Who We Are

Joy Allen

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

Joy Allen, PhD, MT-BC, is an active clinician, researcher, and educator with extensive experience in psychological health, medical music therapy, and trauma-informed education and supervision. She is a sought-after consultant with community and higher education leaders on music therapy and music-and-health program curriculum development. Her work includes creating training programs in music and health that target musicians, healthcare workers, and community members seeking to develop knowledge and skills in research, program development, community engagement, and entrepreneurship within the music-and-health landscape. She has presented her work at several peer-reviewed conferences, including regional, national, and international music therapy and music-and-health-related events. In addition to serving as chair of Music Therapy, Allen is the founding director of the Music and Health Institute at Berklee College of Music. At the institute, she curates programs and trainings, maintains a repository of music-and-health-related research, and has designed a one-of-a-kind Music and Health Innovation Studio. This studio incubates and accelerates the development of music-informed, solution-focused resources for a wide range of healthcare challenges impacting our global communities.

Leeza Negelev

Program Manager

For more than 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(Opens in a new window) 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 BA in education from Evergreen State College.

Renate Tsuyako Rohlfing

Associate Professor

As a pianist and music psychotherapist, Renate Tsuyako Rohlfing (MM, MA, MT-BC) focuses on researching the impact of music on intergenerational systems and neurodiverse populations. A cofounder of Sounds That Carry(Opens in a new window), 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(Opens in a new window). 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.

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.

Cynthia Pimentel Koskela

Clinical Director

Cynthia Pimentel Koskela has extensive clinical experience as a music therapist and entrepreneur in establishing music therapy programs in early intervention, hospital, and school settings. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy from Berklee College of Music and a master's degree in human development and psychology from Harvard Graduate School of Education. As a first-generation Mexican American music therapist, her passion has always been to advocate for the expansion of culturally responsive music therapy services for diverse communities. Her work includes the development of Esperanza Academy’s first music therapy program and cofounding the Latin American Music Therapy Network: a community that aims to support and connect Latinx-identifying music therapists in the US and abroad. She currently holds a position as the inaugural clinical director for the Center for Music Therapy at Berklee College of Music.

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.

Rachel Dizon

Marketing and Administrative Assistant

Rachel Dizon is a clarinetist and music therapy student at Berklee College of Music. She was inspired to pursue music therapy after completing her high school senior project, which measured the effect of over 140 hours of music listening on biometrics. In her role as administrative and marketing assistant, Dizon supports the Music and Health Institute’s marketing and communications efforts, as well as offering critical administrative support. She enjoys finding creative ways to promote music and health and hopes to one day offer music therapy at a hospital NICU.