Sheri L. Robb, PhD

Sheri L. Robb, Ph.D., MT-BC, is an Indiana University School of Nursing professor with international recognition for her expertise in pediatric music therapy and behavioral intervention research. She is a member of the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, director for the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) KL2 Young Investigator Program, and serves on the National Endowment for the Arts-sponsored Sound Health Network leadership team. Dr. Robb is a board-certified music therapist with degrees in music therapy and early-childhood special education. She also completed an R25 post-doctoral fellowship in behavioral oncology and cancer control at Indiana University, followed by a KL2 training award in clinical and translational research from the Indiana CTSI. Dr. Robb’s program of research focuses on the development and testing of music interventions to manage distress and improve positive health outcomes in children and adolescents with cancer and their caregivers. Most recently, her team has begun incorporation of biomarkers to understand more fully how active music interventions work to mitigate cancer-related stress and its potential to improve immune function. Dr. Robb is an established investigator with 15 years of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health, including the National Institute of Nursing Research, National Cancer Institute, and Children’s Oncology Group. She also led publication of “Reporting Guidelines for Music-based Interventions” to address calls for more transparent and accurate reporting in music-intervention research.