Music therapists at Norton Healthcare use compassion and joy to help patients

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Board-certified music therapists at Norton Healthcare use their compassion and joy for music to help patients in Louisville and Southern Indiana cope with a broad range of illnesses. Katie Cowan , MT-BC, NICU-MT, is a board-certified music therapist working downtown at Norton Children’s Hospital and Norton Hospital. She is a graduate of the University of Louisville with a bachelor’s degree in music therapy. She is certified as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) music therapist through the Florida State University College of Music, Tallahassee. Katie works with children and adults in the behavioral health setting, providing group and individual consultations daily. She has a passion for creating and sharing music with others as they work through times of pain and healing. In her spare time, Katie enjoys playing bassoon, gardening and cooking new recipes. Kyle Hubert, MT-BC, received his Bachelor of Arts in music from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, followed by post-baccalaureate equivalency in music therapy. He completed his music therapy internship at Oak Park School in Sarasota, Florida, where he worked with students with varying intellectual disabilities. From 2015 to 2017 he worked in Sarasota at Beyond the Spectrum Education Center as a teaching assistant and at Gulf Coast Music Therapy, providing music therapy services for geriatric groups and children with intellectual disabilities. He has been with Norton Healthcare since August 2017, facilitating full-time inpatient music therapy services at Norton Audubon Hospital. Outside of work he loves to make music, run trails at Cherokee Park and spend time with his friends and family. Brett Northrup , MT-BC, is originally from upstate New York and has lived in Louisville since 2006. He is an alumnus of the University of Louisville School of Music and has been a board-certified music therapist since 2012. Since 2013, Brett has served pediatric and adult oncology patients and their families as part of the expressive therapy teams at Norton Cancer Institute and Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. In addition to his role as a music therapist, Brett is a facilitator of the Teen Warrior and Cancer Beats programs, which are focused on meeting the unique needs of young adults affected by cancer. Brett loves all music and is passionate about music’s ability to meet us where we are in life, helping us connect with our emotions and relate to others. Alexis Ruffner, MT-BC, NICU-MT, earned her bachelor’s degree in music and creative writing from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, and a bachelor’s equivalency in music therapy from the University of Louisville. She currently serves as the music therapist at the Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit, working with premature infants and their families and leading early infant and parent developmental music groups. Alex also has experience providing services for adults with chronic illnesses. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in early childhood and family development and hopes to expand early childhood and pediatric music therapy services at Norton Healthcare. Read More at Norton Healthcare.