Jill Sonke
I am an artist-researcher, cultural strategist, and policy advocate working at the intersection of the arts and health. I’ve been visioning, working, and leading in this space for over 30 years. I’m driven by my personal experiences of the power of the arts, and constantly inspired by the evidence and momentum being generated across this exciting field.
Jill Sonke, PhD, is Director of Research Initiatives and a Research Professor in the Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida (UF), a US Cultural Policy Fellow at Stanford University, and Co-director of the EpiArts Lab, a National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab in partnership with University College London. She serves as an Affiliated Researcher in the WHO’s Jameel Arts & Health Lab and served during the COVID-19 pandemic as a senior advisor to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and as Director of National Research and Impact for the One Nation/One Project initiative. She is an affiliated faculty member in the UF School of Theatre & Dance, the Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, and the Center for African Studies, as well as an editorial board member for Health Promotion Practice journal. Dr. Sonke is a dancer and an amateur musician, a mixed methods researcher with over 100 publications, and has 30+ years of leadership in the field of arts in health. She is the recipient of numerous awards and over 350 grants for her programs and research in the arts and health.