Nisha Sajnani

The World Alliance of Dramatherapy was founded in 2017 with a mission to promote the profession by providing a platform for representatives, which now include 18 member associations representing 32 countries, to exchange information, share advances in research, and encourage collaboration across borders, cultures, and languages. In this introductory keynote, founding member Dr. Nisha Sajnani will describe the history, activities, and research undertaken by the WADth about the state of the field in the context of a growing global movement to embrace the health benefits of the arts

Nisha Sajnani, Ph.D., RDT-BCT, is the director of the NYU Program in Drama Therapy, editor of Drama Therapy Review, past president of the North American Drama Therapy Association, and founding member of the World Alliance of Dramatherapy. In her capacity as Chair of the NYU Creative Arts Therapies Consortium, she leads a WHO commission to map the evidence for the physical, mental, and social health benefits of the arts and arts therapies.  An award-winning author, educator, and advocate, her body of work explores the unique ways in which aesthetic experience can inspire care, equity, and collective human flourishing across the lifespan.