Kendra Ray, PhD

Dr. Kendra Ray is one of the nine 2020 WAM Research Grants Recipients and one of four research studies WAM is funding as part of the Alzheimer’s Association RAPID program, designed by the Alzheimer’s Association to help accelerate research studies interrupted by Covid. Dr. Ray’s study will measure the effectiveness of music therapy on agitation, depression and anxiety in people living with mid-stage dementia. 

More about Dr. Kendra Ray

Kendra Ray, PhD, MBA, MPH, MT-BC, LCAT is Dementia Program Director at Menorah Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, Assistant Research Professor at NYU School of Medicine, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Adjunct faculty member in the music therapy department at Montclair State University, John J. Cali School of Music.

She has many years of experience as a clinician and researcher in settings for elderly adults with a variety of physical and cognitive impairments. Her background and educational experience in business, music therapy and public health all contribute to deciding to focus her career on the use of non-pharmacological interventions with the aging population, especially people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Dr. Ray’s research area includes the use of music therapy and music activities for people with dementia, depression, agitation or other neurological disorders. Additionally, she has led research projects that measure the efficacy of music-based activities facilitated by certified nursing assistants and home health aides for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias including HIV-associated dementia. Currently, as Principal Investigator on an Alzheimer’s Association grant, her research focus has extended to not only providing therapeutic music-based interventions for people with dementia, but also, the use of music during activities of daily living to help reduce caregiver burden. Witnessing the outcomes of using music-based interventions in a variety of settings has made her aware of the need to increase access to therapeutic music for elderly people and their caregivers coping with the progression of their disorders whether their diagnosis be Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia or HIV-associated dementia.

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