Kendra Ray, PhD, MBA, MPH, MT-BC, LCAT
Chief Research Officer
646.744.2904
kray@cknyc.org
Linkedin
She was formerly the Vice President of Research and Innovation in Aging at the MJHS Institute for Innovation and Palliative Care. She developed and implemented the award-winning memory care program at the MJHS Menorah Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care and served as a research assistant professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. Dr. Ray was also adjunct faculty in the music therapy department at Montclair State University’s John J. Cali School of Music.
With over 20 years of experience in various settings for older adults with physical and cognitive impairments, Dr. Ray is a clinician, researcher, and licensed music therapist. Her research has notably focused on therapeutic music-based interventions for individuals with dementia and their caregivers, whether they are family members or professional providers. She is the Principal Investigator on projects funded by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Dr. Ray has published several widely recognized, peer-reviewed articles that explore the effectiveness of music therapy and music-based interventions tailored for the aging population, particularly those living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Recently, she received the Margaret M. Cahn Award, presented to an outstanding Alzheimer’s researcher in the Hudson Valley Chapter’s territory. Formally, she led studies funded by the Alzheimer’s Association, the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, and Columbia University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Alzheimer’s Disease Disparities that emphasized the application of evidence-based music interventions for individuals with dementia and their family caregivers.
