Archives

Peter Shannon

Peter Shannon is a professional orchestral conductor and the founder and director of the American Institute for Music and Healing, a non-profit organization dedicated to harnessing music’s healing properties to benefit patients, musicians, and healthcare professionals.  He was conductor of the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra (2017-2019) and Chorus, and in 2014 was appointed conductor of The Jackson Symphony Orchestra (TN) having previously held positions in Germany and his native Ireland. He is internationally active as a guest conductor in Europe and the US (www.petershannon-conductor.com). A leading authority on the use of music within the health humanities, Peter is an Affiliative Professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities at Mercer University Department of Medicine. He is in his final year as an Irish Research Council funded PhD scholar. His thesis is “Franz Schubert: Illness and Healing in the final symphonies, A Conductor’s Perspective.”  He also partnered with Jacqueline Huntly, MD, MPH to create the “Awakening the Musician’s Inner Gift” and “Nurturing the Inner Spirit/Healer” workshops for musicians interested in Mind Body Medicine

Sarah Lazar, PhD

Associate Director of Neuroscience Research

Sara W. Lazar, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Psychiatry Department at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The focus of her research is to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of yoga and meditation, both in clinical settings and in healthy individuals. She has also collaborated with clinicians to study the effects on mindfulness on anxiety and depression. Her current work is focused on well-being and personality development. Dr. Lazar has been practicing yoga and mindfulness meditation since 1994 and her research has been covered by numerous news outlets including The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, and WebMD.

Sara Lazar, PhD

Associate Director of Neuroscience Research

Sara W. Lazar, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Psychiatry Department at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The focus of her research is to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of yoga and meditation, both in clinical settings and in healthy individuals. She has also collaborated with clinicians to study the effects on mindfulness on anxiety and depression. Her current work is focused on well-being and personality development. Dr. Lazar has been practicing yoga and mindfulness meditation since 1994 and her research has been covered by numerous news outlets including The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, and WebMD.

Matthew Lee, PhD

Matthew T. Lee, Ph.D., is a Visiting Professor with BHI and Director of Empirical Research at the Human Flourishing Program in the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University.  His books include Measuring Well-Being and The Heart of Religion (both with Oxford University Press). He is also a Distinguished Visiting Scholar of Health, Flourishing, and Positive Psychology at Stony Brook University’s Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics and he previously served as Chair of the American Sociological Association’s Section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity. He has co-developed empirical measures of both the compassion climate in workplaces and the individual experience of inner peace. His current research explores pathways to human flourishing, benevolent service to others, and the integration of social science and the humanities. (https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/people/matthew-t-lee-0)

Kiara Robinson

Patient Services Coordinator

Kiara Robinson is the face and voice of BHI, greeting patients, scheduling appointments, and coordinating SMART groups, among other things.  Prior to joining BHI in 2021, Kiara had worked at Mass General for 12 years, beginning as a sterile technician and serving as a patient services coordinator through the Bulfinch Temp service, learning systems and protocols in more than 21 different departments including Primary Care, Nuclear Cardiology, Neurosurgery, and multiple postings in Neurology.

 

Samreen Sethi

Samreen received a B.A. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology and Political Science from the University of California, Davis. A former AmeriCorps VISTA member, she spent the last two years working for a non-profit in San Francisco, CA dedicated to advancing educational equity and promoting public education.  In her role at the Benson-Henry Institute, Samreen manages the SMART and PART certification pathways, assists in the institute’s annual CME course, and supports the Child Resiliency Program.