Scholar Profiles
Natasha
M. Lituchy
2006 - 2007 University Scholar
Mentor: Rusti Brandman
College of Fine Arts
"Dance is my passion, but working with Dr. Brandman has sparked my interests in other ways. I have come to love the Arts in Medicine program at Shands, more specifically the Dance in Medicine courses that are offered. I had no idea that the world of arts and healthcare is so big, and I would love to join its community after graduation."
The majority of Natasha’s time is spent rehearsing for a variety of performances, such as faculty showcases, student works and theatre performances. This future dance star is always on the go. Recently, she taught hip-hop classes at the Gainesville YMCA. Natasha hopes that her participation in the Arts for Healthcare program turns into a wonderful and successful way to enter someone’s life and make a difference.
Research Description:
Vital Visionaries Production
"Vital Visionaries" is an Arts in Medicine based project that pairs senior citizens with young medical students. The participants will join together for games and exercises, in an effort to establish better lines of communication via the arts.
Led by experienced professors and artists, our doctors and seniors will get acquainted through poety, painting, and movement. All of these meetings, and interviews with our friends will be videotaped.
As a dance major and a student of the Arts and Medicine program, my responsibilities will be to coordinate, organize, and dip into the movement and arts as much as I can! In the end, my mentor and I hope to create a video diary or documentary of the entire process.
Nowadays, there are about 45 million Americans over the age of 60, and it is crucial for these doctors-in-training to be comfortable with older generations, and vice versa. Thus, when these two groups face eachother in the future, we hope they will be equipped with the experience to treat eachother with respect. By sending our findings to groups such as the National Institute of Aging or the Society for Arts in Healthcare, we hope to share our research and our message.
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