Our Staff & Advisors
Our clinical services, research projects and on-going programs are guided by experts in the fields of medicine, music and music therapy, spanning a unique range of knowledge and experience. Our team includes a staff of six dedicated music therapists working in conjunction with a wide range of interdisciplinary teams which include physicians, nurses, social workers, physical therapists and other health care professionals throughout Beth Israel Medical Center.

Music Therapy Staff

Dr. Joanne Loewy MT-BC, LCAT Director
Phone (212) 420-3484
Fax (212) 420-2726
Email: JLoewy@chpnet.org

Joanne Loewy DA, MT-BC, LCAT received her doctorate from NYU. She started the music therapy program at Beth Israel in 1994. Dr Loewy has conducted research in sedation, assessment, pain, asthma and NICU music therapy. Her areas of specialty are assessment, hermeneutic research and supervision. Dr. Loewy is on several music therapy editorial boards and is also on the Cochran Palliative Care review and the Journal for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. She has edited several books including Music Therapy in Pediatric Pain, Music Therapy in the NICU, and she co-edited Music Therapy at End of Life and Caring for the Caregiver: Music Therapy in Grief and Trauma. Currently, she is the new Director of the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine, which among many populations is serving musicians and their unique ailments including chronic fatigue, chemical dependency, performance anxiety and overuse. Dr. Loewy is a Professor in the Hahnemann Creative Arts Therapy graduate music therapy program at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Sherry Williams, Executive Assistant
Phone (212) 420-2704
Fax (212) 420-2726
Email: Shwillia@chpnet.org

Sherry Williams is the executive assistant and administrator of The Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine. With a degree in Business Administration, Ms. Williams enjoys facilitating and administrating the organizational aspects of the Armstrong programs and enjoys learning and witnessing the many capacities and benefits that music therapy has provided to patients in the program.



The Louis & Lucille Armstrong Music Therapy Program for inpatients

Kristen Stewart, MA, MT-BC, LCAT, Clinical Director
Phone (212) 420-2722
Fax (212) 420-2726
Email: KStewart@chpnet.org

Kristen Stewart, MA, LCAT, MT-BC, received her Master's degree from New York University.  She holds specializations in trauma, neonatal intensive care, pediatrics and palliative care, and has published work on music therapy in each of these areas.  Ms. Stewart also has a background in music therapy for children with physical and developmental disabilities, and behavioral and emotional disturbances.  Her work at Beth Israel began as Coordinator of the New York City Relief Project's "Caring for the Caregiver" program, in response to the traumatic events of September 11, 2001.  Since then she has provided clinical services for patients, families and staff at Beth Israel in areas ranging from newborns through geriatrics.  Currently, Ms. Stewart is running the internship program and managing inpatient services as Clinical Director of the Louis & Lucille Armstrong Music Therapy Program.

The Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine for outpatients

Stephan Quentzel, MD, JD, MA
Music & Health Clinic, Medical Director
Phone (212) 844-8387
Fax (212) 420-2726
Email: Squentze@chpnet.org

The graduate of integrated dual residencies in family medicine and psychiatry, Dr. Quentzel practices both with a comprehensive view of the patient. Being triple boarded in psychiatry, family medicine and holistic medicine serves him well in his roles as the Medical Director of the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine and the Medical Director of Psychiatry for the Institute for Urban Family Health, both in New York City. Dr. Quentzel was, until recently, the Chief of Primary Care Psychiatry at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, where he helped residents and faculty members in family practice, internal medicine, OB-GYN, pain medicine and palliative care, and the medical specialties to better integrate psychiatry in their medical settings. He continues to teach psychiatrists and psychiatry residents to collaborate well with their primary care colleagues and to pursue best practices approaches to psychiatry. Dr. Quentzel is an assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and he is a senior clinician at the Continuum Center for Health and Healing. In addition, he runs a private practice in psychiatry and integrative medicine in New York City . Dr. Quentzel graduated from the University of Illinois with the degrees of MD, JD and MA in Health Policy. He believes strongly that “all things are connected” when it comes to the pursuit of comprehensive and optimal health and wellness for those seeking care at the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine.

Ronit Azoulay, MA, MT-BC, LCAT, Music Therapist
Music for AIR & Music for CAIR Programs
Phone (212) 420-2709
Fax (212) 420-2726
Email: Razoulay@chpnet.org

Ronit Azoulay, MA, MT-BC, LCAT, is the music therapist in the Music for AIR (Advances in Respiration) and Music for CAIR (Cardiac Advances in Rehabilitation) programs, providing outpatient and inpatient music therapy services for adults with heart and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  These programs include a randomized, controlled research study of the effects of music therapy in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.  She is a graduate of The Hahnemann Creative Arts in Therapy Masters Program at Drexel University. She has completed certificate trainings in Creative Arts Therapy at The New School that included experiences with drama, art, dance and music therapy and the Performance Wellness certificate training with Musicians' Wellness, Inc.that included techniques to address stagefright, over-use injuries,stress management and mind-body integration to optimize performance.

