Karen Barrett, PhD
Assistant Professor
Biography
Karen Chan Barrett, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the Institute for Health & Aging at the UCSF School of Nursing and the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the UCSF School of Medicine. She is an auditory cognitive neuroscientist whose research examines how music engages the brain and how musical experiences can support health and well-being across the lifespan.
Her research spans three interconnected areas: the neuroscience of musical creativity and improvisation, music perception and auditory rehabilitation in people with cochlear implants, and the use of music to support cognitive, social, and emotional well-being in older adults, including people living with cognitive impairment and dementia. Her work integrates behavioral, neuroimaging, and intervention-based approaches to understand the neural mechanisms of music and its potential clinical applications.
Her research spans three interconnected areas: the neuroscience of musical creativity and improvisation, music perception and auditory rehabilitation in people with cochlear implants, and the use of music to support cognitive, social, and emotional well-being in older adults, including people living with cognitive impairment and dementia. Her work integrates behavioral, neuroimaging, and intervention-based approaches to understand the neural mechanisms of music and its potential clinical applications.
Ph.D., - Music Cognition and Theory, Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University
M.Mus, - Musicology, Peabody Institute of Music at Johns Hopkins University
M.Mus, - Piano, Peabody Institute of Music at Johns Hopkins University
Postdoctoral Fellowship, - Auditory Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco
B.A., - Music and Neuroscience, Wellesley College
Young Investigator Award, Society for Neuroscience of Creativity, 2025
Associate Editor, Creativity Research Journal, Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience of Creativity, 2024
ADRC REC Fellowship, University of California, San Francisco, 2024
Presidential Fellowship Nominee, Northwestern University, 2012-2013
Advanced Cognitive Science Fellowship, Northwestern University, 2010-2011
Irving Lowens Endowed Memorial Prize in Musicology, Peabody Institute of Music at Johns Hopkins University, 2008-2009
Rhodes Scholarship Finalist, Wellesley College, 2005-2006
https://profiles.ucsf.edu/karen.barrett
July 15, 2025 - March 31, 2030 - Impact of Improvisation Music Therapy for Persons Living with Dementia and their Care Partners , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: K01AG088475
October 1, 2025 - October 1, 2027 - Using AI to Enhance Preferred Voices in Noisy Environments for Cochlear Implant Users , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: UCSF Chancellor's Office: 2025 Carroll Award for Innovation, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
September 1, 2018 - December 1, 2026 - Improvisation Across Art Forms , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: National Endowment for the Arts: Research Labs, Sponsor Award ID: 1844330-38-C-18
June 17, 2024 - June 17, 2026 - Feasibility and Acceptability Testing of a Culturally Tailored Music Therapy Intervention for Persons Living with Dementia and their Care Partners , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: UCSF School of Nursing Research Committee Intramural Grant, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
September 1, 2023 - May 31, 2024 - Impact of Music Improvisation Training on Brain Function and Cognition among Older Adults , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH/NIA, Sponsor Award ID: 4R33AG073669-03
PhD, Sociology
Aging and Life Course Health
Artificial Intelligence, Informatics and Digital Health