Caroline Jacobson

Caroline Wagner-Jacobson is an experienced arts in health facilitator and researcher who specializes in theatre engagement. Caroline holds 15+ years of experience utilizing improvisation, music, and storytelling in hospital and community health settings. With a focus on whole-person care and evidence-based research, she has served a wide variety of populations such as hospitalized pediatric and adult patients, low-income students, at-risk families affected by HIV/AIDS, patients recovering from substance abuse, healthcare staff, U.S. Veterans, and Ukrainian refugees. She successfully conducted research for Americans for the Arts on behalf of Creative Forces, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. She is currently conducting research for Healing Arts Chicago to evaluate the efficacy of bringing artists into mental health clinics. Caroline holds a Master of Arts (MA) in arts in medicine from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in theatre from Arizona State University. Her master’s thesis was an IRB-approved qualitative research study exploring the effects of participatory theatre engagement on U.S. Veterans’ perceptions of social connection.