Readout: Second Lady Karen Pence Kicks Off Two-Day Creative Forces Research Summit

Today, Second Lady Karen Pence hosted a breakfast at the Vice President's Residence for the attendees of the Creative Forces Clinical Research Summit taking place in Washington, D.C. At the start of the event, Mrs. Pence delivered welcome remarks to the group of leaders in the field of creative arts therapies, the military, government and academia.

"Military service members and Veterans deserve opportunities to heal from injuries sustained while fighting to protect our freedoms," said Mrs. Pence. "I applaud the Creative Forces NEA Healing Arts Network for what they are doing to help us better understand the biological, psychological, behavioral, and economic impacts of creative arts therapies in integrative care settings for patients with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress."

"We are deeply honored that Second Lady Karen Pence is hosting the kickoff event for the NEA's Creative Forces Clinical Research Summit," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "Her generosity today and her leadership in art therapy make a real difference to those of us committed to advancing art therapy for the benefit of military personnel and their families."

The Second Lady chose one initiative to champion, and it is art therapy. As part of her initiative, she will advocate for the conducting of more research showing the scientific and medical benefits of art therapy treatment. To stay updated on Mrs. Pence's events, follow her on Twitter at, @SecondLady.

Photos from the event is attached. Photo credit: Official White House Photo by Stephanie Chasez

About the Creative Forces Clinical Research Summit

The Research Summit attendees will hear from world-renowned experts and participate in panels that review the clinical approaches to creative arts therapies within Creative Forces. The summit will culminate with ideas for a network-wide, five-year research agenda, which will look at new ways of measuring the impact of creative arts therapies in integrative, team-centered care settings. The Creative Forces Clinical Research Summit will be held September 18-19 at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, D.C.