Cardiovascular Music: Clara Takarabe, co-director of the Northwestern Music and Medicine Program, is an active health organizer on the South Side of Chicago. In the Woodlawn neighborhood, where cardiovascular-related deaths are triple Chicago’s average, she works with First Presbyterian Church to establish a clinical program where area residents can learn to relax and bring their levels of stress down through Clinically Designed Improvisatory Music (CDIM). However, CDIM has become popular in the South Side beyond its effectiveness in lowering blood pressure.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Interventions: Hyde Park Union Church and University of Chicago’s Brent House organized a CDIM session in the aftermath of a student’s death through gun violence for students, faculty, and community members who were experiencing traumatic reactions to the tragedy. Since then CDIM has become a community intervention in the area for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Care for Healthcare Providers: Ms. Takarabe also provides clinical care for social workers with secondary traumatization at the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, which is a social work organization which provides support for families who have lost their children through gun violence. Health-oriented community work and neuroscience research are Ms. Takarabe’s passions.