Eric Nestler, neuroscientist and Director, Friedman Brain Institute at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Jewel, a 4-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, visual artist, actress, best-selling author, and mental health pioneer, co-chaired the independent committee that evaluated the 65 proposals received for the 2026 Renée Fleming Neuroarts Investigator Awards.
The review committee, a prestigious interdisciplinary team of eminent researchers and arts practitioners, represented expertise in the arts and sciences.
Review Committee
Jonathan Adler
Professor of Psychology at Olin College of Engineering
Joy Allen
Director, Music and Health Institute; Chair, Music Therapy, Berklee College of Music
Marygrace Berberian
Clinical Associate Professor of Art Therapy
Director of the Graduate Art Therapy Program, NYU Steinhardt
Sekai Chideya
Physician and Former Program Director,
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Emmeline Edwards
Director of Research, NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative
Former Director of Research, NCCIH
David O. Fakunle
Assistant Professor, Department of Public and Allied Health, Morgan State University School of Community Health & Policy, Associate, Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Jalena Golubovic
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Indiana University School of Nursing
Assal Habibi
Associate Research Professor of Psychology and Neurology at the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California
Beth Harman
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Indiana University School of Nursing
Christina Hugenschmidt
Associate Professor, Gerontology and Geriatrics, Internal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (Winston-Salem)
Patrick McNamara
President and CEO of Palm Health Foundation
Netanel Portier
Senior Director of Learning and Practice at Mural Arts
Jordan Potash
Associate Professor in the Art Therapy Graduate Program at The George Washington University
Stacey Springs
Research Integrity Officer, Duke University