Originally from Chicago, Rachel graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2014 with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with Highest Honors. Her Master's thesis under the co-supervision of Drs. Gordon Asmundson and Nicholas Carleton was a randomized controlled trial assessing preventive exercise on measures of anxiety-related vulnerability factors following an analogue stressor. Confirming exercise acts as a robust tool to support mental health, Rachel designed her doctoral dissertation to evaluate the association between exercise activity and mental health symptoms among Canadian paramedics. The multi-methods design will help describe quantify the association between paramedics physical health and mental health and provide qualitative data to address systemic and organizational barriers to exercise. Rachel's commitment to increasing access to care for vulnerable individuals extends beyond her clinical research activities. She founded and leads the University of Regina's Psychology Graduate Students' Association Anti-Racism Speaker Series @URPsychGrads. Rachel is currently completing her pre-doctoral internship at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego, CA.
Email: rachellkrakauer@gmail.com
Zeinab received her Bachelor of Arts with High Honours in Psychology in 2014 at the University of Regina. Her honours thesis was supervised by Dr. R. Nicholas Carleton and assessed anxiety and depressive symptoms within the five factor model and HEXACO model of personality. She received the Canadian Psychological Association Certificate of Academic Excellence for her honours thesis. Zeinab went on to pursue her Master's at Queen's University and received her Master of Science in 2018, funded by the Joseph- Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Her Master's thesis, supervised by Dr. Cynthia Fekken, examined men's attitudes on street and sexual harassment in relation to their personality. Zeinab is now pursuing her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Dr. R. Nicholas Carleton at the University of Regina. Her dissertation will focus on investigating Islamophobia in Canada: 1) focusing on trends of negative attitudes towards Muslims among the Canadian population; 2) the extent Muslim Canadians have experienced Islamophobia and such effect on their mental health; 3) assess the relationship between Islamophobic attitudes, intergroup contact, intergroup disgust, and intergroup anxiety towards Muslims; and 4) assess the effects of imagined contact tasks on Islamophobic attitudes, intergroup disgust, and intergroup anxiety towards Muslims. Her general research interests include personality, anxiety and trauma, discrimination and harassment, and cross-cultural research.
Email: ramadanz@uregina.ca
Dr. Julia Mason is a former lab member who is now practicing as a Registered Doctoral Psychologist in Saskatchewan in both the public and private health sectors. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Asmundson in 2021. Her dissertation research found that the addition of CBT techniques to a resistance training program for anxiety-related disorders may facilitate additional improvements in exercise self-efficacy, reductions in disorder specific anxiety symptoms, and increases in exercise and physical activity behaviour. From 2020-2021, Dr. Mason completed her residency in Clinical Health Psychology at the University of Manitoba in the Max Rady College of Medicine. Dr. Mason also completed a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology in 2017 under the supervisor of Dr. Asmundson. Dr. Mason’s current clinical practice is focused on the assessment and treatment of anxiety-related disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder, perinatal mental health, and health and rehabilitation psychology. Her research interests are broadly focused on the treatment of anxiety and trauma-related disorders, including how modifiable factors such as health behaviours (e.g., exercise) and cognitive risk factors (e.g., anxiety sensitivity) can improve the efficacy and dissemination of evidence-based treatments for ARDs. She has published several articles in peer- reviewed journals and presented her research at international and national conferences.
Dr. Korol completed her Ph.D in Clinical Psychology at the University of Regina in 2021, under the supervision of Dr. R. Nicholas Carleton. Her doctoral dissertation project investigated the link between intolerance of uncertainty and problematic smartphone use, and the effect of a mindfulness-based intervention in reducing these risk factors. Dr. Korol completed her pre-doctoral residency at The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre (ROMHC) from 2020 to 2021. Her primary residency rotation was at the ROMHC Operational Stress Injury Clinic, where she provided assessment and treatment services to veterans and active members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and RCMP. Dr. Korol has received training in evidence-based treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy. Dr. Korol has additional training in Exposure and Response Prevention (EX/RP) for the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). She is also experienced in empirically supported cognitive-behavioural therapies and transdiagnostic treatments for a range of other conditions, including generalized anxiety, panic, social anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Dr. Korol is currently working at the Center for Posttraumatic Stress and Anxiety Treatment (CPSAT, www.cpsat.ca) in Edmonton, Alberta, where she provides assessment and treatment services for PTSD, OCD, and anxiety disorders, to the general population, RCMP and CAF members, and other first responder groups.
