Prof. Jill K. Sonke, PhD, is director of research initiatives in the Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida (UF), USA.
She visited Nkumba University twice; first in 2014 and then also in 2016 to enhance work on a research project about Art Therapy that was undertaken by the School of Commercial Industrial Art and Design (SCIAD) in partnership with TASO.
She held lectures and workshops on Art therapy at SCIAD. Dr. Sonke served during the pandemic as a senior advisor to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention Vaccine Confidence and Demand Team on the COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Task Force. She is the recipient of multiple Fellowship, Artist, Excellence in Teaching Awards, and over 350 grants for her programs and research at the University of Florida.
With 30 years of experience and leadership in the field of arts in health and a PhD in arts in public health from Ulster University in Northern Ireland, Jill is active in research and policy advocacy nationally and internationally. She is an artist and a mixed methods researcher with a current focus on population-level health outcomes associated with arts and cultural participation, arts in public health, and the arts in health communication. She is the recipient of a New Forms Florida Fellowship Award, a State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship Award, a NISOD Excellence in Teaching Award, a UF Internationalizing the Curriculum Award, a UF Most Outstanding Service Learning Faculty Award, a UF Public Health Champions award, a UF Cross-Campus Faculty Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and over 350 grants for her programs and research at the University of Florida and with the UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine program.
