The Creation of Dance Programs and Writing A Children's Book With Medical Student Aanchal Shah

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In this episode Aanchal shares what the Arts especially dance, mean to her and how she started many art-based programs for people with Downs Syndrome, Parkinsons', and Post-Partum Depression in addition to writing a children's book for kids with anxiety, all while being a medical student.

Aanchal Shah is a member of the FSU COM Class of 2025. She has been a dancer ever since she was 2 years old and enjoys performing, competing, and choreographing. Aanchal graduated from the University of Florida in 2021 with a B.S. in Psychology as well as a Certificate in Dance in Medicine. She spent all four years of her undergraduate career researching the connection between the arts and medicine through the Center for Arts in Medicine at UF. She founded Down to Dance: a free evidence-based dance program to help improve the fine motor skills, cognitive functioning, and emotional/social well-being of individuals with Down Syndrome. Aanchal now serves as a senior advisor for Down to Dance and has helped it grow from a local organization into a national organization, providing free workshops to 58 different locations across the nation. In medical school, Aanchal worked with faculty, the Chapman Foundation, and 16 like-minded medical students to help create the FSU COM Arts in Medicine Volunteer Program (AIM). During AIM’s inaugural year, Aanchal and the AIM board worked hard to develop partnerships and community programs such as the Dance for Parkinson’s Program, Music for Alzheimer’s Program, and Visual Arts program for pediatric and geriatric populations. As senior advisor, she works closely with each new board to ensure the quality, expansion, and sustainability of AIM. AIM has expanded to several locations across Florida including Orlando, Fort Pierce, Pensacola, Sarasota, and Marianna. Aanchal recently collaborated with the Orlando Ballet to create dance tutorials in support of maternal mental health. The Movin' with Momma series are dance tutorials that moms can do from the comfort of their own homes while holding their babies in baby carriers. These free and accessible dance workshops were published on the FSU COM AIM Dance Database in May 2024 for moms suffering from postpartum depression/anxiety.Aanchal’s passion for arts and medicine became the driving force behind her published children’s book “Dr. Didi’s Guide to Anxiety-An Art Based Approach” available on Amazon. This book helps teach children about evidence-based art methods that can be used to help with symptoms of anxiety. Book: https://a.co/d/8siF9AS

Aanchal ShahM.D. Candidate | Florida State University College of Medicine | Class of 2025FSU Women's Health Day Mental Health DirectorFormer President of Dermatology Interest GroupFounder of Arts in Medicine Volunteer Program https://med.fsu.edu/aim/home