Biography
Hilary Moss is Associate Professor of Music Therapy at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, Ireland and previously the Director of the National Centre for Arts and Health, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin. She is passionate about the interaction between music, health and well-being with over 25 years of research and practice experience as a Music Therapist and manager in mental health, older age and adult medical environments. She has an MBA in Health Service Management and completed her PhD at Trinity College Dublin Medical School. Her research interests include music/music therapy in ageing and dementia care; chronic pain and singing and health. She has published widely on health humanities and inter-disciplinary research topics. She is founder and chair of the Arts and Health Research Network at UL and has over fifty peer reviewed journal publications on arts and health related topics. Her book Music and Creativity in Healthcare Settings was published by Routledge in 202s and she has guest edited two special issues of journals on music, music therapy and health topics. She regularly appears on radio and other media on music and health topics. For further list of publications, conference presentations, funding and research activity please contact Hilary.Moss@ul.ie Watch my UL TALK for more information on my research interests: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1t3lr_eWwIResearch Interests
My interdisciplinary research integrates humanities, health sciences and others (e.g., computer science) and I have a strong interdisciplinary research profile. My research is an important scholarly contribution to the growing evidence that engaging with the arts positively impacts health. Innovative solutions are being piloted at UL, for example trialling telehealth music therapy with computer science colleagues for people with dementia (an international innovation). I make a unique contribution to UL's community engagement. In 2020, I initiated a project between Music Therapy (UL) and Corpus Christi School Moyross, recently featured at the new City Campus launch as a key project in the UL Engage programme. This body of work positions me as a leader in music, health, and community engagement. I am working to establish UL as the national centre for Health Humanities in Ireland; crystallizing UL as the national hub for music therapy research and practice and am committed to developing existing UL community engagement research projects, expanding the 20 student led health and social care research projects I initiated to 35 by 2025 and 40 by 2027.SciVal Metrics since 2016 illustrate the significance and impact of my research for Arts and Humanities: most publications involve international (25%) or national (50%) collaborations; top collaborating Institutions are Trinity College Dublin (Ireland #1 QS World ranking) and University of Toronto (#25 World QS Ranking). These collaborations and others are significant to growing the academic reputation of UL nationally and internationally, noted as priority in UL@50 Strategic Plan 2019-2024.
Particular areas of interest include Music Therapy and Chronic Pain; Music and Dementia care; Health Humanities, singing for health and aesthetic deprivation in healthcare settings.
Published Government Reports (including HSE and Arts Council commissions)
Moss, H., McLoughlin, L. and O'Donoghue, J. (2018) Dance and health research project report, UL: Limerick http://hdl.handle.net/10344/7258
Moss, H. and O'Donoghue, J. (2018) Sing while you work - the well-being benefits of workplace choirs, Limerick: UL, available: http://hdl.handle.net/10344/7257
Moss, Hilary; Lynch, Julie; O'Donoghue, Jessica (2017) Sing Yourself Better: The Health and Well-being Benefits of Singing in a Choir. Limerick: UL.
FilmsResearch Impact Films (2021) Singing for Health and Well-being. Available at https://vimeo.com/654914605. This video showcases my research on music therapy and singing for people with chronic pain and other health conditions. It featured as an excellent example of UL's community engaged research. This output is the result of the impact of my original research, including Moss et al 2021 and Fitzpatrick, Harmon & Moss, 2019. The film was created in collaboration with UL Engage.
Research impact film (2021) Available at HAPPEE - University of Limerick on Vimeo. This video showcases community engaged interdisciplinary clinical research in Limerick. My leadership in developing the music therapy arm of this interdisciplinary research and practice is evidenced in this output, particularly with reference to my MA student's placement work on singing and health (e.g., O'Donoghue & Moss, 2018).
I regularly appear in the media, for example :
Moss, H. December 18th, 2021. Singing and COVID-19. Interview on RTE Lyric FM Culture File https://www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/22042704-the-culture-file-weekly-dec-18th-jennifer-walshe/file/ Moss, H. August 2021. The role of music for well-being during COVID-19. Interview onRTE Radio 1 Claire Byrne show.
Moss, H. Monday 9 August 2021 How does music cause harm? RTE Brainstorm Scholarly opinion piece https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2021/0809/1239825-music-therapy-music-induced-harm/
Moss, H 23rd October 2020. How does music make us relax? RTE Brainstorm. Scholarly opinion piece. https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/1022/1173198-how-music-helps-us-relax/
For full list of publications, conference presentations, funding and research activity please contact Hilary.Moss@ul.ie Watch my UL TALK for more information on my research interests: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1t3lr_eWwI
Professional Activities
Committee
- 2018 Irish Humanities Alliance ,
- 2018 Irish World Academy Quality Review,
- 2018 Irish World Academy Research Approval Process Committee,
- 2018 Healthy Campus Committee, UL,
- 2016 British Association of Music Therapy Teaching and Education committee,
- 2016 UL Personal Advisor Student Support Committee,
- 2008 Kildare County Council Arts in Health Steering Group,
- 2003 Health Service Executive Eastern Region Arts Committee ,
Association
- 2017 Country Representative, European Music Therapy Confederation
- 2016 AssociateMember, Royal Society for Public Health (UK)
- 2003 Member, Society for the Arts in Healthcare, USA
- 2003 Member, Association of Arts Co-ordinators in Hospitals, Ireland
- 1999 Member, Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists
- 1996 Member, British Association of Music Therapy
Employment
- 2016 University of Limerick - Associate Professor and Course Director MA Music Therapy
- 2010 Trinity College Dublin - Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Medicine
- 2010 Maynooth University - Occasional Lecturer
- 2003 Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin - Director of Arts and Health
- 2002 Haringey NHS Trust, London - Music Therapist Researcher
- 1999 The Carers Association - Family Resource Centre Manager, West Dublin
- 1996 West London NHS Trust & Oxfordshire NHS, UK - Music Therapist
Education
- 2014 Trinity College Dublin, School of Medicine - PhD
- 2002 University College Dublin (UCD) - MBA
- 1996 Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London - Postgraduate Diploma in Music Therapy
- 1994 University of Reading - BA (Hons)
Award
- 2006 - Business2Arts award
- 2005 - Health Service Executive Innovation Awards
Consultancy
- 2006 Blue Box Creative Centre, Limerick - Independent service evaluation and recommendations for art and music therapy services.
- 2006 Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust - External clinical supervisor
- 2005 Meath Community Unit - Consultancy to develop music therapy service
Other
- Queen Margaret University, Scotland, 2018 - 2021
- Member of HRI 2017 - present
- Member 2019 - present. Awarded funding 267,000 to cluster
- Irish World Academy, participated in selection and interview process for Classical Strings Associate Teacher 2018
- 2018; Guildhall School of Music and Drama