The Center for Arts in Medicine was formally established by the Florida Board of Regents at the University of Florida in 1999. The Center grew from the groundbreaking clinical work of the UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine program and serves as the partner programs' academic, research and training component. The Center was proposed and became operational in 1996, following the development of the nation’s first university-level coursework in the arts in healthcare by the Center’s co-directors at UF in 1995. Its founding co-directors were Dr. Rusti Brandman, Dr. John Graham-Pole, and Dr. Jill Sonke.

Situated in the UF College of the Arts, the Center aims to advance research, education, and practice in arts in health, locally and globally by providing education and training in using arts to enhance health, conducting arts in health research, and promoting art and creativity for healthy lifestyles.  The Center fosters interdisciplinary collaboration among UF faculty, students, healthcare providers, clinical artists, and communities. As a national and international model, the Center offers programs and curricula in arts in health research, education, and programming.

Since 1996, the Center's academic offerings expanded to include a Master of Arts (MA) in Arts in Medicine, graduate certificates in Arts in Medicine and Arts in Public Health, and undergraduate certificates in Arts in Medicine, Dance in Medicine, and Music in Medicine. With over 25 courses, the program caters to students aspiring to careers that integrate the arts into clinical and community settings. Ongoing faculty research continues to establish an evidence base for arts' applications in healthcare and public health, while also mentoring students in outreach programs such as service-learning and research collaborations through the Center's Interdisciplinary Research Lab.

Annual Program Highlights, 1996-2020

1996: Center for Arts in Medicine launched in the College of the Arts [as the Center for Arts in Healthcare Research and Education] + Dance in Medicine course

1997: National Advisory Board established

1998: Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theatre residency culminating in Out of This World/The Life After Life Project at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

1999: Florida Board of Regents approval of the Center

2000: Days of Renewal Caring for Caregivers initiative launched

2001: 1st Annual Arts in Medicine Summer Intensive

2002: Hearts & Hope, US Department of Commerce funded research

2003: Caring for Caregivers Cultural Exchange in Japan

2004: Vital Visionaries, NIH funded national research

2005: Introduction to Arts in Medicine course

2006: Undergraduate Certificate in Dance in Medicine

2007: AIM for Africa program with a program development project in Nairobi, Kenya

2008: AIM for Africa projects launch in the Gambia and Rwanda

2009: Undergraduate Certificate in Arts in Medicine + launch of Dance for Life program

2010: Arts in Healthcare for Rural Communities, Kresge Foundation funded initiative

2011: International Arts and Health Forum in Kigali, Rwanda

2012: Graduate Certificate in Arts in Medicine + Center rebrands as Center for Arts in Medicine

2013: Twenty-two arts in medicine courses at UF

2014: Master of Arts (MA) in Arts in Medicine + Graduate Certificate in Arts in Public Health

2015: Arts & Ebola research and publications + first two MA in Arts in Medicine graduates

2016: Undergraduate Certificate in Music in Medicine

2018: Creating Healthy Communities: Arts + Public Health in America initiative in partnership with ArtPlace America

2019: Published Advisory Briefs for State, local, and county agencies and organizations to leverage arts and culture to address urgent health needs

2020: EpiArts Lab is established and begins Phase 1; COVID-19 Arts Response suite of resources created

2021: EpiArts Lab begins publishing articles based on the statistical analysis of large national data sets in the US; Center collaborates with the CDC to develop two field guides supporting the use of arts and culture-based strategies to increase Covide-19 vaccine confidnece: Engaging Arts & Culture for Vaccine Confidnece and Building Partnerships and Creative Campaigns 

2022:  PBS NewsHour segment features the arts in medicine programs at UF; the Center signs on as a research partner for the One Nation/One Project, Arts for EveryBody Campaign

2023: CAM welcomes new director, Ferol Carytsas

2023: Received funding from UF to start an arts in health journal