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 fully 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) has applied for accreditation and has been granted Preaccreditation Status 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. The program must complete an on-site evaluation and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®).

Professional program graduates are eligible to apply for certification by National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®), nbcot.org. Program results from the NBCOT® can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.