Jacelyn Biondo, PhD, MPH, MA, BC-DMT, LPC
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
Education
MPH, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA - 2023
PhD, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA - 2019
MA, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA - 2010
BFA, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA - 2004
Fellowships
Jefferson Institute of Smart and Healthy Cities Fellowship, Philadelphia, PA - 2024
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Philadelphia, PA - 2024
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Drexel University, Department of Creative Arts Therapy, Philadelphia, PA - 2022
Publications
Biondo, J., & Johnson, N. (Under Review). The process and significance of convening a community advisory board with individuals with severe mental illness. Journal of Participatory Research Methods.
Biondo, J., & Gerber, N. (Under Review). “No tears or brain words”: A case report on single session dance/movement therapy for individuals with schizophrenia. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies.
Gerber, N., Biffi, E., Biondo, J., Carriera, L., Hannes, K., Gemignani, M., & Siegesmund, R. (2024). Sustaining life on Earth: An arts-based research exploration of collective lived experiences of COVID-19. Methods in Psychology, 100162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metip.2024.100162
- Sustaining life on earth: An arts-based research exploration of collective lived experiences of COVID-19
- Music Therapy for Pain Management for People With Advanced Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Dance/movement therapy as a holistic approach to diminish health discrepancies and promote wellness for people with schizophrenia: a review of the literature
- Marian Chace Foundation Film Screening and Panel Discussion: Dance Therapy: The Power of Movement
- A Trauma-Informed Approach to Dance/Movement Therapy for Persons Living with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
Certifications
- Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist
- Licensed Professional Counselor
Awards
- Abundance Award, American Dance Therapy Association, 2022
- Research Award, American Dance Therapy Association, 2021
- Award for Clinical Excellence, Drexel University, 2010
Research & Clinical Interests
Dr. Jacelyn Biondo (she/her) is a researcher, educator, and scholar who prioritizes a collaborative rehumanization process of individuals who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. She completed two Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and has taught master’s and doctoral level students nationally and internationally. Dr. Biondo has worked clinically as a dance therapist and psychotherapist for over a decade primarily in an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Informed by this clinical practice, her research focuses on developing and facilitating equitable, embodied practices to inform holistic treatment options for people who are often societally dehumanized. Her research interests include the concepts of embodiment, community, intimacy, and belonging particularly as they relate to communities that have been historically excluded, specifically, people experiencing schizophrenia.
Dr. Biondo’s research is community-driven and inclusive of the knowledge and wisdom of individuals with schizophrenia from conception to dissemination. The precise details of the research, including the particularities of the research question, are informed by people with lived experience and focus on the creation of spaces of belonging and actions of seeing as research advocacy. Dr. Biondo conducts research rooted in improving health equity for people with schizophrenia through the implementation of embodied, trauma- and community-informed research with the goal of fostering rehumanization of individuals living with schizophrenia.