Our Executive Board

dr. david akombo

David O. Akombo, Ph.D. is Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Culture, Creative and Performing Arts at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus in Barbados, West Indies. He was previously served as Associate Dean and Faculty Fellow in several US universities.

Dr. Akombo was a Diversity Fellow at Weber State University in Utah. Intrigued by the peculiarities of music and its interdisciplinary confluence with medical and psychological practices, Dr. Akombo has studied and researched the effects of music on children and young adults both in schools and in hospitals.

As scholar and performer, Dr. Akombo balances his research interests amicably as a music educator, ethnomusicologist, composer and singer/drummer, having worked in Africa, The United States, and Southeast Asia where he studied with Balinese artists. His books, Music and Healing Across Cultures (Ames, Iowa: Culicidae Press, 2006) and Music and Medicine: Connections Found (Seaburn, 2009) unfold the mechanics of the relationships between music, culture, physiological and spiritual states in people from the anthropological and epistemological inquiry regarding music and healing.

Dr. Akombo has worked jointly with the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Healthcare Research and Education (CAHRE) with which he collaborated to establish the Arts in Medicine (AIM) program in Nairobi, Kenya. Located at Mater Hospital and funded by the Legislature and State of Florida Center for Cultural Affairs in Tallahassee, this is the first known Arts in Medicine program in Africa. Dr. Akombo continues to be active in music education research, and interdisciplinary scholarship having conducted clinics in several countries. He is a 2017 recipient of the NSF Research Training Scholarship. He is member of the Music Educators National Conference, The national Social Science Association and is co-founder and President of ISQRMM.

 

dr. kent nelsoN

Dr. Kent Nelson has served as an instrumental music teacher at Olympus Junior High School near Salt Lake City, Utah for over 25 years while also teaching as Adjunct of Instructor pf Music at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. His teaching duties include band, orchestra, percussion, jazz band, and guitar. He is also director and conductor of the school district’s youth symphony and also a community orchestra.

The Granite School District Excel Award (2007), the Utah PTA Gingerbread House Festival Teacher of the Year Award (2006), and the Fulbright Memorial Fund (Japan, 2004) are honors he has received for his teaching. Kent received his doctorate from Boston University (2014) in music education. His dissertation topic was on music and dyslexia. He has presented on this issue at the first two ISQRMM conferences in Utah and Georgia. An article, coauthored with Dr. Ryan Hourigan of Ball State University, has been accepted for publication in a forthcoming issue of UPDATE: Applications of Research in Music Education.

 

Dr. steve jackowicZ

Steve Jackowicz, Ph.D. began his study of East Asia as an undergraduate at Harvard University. He then studied traditional East Asian Medicine at the Korea Modern School of Acupuncture and the Hand and Foot Acupuncture Institute in Seoul. During that time he further apprenticed in traditional physical manipulation and therapeutic breathing techniques. He then pursued a Master’s Degree at the New England School of Acupuncture.

Dr. Jackowicz became fascinated with the divergence of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese medicine and studied for a Ph.D. at Boston University examining the historical evolution of East Asian Medicine. He is currently finishing a second Ph.D. through Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine examining the Yellow Thearch’s Inner Canon (Huangdi Neijing 黄帝内经). His research has taken him to China and Japan. Dr. Jackowicz has taught at Tufts University, Boston University, New England School of Acupuncture, and Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. He has published on East Asian Medicine, Daoism, and history. He currently serves as the Chair of the Doctoral Program in Traditional Chinese Medicine at the University of Bridgeport.

 

eluv

Eluv is a Healing Music Artist, Channel/Medium & Radio Personality. Born and educated in Melbourne, Australia, Eluv is the host of “Ultrasounds” radio show on WMNF, 88.5 FM Tampa. Fridays 1 – 2pm. She creates beautiful inspirational music, guided meditations, and visualizations for relaxation and healing.  Her music covers many genres and is a unique blend of musical elements from around the world and spoken meditations, giving the listener a truly unique and relaxing recorded experience. Her recordings are featured on the Monroe Institute’s Hemi-Sync label, with binaural sound healing technology added to balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Her singing style is a unique immersion into grace with her angelic vocals and sacred songs.

Eluv combines her vocals with a tapestry of pure tones of the Crystal Singing Bowls, lush harp strings, and other beautiful sounds. Known for her open-hearted intuitive approach to healing, Eluv’s music awakens joy, heart opening, well-being and deep relaxation. She is a featured guest speaker on sound healing and performs live “Sound Healing” concerts globally. Her practice features multiple modalities; Sound Healing with Crystal Singing Bowls, and Angel Harps, Live Healing Music Performances, Composing Music & Guided Meditations,  Voice Overs, Mantra, Kirtan, Mandala Art, Essential Oils, Flower Essences. She is a Shamanic practitioner and an Advanced Ancestral Healing practitioner, offering private sessions for people and animals.

 

Adina dabija

Adina Dabija, L.Ac., MSTOM, Dipl. O.M. is a Licensed Acupuncturist nationally certified in Oriental Medicine by the National Commission for Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine NCCAOM. She holds a Clinical Master Degree from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine New York and formal certifications in Medical Qi Gong, and in Korean Physical Manipulation (Kyo Jung) from the Institute of Classical Asian Studies, New York. Adina also studied classical herbology with Jeffrey Yuen for two years in New York’s Chinatown. Since 2021, Adina is certified with American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine (ABAAHP) to provide the highest standards of care in all aspects of metabolic and longevity holistic health practices. 

Adina is also a Certified Hypnotist specialized in anxiety, trauma, inner child healing and past life regression. Adina has been a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) since 2019. To deepen her hypnosis practice, Adina trained with Dr. Mario Martinez in biocognitive science and psychoneuroimmunology.

Adina founded Sol Center, a holistic healing center, in 2017, with a focus on top-down (mind to body) approach to wellness and disease. A published author, Adina helped many create the experience of bringing back the sacred into their lives through her poetry and wellness programs.