Healing with creativity, UF student Alexandra Rodriguez champions the power of art in health

Alexandra Rodriguez, M.P.H., believes that a painting, a poem or a piece of music can do more than move us — it can mend us. As a University of Florida Ph.D. student exploring how creative engagement supports mental health, she is helping lead a growing global movement that positions the arts as a vital part of living well.

Her work has given Rodriguez, a doctoral student in public health with a concentration in social and behavioral sciences at the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, an international platform for championing arts and public health. She recently co-authored a World Health Organization report on arts and health in the U.S. She also chaired the session on arts and youth mental health at the United Nations General Assembly Healing Arts Week in September in New York City.

Connecting arts and health is not a new idea, Rodriguez said. It has been linked to many cultures for thousands of years. In the past few decades, however, scientists have been building the evidence base that arts participation has real health benefits.

“Epidemiological studies have shown that arts engagement is correlated with lower risks of developing depression, cognitive decline and chronic pain, while also enhancing psychological and social well-being,” Rodriguez said. “One study found that older adults who did creative hobbies at least monthly were 20% less likely to be depressed than those older adults who never engaged in creative art forms.”