Mei Rui, DMA

Dr. Mei Rui is Director, Music-in-Medicine and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. A Yale-trained molecular biochemist and internationally award-winning concert pianist, Dr. Rui is a pioneer in Music Medicine. She spearheads MD Anderson's Music-in-Medicine Initiative and serves as Artist Collaborator at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Other academic appointments include Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the Sophie Davis Biomedical School at the City University of New York, at Yale University, and Yale School of Music. Dr. Rui was previously Assistant Professor of Music Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and in the Department of Surgery at Houston Methodist. She founded the MUSICARE Initiative, which brought over 400 live bedside concerts performed by Yo-Yo Ma and eminent musicians from the Houston Symphony to ICU patients, their families and providers. Dr. Rui studies the neurophysiological mechanisms and impact of defined music intervention in clinical cohorts. Her research uses evidence-based repertoire-selection methodologies to mitigate intra- and peri-operative stress, alleviate pain, reduce anxiety, diminish sedative and analgesic needs, and improve sleep in cancer patients. Her investigations also harness music—a powerful modulator of the human stress response—to mitigate burnout and enhance empathy in healthcare providers. Dr. Rui’s performances have been praised by the Boston Globe, Boston Musical Intelligencer, and New York Classical Review. In 2015, she was Bronze Medalist of the World Piano Competition. She has performed at prestigious concert venues worldwide, including the Louvre Auditorium in Paris.