Piedmont Athens Regional partners with UGA to launch music therapy program

Athens, Ga. (February 11, 2026) — Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center has partnered with the University of Georgia’s Music Therapy program to introduce medical music therapy services to its adult oncology unit, offering patients a new way to find comfort and support during cancer treatment.

The program, launching in February, brings licensed and board-certified music therapists from UGA to the hospital to provide individualized sessions for patients. Interventions commonly used by music therapists include live, patient-preferred music at the bedside, songwriting, active music-making, life review and reminiscence, and legacy work, designed to reduce anxiety, ease pain perception, and improve emotional well-being.

“Research shows music can lower stress, improve mood, and even help regulate vital signs. For oncology patients, these benefits can make a meaningful difference,” said Jeremiah Bame, chief nursing officer at Piedmont Athens Regional. “Partnering with UGA allows us to integrate evidence-based music therapy into our care, creating moments of peace and connection for patients and families.”

UGA’s Music Therapy program is one of the few in the Southeast offering specialized training for music therapists in clinical settings. Students and faculty collaborate with healthcare teams to ensure interventions align with patients’ physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs.

“Clinical music therapy is so much more than listening to relaxing music at the hospital,” said Sally Ann Nichols, music therapist and clinical assistant professor at UGA. “Familiar music not only stimulates the entire brain, but it brings normalcy and comfort to environments that aren’t usually normal and comfortable, like the hospital. Using music as common ground, music therapists can connect with patients from all walks of life to help them reach their treatment goals.”

A century of healing through music

According to the American Music Therapy Association, the roots of medical music therapy date back to the early 20^th century, when physicians, musicians and psychiatrists began noting music’s therapeutic potential in hospitals and mental health settings. In those early years, musicians often served as unpaid part-time staff under hospital supervision. Demand for trained hospital musicians grew significantly during and after World War II, particularly in Veterans Affairs hospitals and state facilities, as clinicians sought ways to support returning soldiers coping with physical and emotional trauma. This need ultimately led to the formal development of music therapy as a recognized healthcare profession.