Susan Mazer
President & CEO

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Susan Mazer graduated from Wayne State University and was awarded a graduate fellowship to Stanford University, where she completed her Master of Arts degree.

Following graduate school, she performed professionally as a jazz harpist in the San Francisco, California, Lake Tahoe, and Reno, Nevada, areas. Her work in healthcare began in 1980, when she developed the workshop, "Music: A Life-Altering Decision," at the request of the Center for Health Awareness in San Jose, California.

That workshop, which is accredited for nurses and physicians, became the foundation for Healing HealthCare Systems. Since 1980, Susan has developed other educational programs that have been presented to over 5,500 nurses and healthcare professionals in the U.S.

She has also developed and presented programs in substance abuse prevention for students (K-12), which have been attended by over 80,000 students and are endorsed by the U.S. Department of Justice as a Promising Program Against Violence (PAVNET).

As president of Healing HealthCare Systems, Susan oversees the sales, marketing, sound system design, and product development for the company. She, together with Dallas Smith, is a facilitator and speaker for their various educational programs.

Published Books & Articles:
"Increase Patient Safety by Creating a Quieter Hospital Environment," Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology, March/April 2006. "Hear, Hear:  Assessing and Resolving Hospital Noise Issues," Health Facilities Manageement, April 2005.

"Stop the Noise:  Reduce Errors by Creating a Quieter Hospital Environment," Patient Safety & Healthcare Quality, March/April 2005.

"Curing the Noise Epidemic in Hospitals," Jackson Organization's e-newsletter, Fall 2004.

"Maintaining Good Communication Under HIPAA," HHN Online, August 24, 2004.
"Live Concerts Break Through Resident Isolation," Nursing Homes Long Term Care Management, September 2003.
"Quiet Please. Healing in Progress," Hospital Development, January 2003.
"Sound Advice; Seven Steps for Abating Hospital Noise Problems," Health Facilities Management, May 2002.
“Tuning Into the Sound Environment,” DESIGN, an annual publication of Nursing Homes Long Term Care Management, March 2002.
"What’s at Stake in the Sound Environment,” Healthcare Design, November 2001.
Sound Choices: Using Music to Design the Environments in Which You Live, Work, and Heal (Hay House, 1999)
“Beyond Silence: Music as Environmental Design,” Innovations in Healthcare Design (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1995)
“Beyond Silence: Music as Environmental Design,” Journal of Healthcare Design, Volume V (The Center for Health Design, 1993)
"The Role of Music Within a Healing Environment," The Innovator, Spring 1993.
"...Sing a Song for the Sick and Tense..." The Healing Journal, 1992, Vol. 3, No.1.

Speaking:
Susan recently spoke at the Environments for Aging conference in Tucson, Arizona. Here is an excerpt of her presentation.
Association for the Care of Children's Health conference
Association of Healing Health Care Projects conference
American Acoustic Society (ASA) and Institute for Noise Control Engineers (INCE) annual symposium
Cancer as a Turning Point conference
Clinical Laboratory Management Association conference
HEALTHCARE DESIGN conference
Healthcare Forum national conference
Louisiana PeriOperative Nurses Association (LAPAN) conference
National Association of Neonatal Nurses conference
Nursing 2002
Planetree national conference
Michigan Organization of Nursing Executives regional meeting
Press Ganey client conference
Symposium on Healthcare Design

Awards:
President's Award, Sierra Arts Foundation, 2005

Leland R. Kaiser Founder's Award in Healing Healthcare, 1997

Music:
National Public Radio
NOVA
Public Broadcasting System
The Discovery Channel