Megumi Azekawa

Assistant Professor of Music; Director of Music Therapy

Email: megumi.azekawa@plu.edu

  • Professional
  • Biography

Additional Titles/Roles

  • Journal of Music Therapy, Associate Editor of Communications
  • AMA Journal of Ethics, Co-Editorial Fellow

Education

  • MS, Nursing Science, University of Washington, 2024
  • MM, Music Therapy, Colorado State University, 2011
  • BM, Saxophone Performance, University of Washington, 2008

Selected Presentations

  • Western Institute of Nursing, The Impact of Music on the Social Determinants of Health (poster presentation), Salt Lake City, UT (March 2024)
  • Washington Creative Forces Summit, Music as a Bridge – The Role of Music Therapy for Continuum of Care in Military Communities, Tacoma, WA (September 2017)
  • World Federation of Music Therapy, “Singing in the Brain” – Therapeutic Singing Group for Parkinson’s, Tsukuba, Japan (July 2017)

Selected Articles

  • Azekawa, M., & A.B., LaGasse. "Singing Exercises for Speech and Vocal Abilities in Individuals with Hypokinetic Dysarthria: A Feasibility Study." Music Therapy Perspectives Vol. 36(1), 40-49,

Accolades

  • Changemaker Award for Music Therapy Advocacy, American Music Therapy Association, 2020

Professional Memberships/Organizations

  • American Music Therapy Association (AMTA)
  • Licensed Music Therapist, Washington State Department of Health
  • Neurologic Music Therapist, Fellow, The Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy

Biography

Megumi Azekawa brings over a decade of leadership and advocacy in music therapy to her role as the inaugural Director of Music Therapy and Assistant Professor of Music at Pacific Lutheran University. With extensive clinical experience across diverse healthcare settings, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the music therapy landscape in her region through public education, program development, and interprofessional collaboration.

She holds a Master of Music in Music Therapy from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance from the University of Washington. Currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Nursing Science at the University of Washington, Megumi’s research bridges the fields of music, health, and ethics. She explores the complex, bidirectional relationship between grief and sleep, particularly in stroke survivors experiencing living losses due to sudden or chronic health changes. Her work investigates how grief and disrupted sleep may interact and compound one another, and how music-based interventions might support emotional regulation, sleep health, and recovery. She is also deeply committed to advancing ethical frameworks in music and health research.

Megumi is a frequent presenter at local, regional, and national conferences and has a strong interest in the neuroscience of music processing. Her work also bridges clinical research and policy advocacy, advancing equity-driven approaches in both music therapy and healthcare.