Ulla Holck

Ulla Holck is an Associate Professor in Music Therapy at Aalborg University's Department of Communication and Psychology within The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. She serves as a shared research group leader and head of research communication at the Center for Documentation and Research in Music Therapy (CEDOMUS). With a distinguished career spanning over two decades, Professor Holck has established herself as a leading researcher in music therapy applications, particularly for individuals with autism and dementia.

Her research interests focus on interactions and relationship formation, primarily in music therapy for people with autism, but also within dementia care and family interactions. Professor Holck employs inductive video analysis as her primary research method, aiming to make tacit knowledge explicit through detailed observation of therapeutic interactions. Her work contributes significantly to several UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to health and well-being.

Her recent publications reveal a strong trend toward evaluating the economic value of music therapy alongside traditional clinical outcomes. Many of her 2023-2025 publications focus on autism interventions in educational settings, dementia care improvements, and the methodological refinement of video analysis techniques in therapeutic contexts. Professor Holck has increasingly incorporated health economics perspectives into her research, as evidenced by her work on social return on investment analysis for music therapy interventions.

• Årets underviser: Studienævnet for Musikterapi (2016)
• Årets underviser: Det Humanistiske Fakultet (2006)

Professor Holck actively supervises students at all levels, from Bachelor's and Master's PBL projects to PhD theses in music therapy. She has served on numerous PhD assessment committees both at Aalborg University and internationally since 2010. Her current research projects demonstrate substantial grant funding, including collaborations with the Velux Foundation and Beckett Fonden for dementia care initiatives. She leads the CEDOMUS research center and is involved in multiple active projects running through 2026-2029, focusing on GDPR compliance in music therapy education, personalized musical interactions for dementia patients, and economic evaluations of music therapy interventions.

Professor Holck maintains an active presence in the academic community through her role as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Music Therapy (2020-2026), organization of research seminars, and frequent conference presentations. Her collaborative network extends across multiple institutions, with significant partnerships evident in her project listings.