Ylenia D’elia MA(She/Her)

I am Ylenia D’elia, from Italy. I am currently a PhD student at the Center for the Neuroscience of Embodied Cognition at the Brain and Creativity Institute, under the guidance of Dr. Lisa Aziz-Zadeh. My passion for understanding the intricate mechanisms of the brain — how it shapes our thoughts, emotions, personality, and behavior — has been a driving force throughout my academic journey. This curiosity led me to pursue a master’s degree in neuroscience.

My main area of research is social emotions and social interactions. I previously worked as a research assistant at the Technical University and at the Centre for Neurodegenerative Disorders (DZNE) in Dresden, Germany, for about two years. And then I spent over a year at the University of Valencia, in Spain. My previous projects have focused on enhancing prosocial behavior, and developing non-pharmacological interventions to impact lifestyle factors and emotions such as empathy and compassion to improve the quality of life and well-being in individuals. My research also extends to the benefits of different meditative practices, including the development of a pictographic scale to measure its phenomenological dimensions. I am deeply passionate about research and am committed to making a meaningful impact on individuals’ lives through my work in this field.

Education

Selected Publications

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ACOTE accreditation | NBCOT certification

The USC entry-level master’s degree program (cost of attendance) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The USC entry-level doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) degree program (cost of attendance) is accredited by ACOTE®. View our program’s ACOTE® standards public data. ACOTE® c/o the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.®, 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 652-AOTA, www.acoteonline.org.

Professional program graduates are eligible to apply for the national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®), nbcot.org. All states require licensure to practice; a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT® OTR certification examination or attain state licensure. Program results from the NBCOT® can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.