Medicine@Brown
Date October 16, 2025
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String Theory

By Jonathan Garris

This is a medical student’s brain on music.

Diana Wang MD’27 has been fascinated by music ever since she heard someone playing a violin at a local festival when she was 5 years old. She attended orchestra performances, music camps, and ultimately took up the violin herself. “I think I was always interested in human behavior, too,” she adds. “I saw a lot of health benefits while playing, especially in neurological places.” 

In high school, one of her peers had early-onset Parkinson’s, but Wang noticed that their tremors disappeared when they played. As Wang studied neuroscience as a high school and then a Harvard premed student, she continued to perform regularly, with groups like the Brattle Street Chambers, the HarvardRadcliffe Orchestra, and the Harvard College Opera. Her research has reflected her blend of interests: For her undergrad thesis, she studied music’s effects on the brain in Alzheimer’s patients; earlier this year, she and two other Warren Alpert medical students presented their research, on music’s effects on cancer patients, at the Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care. 

Wang still performs, with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, the Providence Medical Orchestra, and other regional symphonies, when her busy third-year schedule allows. “When I invest my time into playing, it works different parts of my brain,” Wang says. “I’m not thinking about lectures or work. When I play, I do it for my own meditative purposes, but every little bit I do is helping me develop into a better physician, too.”

Behind the Scenes: Diana Wang

At a photoshoot for the Fall 2025 issue of Medicine@Brown, Diana Wang MD'27 took a moment to reflect on what music means to her.

Don't Fret:
Wang started learning guitar last year. “It may sound like a silly thing to take up during medical school, but the guitar is such a beautiful instrument— and much more accessible,” she says.

Appalachia Love:
As she’s gotten older and her frame of reference has expanded, Wang’s tastes in music have evolved. “I’ve really grown to love bluegrass music,”  she says.

Parental Pillars:
Wang’s parents always encouraged her hobbies: “They would tell me if I wanted to do something to try it for a few months at least and not quit.”

Healing Broken Hearts:
 With HopeHealth, Wang studied the impact of music on people processing grief after losing a loved one. “That was something I spent a lot of time on, and that was really powerful,” she says.

Kitchen Art: 
Wang, who loves to cook, led an elective to teach cooking and nutrition to medical students. “How are you supposed to educate your patients if you can’t do it yourself?” she says.