Graduated in 2022 with a major in Music Therapy. Principal Instrument: cello.
Position: Clinical Research Coordinator at the Neuroscience Institute Childrens Hospital Colorado, a large hospital that does research as well as treatment. Andrew supports the neurology research portfolio, coordinates project in devpeds (devleopmental pediatrics), rehab, and migraine research. He sees research participants who are also at the hospital and is their go-to person if something goes wrong or they have questions. Andrew supports telehealth studies as well, and he coordinates in partnership wtih other childrens hospitals.
Overview: While at Berklee Andrew did an internship at Boston Childrens Hospital and he studied with Neuroscience professor Dr. Erica Knowles and worked as a research coordinator for one of her projects. Covid hit right as he was looking for internships to complete his Music Therapy degree, and most places were too preoccupied to want interns. Andrew moved home to California and worked retail, saving up money to cover the expenses related to a long, unpaid internship. He finally found and did this internship in the first half of 2022. After that, he applied for music therapy jobs, landing one in Denver, Colorado.
However, both that job and the job afterward were stressful, with low pay, little support, and a high burnout rate. Andrew realized that if he stayed doing this he’d lose the love, so he applied for other positions. One application was to a different position at Childrens Hospital Colorado, but they though his experience made him an excellent fit for his current position, which he was hired into in mid-2023.
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You can see Andrew’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “I love working with patients and families. When there’s a study that’s truly benefitting a family. When you can see it and get the feedback, even before the data analysis, we get to actually see the benefits of the research we’re doing. Also, those of us who are drawn to research ask a lot of questions. The more you know, the more questions you have. It’s exciting to never be at the end.”
“I took all of Dr. Erica Knowles’s classes. Biopsych propeled me into where I am. I had this fascination with the neuroscience of music. She helped me explore ways to answer those questions, meet people at other institutions to explore what is possible, in and out of music therapy.”
“It’s hard to break into reserach with no experience. Any way to get experience, even shadowing or data entry can ehlp. Figure out what area of research interests you. What are you curious about? What area will help you explore that? Most reserach is with cells rather than humans.”
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