The Arts, Health, and Society Division Newsletter – October

Learn what is going on at EGS!
October 2025

Neuroaesthetics Course at Johns Hopkins University – (Photo Source: NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative Partners)

 

Academic Institutions Launch Bold Initiative to
 Integrate Arts into Medicine, Public Health, and Society
The European Graduate School is joining a new global academic network working to make the arts a core part of how we treat illness, promote wellness, and shape healthier communities.

Saas Fee, Switzerland, Sept. 30, 2025—The NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative today announced the launch of the Neuroarts Academic Network (NAN), which includes a representative from EGS. The NAN aims to expand the transformative power of the arts—such as music, dance, painting, and storytelling—by building the emerging interdisciplinary field of neuroarts and training the next generation of leaders.

Building on research that demonstrates how art positively affects the brain and body, Neuroarts explores how creative expression can be embedded in mainstream medicine, public health, and across society to improve health and well-being for all.

The NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative is led by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics and the Aspen Institute’s Health, Medicine & Society Program, with funding from The Music Man Foundation.

The NAN, led by the Neuroarts Academic Network Working Group, which includes The European Graduate School, will:

  • Connect universities and programs already working in neuroarts,
  • Encourage new research and training programs,
  • Build career paths that combine arts and health,
  • Expand best practices and address core challenges, and
  • Support the field so it grows in a sustainable and rigorous way.
The NAN Working Group members, who will inform the Network’s projects and long-term goals, represent over 35 public and private universities and institutions from around the globe including Berklee College of Music, ETH-Zurich, University of California at San Francisco, Morehouse School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Stanford University, University of Memphis, University of Pennsylvania, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

“Neuroarts is a vibrant, interdisciplinary field grounded in arts-evidence based knowledge and united by shared research principles, practices, and values. To fully realize its potential, we must learn from one another, develop a common language, and build a collaborative framework that enables our disciplines to flourish individually while also working together to build the field,” said Susan Magsamen, co-director of the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative and executive director of the Johns Hopkins International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics.

The Network’s goal is to make neuroarts an established academic and professional field across disciplines including the arts, health, basic sciences, public health, architecture, design, education, business, community development, and more. Each discipline has a distinct career path and its own unique focus, but all are rooted in science showing the positive impact of the arts on health and well-being.

Commemorating 30 Years of Arts, Health and Society at the European Graduate School
Check out our new video highlighting 30 years of EGS Arts, Health and Society Division! Witness our journey from the beginning to now, with faculty giving testimony to the importance of the expressive arts in the world today.
We are pleased to announce the launch of the new AHS EGS Podcast!
Stay tuned for a series of podcasts with EGS faculty reflecting on the 30th Anniversary of the Arts, Health and Society Division. Below is a short interview with Andreas C. Meier, who began teaching at EGS in 2010, and cofounded inArtes Switzerland in 2015.
Below are the dates for Summer Session 2026:

Session 1
June 8th (Session 1 starts at 9am) to June 28th (Session 1 ends at 10pm):

Master Programs in Expressive Arts with Specializations in Therapy, Coaching and Consulting, & Social Change/Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding 

Doctoral Program in Expressive Arts

Session 2
July 8th (Session 2 starts at 9am) to July 28th (Session 2 ends at 10pm)

Master Programs in Expressive Arts with Specializations in Therapy, Coaching and Consulting, & Social Change/Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding

Doctoral Program in Expressive Arts 

(Applications are open year-round)

For a closer look at this year’s academic program, please click below:

To learn more about our Masters and PhD Programs, please click below:
(Photo source: Yasaman Pishvaei)

 

Introductory Online Experiential in Intermodal Expressive Arts

Are you interested in discovering Intermodal Expressive Arts? We Invite you to join our online Introductory Experiential, a space to explore the core components of Intermodal Expressive Arts through both theory and practice.

This session provides a meaningful introduction to our unique approach to teaching and facilitation. Whether you are curious about our Master’s PhD, or Professional Development programs – or simply wish to experience this way of learning – you are welcome.

Learn more

 

Upcoming Information Sessions

We now have dates confirmed for our Information Sessions for the Masters Program, PhD Program, and Professional Development (Continuing Education), with Lucía de Urioste, Student Advisor, and José Miguel Calderón, PhD, Program Director:

  • 25 November 2025 (with EXA and Global Health Malta program coordinators, Chelsea Wilkinson and Shabrae Jackson)
  • 27 January 2026
  • 17 February 2026
  • 31 March 2026

Time: 16:00–17:30 CET (Central European Time)

If you want to join, please send us a message with your name and interest (administration@egs.edu).

We look forward to hearing from you!

Photo source: Katarina Marković

 

(Photo Source: Chelsea Wilkinson)

 

Expressive Arts and Global Health Program in Malta dates are set!

October 22nd – 31st, 2026

The Expressive Arts and Global Health program provides didactic learning and practical skills training for artists, peacebuilders, humanitarian workers, health care providers, teachers, and change agents from all fields who work with individuals, groups, and communities experiencing traumatic stress and crisis.​
Registration Opening: TBD

** ANNOUNCEMENTS **

  • **COMING SOON** Stay tuned for details on the launch our new upcoming EGS Podcast!
  • *Save the Date! Malta Spring Course: Phenomenological Orientation. Hybrid from 23 – 27 April 2026, Valletta, University of Malta. More information will be shared soon through our social media channels.
  • Visit our Youtube Channel! There you can see our new EGS 30th Anniversary celebration video along with other videos on student testimonials, faculty invitations, and the Lifework of Paolo Knill.
  • For PhD students – Please contact PhD Program director, José Miguel Calderon, if you would like to be included in monthly PhD meetings with your peers.
  • The Spring Symposium 2026 will take place virtually from April 8th – 10th, 2026.
  • Expressive Arts Poetry Gatherings will be taking place on Zoom beginning in October, hosted by the International Network of Expressive Arts Training Centers and facilitated by Margo Fuchs Knill.

 

(Photo Source: Chelsea Wilkinson)

 

Join the EGS Alumni Community!

Our alumni are the torchbearers of our institution’s legacy, and it is our mission to create a platform that not only keeps you connected with peers but also offers opportunities for professional development, networking, and personal growth.

You can get involved by joining as a general member of our alumni community, or for a more active role, you can be a part of the EGS Alumni Committee! You could also help defer the cost of tuition for a current student by donating any amount in honor of a student you know or to the general tuition fund.

We can’t wait to welcome you and build a thriving EGS Alumni Community together. Reach out today and take the first step towards reconnecting with your alma mater and fellow graduates!

Expressive Arts Institute Instanbul
(Photo Source: Fulya Kurter Musnitsky)

 

Partner Institutes
The field of Intermodal Expressive Arts (EXA) has grown considerably in the last thirty years and has developed an international reputation with professional representation in many countries. Interested in one of our Partner Institutes?
EXA Lecture in Saas Fee
(Photo Source: Mirjam Candan)

 

Looking for professional development opportunities?
In addition to our formal degree programs held in the summers, there are professional development courses available each year – in Saas-Fee, Malta, the annual Spring Symposium, and online!