foster a pathway to prevention of medical problems for this diverse population.
- Foster communication among those involved in the health care, education, and/or well-being of performing artists by overcoming obstacles to prime performance.
- Encourage research into the etiology, prevention, treatment, and/or rehabilitation of medical problems of performing artists by creating opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Abstract submission deadline - October 15, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. (ET)
Click for more information, guidelines, and submission process
For questions contact Dorry Allen at services@artsmed.org
The 4th USF Performing Arts Medicine Conference
Inspiring Health in the Arts
March 27-29, 2020
Barness Recital Hall and Conference Center
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
About the Conference:
The Fourth USF-PAMA Conference focuses on sharing research, education and practice in performing arts medicine to Inspire Health in the Arts.
Target Participants:
The Conference is designed for health professionals, performing artists and educators, health science educators, medical humanities specialists, and generalists who are interested in the intersection of the arts and health.
Visit us at http://music.arts.usf.edu/PAMA
Or http://www.artsmed.org/university-of-south-florida
Contacts: Dr. Sang-Hie Lee slee@usf.edu
QUESTIONS: If you have questions regarding the abstract submission or the conference contact: snicosia@health.usf.edu, mmorris3@usf.edu, OR slee@usf.edu
Call for Abstracts, Workshops, and Panels
You are invited to submit an abstract describing research, education or practice within the scope of performing arts medicine. The format can be a workshop, panel, presentation or lightning panel reflecting the 2020 theme of “Inspiring Health in the Arts.” We encourage a broad spectrum of topics in physical and mental issues, training programs, nutrition for musicians and dancers, aging performers, young musicians and dancers, performing artists with disabilities, movement theory, neurological underpinnings of performing arts medicine, voice management and treatment, clinical case report, medical humanities and ethics, and social impacts of performing arts medicine. The Program Committee will craft an inspiring and forwardlooking program to meet the conference objectives.
The abstract must be submitted electronically by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, December 31, 2019 to: mmorris3@usf.edu AND snicosia@health.usf.edu with copy to slee@usf.edu AND sspecter@health.usf.edu
Long Range Planning Committee Update
Congratulations to Malcolm Taw and Travis Cross for a fantastic meeting at UCLA – great speakers, challenging topics and wonderful performing artists. There were 240 attendees from 15 countries who attended the 2019 PAMA International Symposium.
We are anticipating a vibrant 2020 meeting in New Orleans under the directions of co-chairs Bethany Bultman and Kathleen Davenport. They are working to combine the magic of the music in NOLA with the science of that music. Abstract submissions will be accepted between September 15 - October 15, 2019. We look forward to your abstract submission!
The 2021 Symposium will be at Weill Cornell in NYC. Our co-chairs –Lauren Elson, Chandler Thompson and David Weiss, are already working on an exciting and inclusive program. More to come!
As Chair of the Long Range Planning Committee, I have been tasked to explore venues for our future Symposiums in university based settings within and outside the US. My survey of the membership on venues outside the US showed strong support for international venues. The major concerns were cost of airfare and lodging. The complete survey results are available through this link. My committee is currently exploring 2 venues outside of the US and hope to finalize the 2022 venue very soon.
I look forward to supplying more updates on all upcoming Symposia next month.
Lucinda Halstead, MD
President Elect
Chair, Long Range Planning Committee
John Chong - was asked to present at the annual conference of the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians (OCSM) this past August in Hamilton. John spoke on topics covering the Musicians' Clinic and PAMA.
Jennifer Yang - wrote an article for the Spectacular Senior Follies to spread the word about performing arts medicine. The article can be accessed here: https://www.seniorfollies.com/articles/201901071242.php
Lauren Elson with contributions from PAMA members Marshall Chasin, John Chong, Kathleen Davenport, Randy Dick, Jayme Dowdall, Melody Hrubes, Nancy Kadel, Serena Weren - published a book Performing Arts Medicine 1st Edition targeting physicians. ISBN: 978-0-323-66212-3
Elsevier: https://www.elsevier.com/books/performing-arts-medicine/elson/978-0-323-58182-0
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Performing-Arts-Medicine-Lauren-Elson/dp/0323662129/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1543245227
PAMA Members - Let us know your PAM-related activities to share with the Membership to facilitate networking. We will be making announcements in each newsletter. Send your information to Dorry Allen at services@artsmed.org.
Medical Problems of Performing Artists Journal
The September 2019 issue of MPPA is now available online!
Vol. 34, No. 3, Sep 2019
Medical Problems of Performing Artists - Volume 34 Issue 3
The new Sep 2019 issue of MPPA has just been published. Articles are available online on the MPPA website, and for print subscribers, issues will be arriving in the mail shortly.
For members of PAMA, your subscription has been renewed directly through the association when you renewed your membership. If you have not done so already, please contact them about your 2019 membership.
