Research Music Therapist

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center•New York, NY

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The people of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are united by a singular mission: ending cancer for life. Our specialized care teams provide personalized, compassionate, expert care to patients of all ages. Informed by basic research done at our Sloan Kettering Institute, scientists across MSK collaborate to conduct innovative translational and clinical research that is driving a revolution in our understanding of cancer as a disease and improving the ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat it. MSK is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists and clinicians, who go on to pursue our mission at MSK and around the globe. Exciting Opportunity at MSK: We are seeking a Research Music Therapist to join our team and support innovative research focused on the role of music therapy in oncology. As a Research Music Therapist, you will provide therapeutic music interventions to patients while collaborating with clinical and research teams to develop, implement, and evaluate music therapy interventions. This position combines approximately 60% direct clinical care and 40% research activities, offering the opportunity to integrate clinical expertise with research to advance evidence-based approaches to supporting patients throughout the cancer experience.

Requirements

Master's degree in Music Therapy from an accredited program
Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT)
Strong clinical skills and ability to establish therapeutic relationships with patients.
Ability to develop and adapt music therapy interventions based on patient needs, clinical goals, and research protocols.
Excellent attention to detail, documentation, organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills.
Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively collaborate within multidisciplinary clinical and research teams.
Emotional maturity, resilience, and sound judgment, including the ability to leverage team resources and appropriately escalate concerns when needed.
Comfort with music technology, digital music platforms, recording tools, and emerging technologies, including AI-enabled applications.

Nice To Haves

Clinical music therapy experience preferred
Experience working with patients in a healthcare setting
Experience participating in clinical research, research protocols, or data collection activities preferred
The strongest candidates for this role are clinically skilled music therapists who are passionate about oncology, research, education, and advancing patient-centered care through evidence-based music therapy.

Responsibilities

Provide individualized music therapy services to support pain and symptom management, stress reduction, coping, and overall well-being.
Develop and implement music therapy interventions, establish therapeutic goals and treatment plans, and document patient progress in collaboration with patients, physicians, and interdisciplinary care teams.
Serve as an active member of interdisciplinary care teams to support comprehensive patient-centered care.
Participate in clinical research activities, including patient recruitment, informed consent, intervention delivery, data collection, study documentation, and study team meetings.
Deliver music therapy interventions in accordance with standardized research protocols while maintaining patient safety, intervention fidelity, protocol integrity, and regulatory compliance.
Collaborate with clinical and research teams to support research studies, provide education and training, mentor students and trainees, host clinical observers, and contribute to scholarly and professional activities.