Who We Are

Joy Allen

Acting Director, Berklee Music and Health Institute; Chair, Music Therapy Department

Joy Allen, Ph.D., MT-BC, is an accomplished clinician, researcher, and educator with extensive experience in psychological health, pain management, and trauma-informed education and supervision. She has presented her work at several peer-reviewed conferences, including regional, national, and international music therapy and music- and health-related conferences. She is the editor of Guidelines for Music Therapy: Adult Medical Care and author of chapters on adult oncology, pain management, and medical music therapy.

Allen routinely collaborates with educational, health care, and community leaders on the design and implementation of music and health-centered programs that incorporate music experiences to impact overall quality of life. This includes identifying health-related outcomes being addressed within these programs, as well as identifying the resources to ensure sustainability outside of structured individual and group experiences, whether this would be done through the process of trained community musicians, music therapists, and advocates or through technological advances.

Allen is the founding and acting director of the Berklee Music and Health Institute.

Leeza Negelev

Program Manager

For over 15 years, Leeza Negelev has developed and led innovative programming for internationally recognized institutes, fellowships, nonprofits, and universities. She has taught art and theater-based classes for students of all ages in diverse settings such as family shelters, skilled nursing facilities, schools, and universities. Negelev has been a frequent presenter at international conferences and has served as a consultant for education-based nonprofits on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in education. Beyond her roles as a program manager and educator, Negelev is a visual artist whose work has been exhibited in the United States and internationally. Her studio research explores how aesthetic experiences can foster relational and empathetic attention. She holds an MFA in studio art from the Welch School of Art and Design at Georgia State University and a B.A. in education from Evergreen State College.

Brenda Ross

Community and Partner Engagement Director

Brenda S. Ross is community and partner engagement director for the Music Therapy Department at Berklee College of Music. In her current role, Ross works in support of the three key areas of business within the Music Therapy Department: undergraduate education, the Center for Music Therapy, and the Music and Health Institute. Ross connects with key community stakeholders who share the vision of music as a resource for impacting health and wellness outcomes. She brings to her role, training and work as a music therapist, as well as an advanced degree and career as a strategist.

Todd Gardner

Associate Professor

Todd Gardner has spent over 20 years as a musician, consultant, litigator, mediator, facilitator, lecturer, and problem-solver in contexts as varied as contracts, environmental and health law, entertainment law, after-school arts programs for at-risk youth, civil and criminal litigation, interagency negotiations, workplace and land-use conflicts, and business development. He has worked as an official non-governmental organization observer at the United Nations Framework Climate Change Convention in Copenhagen, Denmark. In addition, Gardner is the drummer for the JD Moffat Quartet.

Renate Tsuyako Rohlfing

Associate Professor

As a pianist and music psychotherapist, Renate Tsuyako Rohlfing (M.M; M.A.; MT-BC) is focused on researching the impact of music on intergenerational systems and neurodiverse populations. A cofounder of Sounds That Carry, she develops projects that empower communities to use musical and creative resources to solve challenges, process grief, and enhance connections. Her reflections on the therapeutic benefits of musical expression are available on her Psychology Today blog—Music on My Mind.

Rohlfing is an associate professor at Berklee College of Music, where she teaches classes on music psychology and the role of the arts in public health. She is a proud native of Hawaii, and a graduate of the Juilliard School and New York University.

Maddy Wu

Research Assistant

Maddy Wu is a classically trained pianist and a music therapy student at Berklee College of Music. She aspires to work in hospice and memory care settings in a family-based practice model as a music therapist. Her motivation comes from witnessing the great power that music can have on health and wellness and a desire to share that power with her clients. She began working for the institute as a research assistant in August 2023. In this role, she assists with research studies, manages social media accounts, and supports students to create innovative solutions to health challenges. She is eagerly anticipating the start of her clinical music therapy internship in hospice care in the Greater Philadelphia area.