To access articles on the MPPA site, please use your MPPA subscriber ID number and your postal code to log into the site.
Being an Artist Means Health Risks—And Better Care Is Needed
Culture Days
Leah Sandals – April 11, 2019
It was a story that made international headlines. A Toronto artist, Gillian Genser, spent more than a decade working on a sculpture made of blue mussel shells. Over the years, she developed headaches, chronic pain, vomiting.
“I visited a never-ending assortment of specialists—neurologists, rheumatologists, endocrinologists—hoping to figure out what was wrong with me,” Genser wrote in Toronto Life recently. “When they asked me if I worked with anything toxic, I said no, that I only used natural materials.” Only later did Genser learn, by happenstance, that blue mussels can be filled with toxic heavy metals.
While Genser’s art, and her related story of heavy-metal poisoning, has found a wide audience, the fact is that many, many artists in Canada put their health at risk over the course of their creative practice.
“In professional orchestras, there is an 84% lifetime prevalence [of injury] and a 50/50 chance of playing hurt,” says Dr. John Chong, Medical Director of the Musicians’ Clinics of Canada. “And musicians may be up to three times more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression compared to the public.”
Chong has worked on musicians’ health since the 1980s—including, in some cases, PTSD from high pressure and other professional factors. Chong says the conditions of being a musician, including poor pay and precarious employment, are part of what create these worrying health statistics. He says he hears the same from his colleagues in the international Performing Arts Medicine Association.
Read the full article: https://culturedays.ca/blog/being-an-artist-means-health-risks
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.
These articles are either nontechnical explainers with treatment and prevention tips for problems that may affect musicians—hearing loss, muscle cramps, carpal tunnel syndrome, stage fright, etc, as well as health-related techniques to aid musicians (yoga, stretching, chiropractic care for musicians, correct vocal technique, etc.) These stories may contain direct quotes from musicians and/or practitioners, and should be written for musicians/consumers/ patients. All musicians interviewed or mentioned must be members in good standing of the AFM.
International Musician may use any submitted material as it sees fit for print and online versions of International Musician magazine without compensation due to Author; however, International Musician is not under any obligation to use the materials.
Author represents and warrants to PAMA and International Musician that to the best of his/her knowledge, the concepts, ideas, copy, artwork, electronic files and other materials produced do not infringe on any copyright or personal or proprietary rights of others, and that he/she has the unencumbered right to publish. Author will indemnify PAMA and International Musician from any damage or loss, including attorneys’ fees, rising out of any breach of this warranty.
Artwork (photographs, illustrations, music notation, and video links) must be hi-res and legally available for use. That means the Author (submitter) is wholly responsible for contacting the legal owners of all photographs and seeking permission to use them. All photo credits and captions should be submitted with the artwork.
Educational Opportunity:
PAM-Mc: Performing Arts Medicine Masters Certificate at Shenandoah University
Are you interested in increasing your knowledge and skill set in the specialized field of Performing Arts Medicine? Consider enrolling in the Shenandoah University Performing Arts Medicine Masters Certificate to earn the PAM-Mc. Credential. This 15-credit program is offered using an online platform with three weekend on-campus seminars across two years. The program is delivered across two years so that healthcare professionals may continue full-time working without interruption. The program is interdisciplinary and has graduated physicians, athletic trainers, occupational therapists and physical therapists to date. Graduates have immediately infused program skills into their existing patient practice settings, and some have used the PAM-Mc as a springboard to employment opportunities such as with professional ballet companie.
The mission of the performing arts medicine masters certificate program is to educate health care professionals on the prevention, assessment, and management of injuries and disorders specific to dancers, theatre artists, and musicians along with promoting clinical research to determine best practices.
Visit us at: https://www.su.edu/athletic-training/performing-arts-medicine-certificate/
Or, contact program faculty directly: Rose Schmieg at rschmieg@su.edu and Michele Pye at mpye@su.edu
Job Opening:
Performing Arts Medicine Fellowship
The Texas Center for Performing Arts Health is excited to offer the world's first physician fellowship in Performing Arts Medicine. The fellowship is open to physicians who are completing/have completed a residency/fellowship in one of the following fields: Family Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Occupational Medicine, Sports Medicine, or Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine.
Fellows will work alongside experts in the field and have the opportunity to take care of performing artists of all disciplines and skill levels. They will also have dedicated didactic time to learn more about the principles and practices of Performing Arts Medicine, and have the opportunity to collaborate on exciting and innovative performing arts research. The application cycle for our 2020/2021 fellow is currently open! For more information, visit the website below or send us an email. Please help spread the word!
More Information Visit: https://www.unthsc.edu/texas-college-of-osteopathic-medicine/graduate-medical-education/performing-arts-medicine-fellowship/
More Information Contact: PAMFellowship@unthsc.edu