August 2015, Morristown & Montclair, NJ – Montclair State University and Atlantic Health System have launched a new graduate certificate program in Arts and Health, the first of its kind in New Jersey, which starting this Fall will help prepare those entering this burgeoning, hybrid field.
The University’s College of the Arts and Graduate School partnered with Atlantic Health System, one of the largest health care organizations in New Jersey, to design the program to merge arts instruction, research, performance, and training with the fields of health care and the medical humanities. Arts and Health students will be trained to bring the arts experience to patients, health care providers, and the communities they serve.
The program is the latest initiative to result from the hospital system and university’s Arts and Health Partnership, which began in 2013. It will be co-administered through the School of Communication and Media with Dr. Christine Lemesianou serving as graduate program coordinator.
“The partnership between Atlantic Health System and Montclair State University has led to its first certificate program, which responds to an increasing demand among arts professionals searching for career development within the health care field,” said College of the Arts Dean Daniel Gurskis,”as well as medical professionals interested in exploring ways that the arts can be used in comprehensive health care and community wellness.”
“As the arts and health care continue to complement one another in new ways, there will be a growing demand for career education that reflects both of these aspects,” said Maria Lupo, manager of Healing Arts at Atlantic Health System. “Montclair State University’s College of the Arts has truly embraced this growing field, and we are proud to partner with it.”
Students will explore special topics in arts and health such as advocacy, cultural diversity and communities, arts marketing, health literacy, and ethical issues in arts and health. Instructors will guide students in best practices for arts-based programs in community and health care settings in addition to the application of evidence-based methodologies to assess them.
The academic program for the certificate consists of five three-credit graduate-level courses. Students will be able to complete the certificate program within a twelve-month period. Students may also register for individual courses without pursuing the completion of the certificate program for continuing education credits.
Courses for the certificate program will be held on the Montclair State University campus where students will be instructed by College of the Arts faculty in conjunction with Atlantic Health System leadership and medical professionals. Coursework will also include online instruction as well as observation and fieldwork that will take place at Atlantic Health System facilities or other university-approved sites.
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System, headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, is one of the largest non-profit health care systems in New Jersey. Atlantic Health System has created a Trusted Network of Caring™. Our promise to our communities is that anyone who enters our system will receive the right care, at the right quality, at the right time, at the right place and at the right cost. Our network includes Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ; Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ; Newton Medical Center in Newton, NJ; Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ; and Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, as well as Atlantic Rehabilitation, and Atlantic Home Care and Hospice. It also includes its subsidiary, Atlantic Ambulance Corporation. Atlantic Health System comprises 1,599 licensed beds, more than 14,000 employees and more than 4,000 physicians. Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University; a Major Clinical Affiliate of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; part of Atlantic Accountable Care Organization, one of the largest ACOs in the nation, and is a member of AllSpire Health Partners. Learn more about our Trusted Network of Caring™ at Atlantic Health System >
About Montclair State University
Building on a distinguished 107-year history, Montclair State University is proud to be a leading institution of higher education in New Jersey. The University serves over 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students in more than 300 doctoral, master's and baccalaureate level programs. Situated on a beautiful, 250-acre suburban campus just 14 miles from New York City, Montclair State delivers the instructional and research resources of a large public university in a supportive, sophisticated and diverse academic environment.