About Us

Dr. Jennifer A. Bugos

Jennifer A. Bugos is an Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of South Florida. She received her B.M (Music Education) at the University of Florida, M.M. (Music Education) from the University of Central Florida, and Ph.D. (Music Education and minor Gerontology) from the University of Florida. Bugos completed post-doctoral work at the UF Clinical-Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory under the direction of Dr. William Perlstein. In 2020, Dr. Bugos held an appointment during her sabbatical as a Visiting Scientist and worked with Claude Alain at the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto, Ontario.Dr. Bugos’ research interests include the neurological basis for music perception and cognition with regard to human development, lifelong learning, and cognitive transfer. Her interests have led to the development of new music education programs for healthy and clinical populations of children (Multimodal Music Training), and for adults (Keys to Staying Sharp; Piano for Parkinson’s). Her students have won research competitions as well as the USF Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation award. In 2018, she was recipient of the USF Outstanding Research Achievement award. In 2019, she received a USF Women of Leadership and Philanthropy award. Her research has been supported by many foundations as well as the National Endowment for the Arts, National Institutes of Health, and the GRAMMY Foundation.

Dr. Kyaien Conner

Dr. Kyaien Conner is an Associate Professor of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida. She is a licensed clinical social worker, public health practitioner and professional dancer. Dr. Conner’s research investigates the factors that influence disparities in health service utilization and treatment outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities. And examines culturally meaningful approaches to improving behavioral health and reducing stigma. Dr. Conner also investigates the impact of arts based interventions on health outcomes with a goal of health equity and reducing disparities. Dr. Conner is a social justice advocate, having written legislation which has become law in Florida to restructure the Florida Office of Minority Health and Health Equity. She is the Chair of the Faculty Senate Council on Racial Justice, serves on the DEI council, and serves as the Special Assistant to the Dean on Diversity and Inclusion for the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences. Dr. Conner has received over 3 million dollars in funding for her research on behavioral health disparities. Dr. Conner has 50 publications that speak to the impact of her work, and she has presented at over 45 scientific conferences in the United States and Internationally.

Dr. Darlene DeMarie

Darlene DeMarie (Ph.D., Developmental Psychology) is a Professor of Educational Psychology and the Fulbright Faculty Advisor at the University of South Florida. She has earned Fulbright Scholar Awards to South Africa (2007-2009) and Hungary (2019-2020), and her leadership has made USF a Top 10 Producer of faculty Fulbright Awards of all research universities for the past 8 years. USF awarded her the 2017 Global Achievement Award for System Leadership. Her goal for her scholarly work is to provide a bridge between psychology research and educational practice, and her primary focus has been on cognitive development of children between ages 3- to 8-years. Her published work reports the results of experimental research on children’s memory development, executive functions, strategy use, metamemory, and the impact of music on children’s cognitive development. She also has published research that uses photo-assessment to get an inside-look at schools through children’s eyes. Through this research, she learned that higher achieving schools offered children more play experiences, and they offered learning experiences that were more meaningful to children. In recent years, Darlene has become an active play advocate, and she has published work explaining the importance of play for children’s cognitive development and academic achievement. Darlene has served on the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education and Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. She co-authored APA’s publication, “The Top 20 Principles of Psychology for pre-K to 12 Education,” which has been translated into 16 different languages to date

Dr. Catherine Michelson

Catherine Michelsen received a Bachelor of Music from Florida State University, a Master of Music in Violin Performance from The Boston Conservatory, a Master of Music in Chamber Music from the University of South Florida, and a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Arizona. Michelsen is an active educator, clinician, and performer in the Tampa area, teaching as part of the Patel Conservatory faculty since 2005 and as the String Specialist and Suzuki Coordinator at the conservatory since 2012. Since 2019, Michelsen has served on the USF music faculty where she teaches String Techniques and is the advisor for the student chapter of the American String Teachers’ Association.  Previously, she was on the faculty at Hillsborough Community College from 2012-2020. She frequently leads sectionals and adjudicates for events including those hosted by the Florida Orchestra Association and Music Teachers National Association. Michelsen has written and presented sessions on pedagogy, practice, and audition preparation and has played with orchestras in Arizona, Florida, and Massachusetts.