In the next few blog posts we will be introducing our Operational Committees. Operational Committees work on the short and long-term goals driven by the strategic plan and vision of the organization. Each committee has a specific purpose and works closely with the Board of Directors and IADMS staff to accomplish their goals. We have ten committees, which include the following:

• Dance Educators
• Dance for Health
• Development
• Physician
• Professional Development
• Program
• Promotion
• Publications
• Research
• Student

We asked each of our committees to share with us information about what their committee is about and what work they get up to. Below you will see responses from the Student Committee:

What work within IADMS is the Student Committee responsible for?

The Student Committee strives to develop a strong network of students and recent graduates in the field of dance medicine and science. The committee provides networking opportunities, student specific programming, professional development resources, and connections for students all over the globe in an effort to meet the needs of future professionals in the field.

What is the mission statement for the Student Committee?

Mission: The mission of the IADMS Student Committee is to foster community among students and early career professionals; to facilitate professional growth and development among students and early career professionals; to advocate for equity, accessibility, and diversity among members; to support student perspectives and needs; to bring forward new ideas and initiatives to represent students and early career professionals of the organization; and, to help recruit and maintain student and emerging professional membership to IADMS.

Who are your current members?

Chair: Melissa Mishkin, MSc

Vivian Corey, BFA

Katherine Elder

Nicole Greene-Cramer, MFA

Caroline Joy, DPT

Alissa Nehrlich, MSc, BA

Stephanie Pittman, MSc

Vanessa Reiser, MFA

Ella Sanders

Mackinsey Shahan, MS, RDN

Yurina Tsubaki, MSc

Sarah Vella

What are some of the recent projects your committee has been working on?

• Launch of the IADMS Chapters program- An IADMS Chapter is an independently run “club” of IADMS that supports and connects students interested in dance medicine and science at their local university / institution)
• Early Career Mentorship Program
• Student Committee Presentation at the Annual Conference
• Multiple Student focused Networking Events at the Annual Conference
• Oral History Project Summaries
• Student to Professional Virtual Health for Dancers Networking Event
• Student to Professional Virtual Dance for Health Networking Event

IADMS students at student social event at the 2022 IADMS Annual Conference.