Biography

Heather Spooner is an artist, art therapist and arts in health advocate. Heather has applied the arts to health with people of all ages and in a variety of settings including healthcare facilities, museums, community outreach, Veterans health and residential substance abuse. Prior to joining the Center for Arts in Medicine, Heather taught art therapy at the undergraduate level and spearheaded the formation of Florida's own arts in health network,  Arts for Health Florida. Heather joined the University of Florida in July 2014 as an Assistant Scholar and instructor in the Center’s graduate programs.  Heather works in a dual capacity with the Center for Arts in Medicine and the Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center. With the VA, Heather works as an art therapist in the Rural Veterans’ Telerehabilitation Program, providing telehealth-based art therapy services to Veterans. This project, started in 2014, has since partnered on two national expansion projects; integrating telehealth within Creative Forces: The NEA Military Healing Arts Network and within the VA's own Enterprise Wide Initiative through the VA Office of Rural Health.