Brian Harris, MA, MT-BC, LCAT Music Therapist
Asthma Initiative Program Research Associate
Phone (212) 420-2743
Fax (212) 420-2726
Email: Bharris@chpnet.org

Brian Harris, MT-BC, LCAT, is the outreach music therapist for the Asthma Initiative Program. Currently, AIP has established programs in four New York City area public schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan.The outreach programs enroll children into AIP's research study and provide ongoing music therapy groups using wind playing, entrained breathing techniques and clinical improvisation to address breathing and relaxation.  Brian plays the hammered dulcimer on the neonatal intensive care unit as part of the department's environmental music therapy program. Prior to work at Beth Israel, Brian was the head of the Pavarotti Music Center's music therapy department in Mostar, Bosnia where his work focused on children with traumas related to the war.  Additionally Brian has worked with psychiatric, geriatric, and developmentally disabled populations.

The Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine: The Music & Health Clinic
Medical Staff & Advisors

Joanne Loewy, DA, MT-BC, Director
Music Therapy Assessment
Music Sub-Specialty Services

Stephan Quentzel, MD, Medical Director
Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Integrative Medicine  

Sherry Williams, Executive Assistant  

Lisa Auerbach, MD, FACP
Internal Medicine, Union Square Medical Group  

Ronit Azoulay , MA , MT-BC
Music for Advances In Respiration (AIR)
Music for Cardiac Advances in Rehabilitation (CAIR)  

Ricardo Cruciani, MD, PhD
Neurology, Psychiatry
Pain Medicine and Palliative Care  

Lori Garjian, MD
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Medical Acupuncture

Brian Harris, MA, MT-BC
Music Therapy Outreach  

Ronald Hoffman, MD
Otology: Cochlear Implants and Balance Disorders Specialties 

Glenn Kashan, MD
Internal Medicine, Union Square Medical Group  

Peter McCann, MD
Orthopedic Surgery: Shoulder and Elbow Specialty  

Charles Melone, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery: Hand Specialty  

Mark Persky, MD
Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery  

Russell Portenoy, MD
Pain Medicine and Palliative Care  

Jonathan Raskin, MD, FCCP
Internal Medicine and Respiratory Diseases  

Stephen Scelsa, MD
Neuromuscular Division and Electromyography Neurology  

Robert Sheu, MD
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Interventional Pain Medicine and Palliative Care Specialties  

David Shulkin, MD
Internal Medicine, Union Square Medical Group

The Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine: The Music & Health Clinic Steering Committee

Ms. Sherry Bronfman
Mr. Stanley Crouch
Ms. Barbara S. Davis
Ms. Laurelyn Douglas
Ms. Mercedes Ellington
Mr. Jon Faddis
Ms. Mary Fuss
Ms. Ellen Lewis Gideon
Dr. Michael Goldstein
Mr. Andre Guess
Ms. Jackie Harris
Ms. Lisa Helmrich
Dr. Scott Kessler
Dr. Peter McCann
Ms. Colleen McDonough
Ms. Kathy McGovern-Kearns
Ms. Meredith Monk
Mr. Marc Morial
Mr. James Briggs Murray
Mr. Jeff Nissim
Mr. Robert O'Meally
Mr. Joe Piccinnini
Dr. Russell Portenoy
Mr. Howard Porter
Ms. Sally Radcliffe
Ms. Carol Rubiano
Ms. Esther Sansaurus
Mr. David Schroeder
Mr. Frank Stewart
Mr. David Truskinoff  

AIP Steering Committee
Goldie Alfasi, PhD, Psychologist, Family Medicine, BIMC
Wednesday Clark, Former patient and participant of the AIP program/study
Sheila Clark, Parental participant and Community Liason for AIP
Unit Emre, MD, Pediatric Pulmonologist, BIMC, LICH
Kristen Fruchter, LMSW, Social Worker, Department of Pediatrics
Margo Guzman, RNC, MSN, Nurse Manager, Pediatric Associates, BIMC
Daniel Newspiel, MD, MPH, Associate Chairman, Pediatrics, BIMC  

Music for AIR Steering Committee
Jonathan Raskin MD, FCCP Internal Medicine & Respiratory Diseases
Wendy Egan, Social Worker
Elaine Espinosa, Director, The Center for Cardiac & Pulmonary Health
Corinne Rey, Physical Therapist, The Center for Cardiac & Pulmonary Health
John Sutera, Physical Therapist, The Center for Cardiac & Pulmonary Health
Louise Youngson-Klasfeld, Physical Therapist, The Center for Cardiac & Pulmonary Health  

Music for CAIR Steering Committee
Dr, Richard Stein, MD, Cardiologist
Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, MD, Cardiologist
Wendy Egan, Social Worker
Elaine Espinosa, Director, The Center for Cardiac & Pulmonary Health
Corinne Rey, Physical Therapist, The Center for Cardiac & Pulmonary Health
John Sutera, Physical Therapist, The Center for Cardiac & Pulmonary Health
Louise Youngson-Klasfeld, Physical Therapist, The Center for Cardiac & Pulmonary Health