Helen Odell-Miller, Professor of Music Therapy and Director of the Music for Health Research Centre at Anglia Ruskin University, presented the keynote speech at this year's International Centre for Research in Arts Therapies (ICRA) conference.

The event, which took place on 13 July 2011 at Conway Hall, London, was attended by over 100 doctors, arts therapists and other professionals from around the world.

Professor Odell-Miller's speech addressed the issue of balancing clinical effectiveness and research in arts therapy, using thoughts and examples about priorities in higher education and clinical settings. She has published and lectured widely on the subject of arts therapy, presenting keynote speeches at several other national and international conferences worldwide, as well as co-editing the book Supervision of Music Therapy (Routledge, 2009) and founding the European Music Therapy Council.

The International Centre for Research in Arts Therapies was established in 2009 at Imperial College, London, with the aim of exploring the potential benefits of arts therapies to treat physical and mental disorders. Other speakers at the conference included Professor Christian Gold (Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre), Dr Helen Killaspy (University College London Medical School and Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust), Professor Diane Waller (Centre for Mental Health, Imperial College) and Dr Mike Crawford (Imperial College London).

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