Email: stephanie.korol@cpsat.ca
Originally from Québec, Andréanne graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in 2017. Her honours thesis examined the psychophysiological response to daily stress. Andréanne completed her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Nick Carleton. Her master’s thesis examined possible implications of gender in mental health risk among police officers.
Audur (Aida) moved to Regina in 2014 from Iceland to pursue graduate level training in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Asmundson. Prior to moving to Canada, she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 2011 and a Master of Science Degree in Clinical Psychology Research in 2014 at the University of Iceland. After one year in the Master of Arts Program at the University of Regina, she was able to transfer into the doctoral program. She successfully defended her dissertation and completed her residency year training at the Saskatoon Residency Program with rotations in rehabilitation and health psychology, and operational stress injury, in 2019. Aida's research has focused on the traumatic impact of bullying, anxiety, PTSD, treatment evaluation and development, and psychometrics. She is currently a registered psychologist (provisional) in Saskatchewan working with patents suffering from psychiatric and physical health conditions in rehabilitation health services.
Michelle received her Bachelor of Arts with High Honours in Psychology in 2011 from the University of Regina. After working as a research coordinator in the AIBL for two years, she decided to pursue graduate studies herself under the supervision of Dr. Nicholas Carleton. She completed her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology in 2015 and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2019. Her Master’s thesis explored the influence of trauma-like reactions following negative social experiences (e.g., peer victimization, cyberbullying, accidental embarrassing events) on social anxiety symptoms in early adulthood. Her dissertation examined the efficacy of a self-help self-compassion training program for individuals with social anxiety disorder. Michelle also became involved in research designed to understand the development and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder during her graduate training. Michelle received several awards and large scholarships during her graduate studies, including Canadian Institutes of Health Research Master and Doctoral awards. She completed her pre-doctoral residency in 2019 at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, in Ottawa, ON, having received training in the assessment and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, operational stress injuries, and dual diagnoses. She is now working full-time in clinical practice in Saskatchewan with a focus on assessment and treatment of anxiety, mood, and trauma-related disorders.
Isaac received a B.Sc. (honours) in Psychology from Saint Mary’s University, under the supervision of Dr. James E. Cameron. He then completed a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, under Dr. Nick Carleton’s supervision, at the University of Regina. Isaac’s MA thesis research focused on relationships between anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and chronic lower back pain. He was awarded multiple scholarships and research grants during his studies, including a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Canada Graduate Scholarship – Masters. Isaac has published his work in peer-reviewed academic journals, and has presented at several international conferences. He completed his MA internship at the Cole Harbour Community Mental Health clinic within the Nova Scotia Health Authority. Isaac is a Psychologist (Candidate Register) in the province of Nova Scotia, where he currently works in clinical practice.
Dr. Sophie Duranceau currently works as a psychologist in the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre – Adolescent Day Treatment Unit. She also provides psychological services to military members, veterans, and first responders in private practice in Ottawa, ON. She received her PhD in Clinical psychology after completing her residency at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre in 2018. During her residency, Dr. Duranceau primarily trained in the Schizophrenia Program. She also worked in the Geriatric Psychiatry, Youth Psychiatry, and Operational Stress Injury Programs. Under the supervision of Dr. Carleton, she has published 11 peer-reviewed articles in the area of trauma, anxiety disorders, social support and access to mental health care. She co-authored a review of peer-support and crisis-focused psychological intervention programs in Canadian first responders, as well as several conference presentations in the area of military and first responder mental health. Her research was supported by a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.
Daniel LeBouthillier completed his Master’s and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Asmundson. Daniel’s research focused on the relationships between anxiety, trauma, and health behaviours. His doctoral dissertation was a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of aerobic exercise and resistance training in reducing symptoms of anxiety-related disorders, as well as their predisposing and maintaining factors. Daniel’s research was supported by regional and national funding, including a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Doctoral Award. He completed his predoctoral residency at the Nova Scotia Health Authority in Halifax, NS.
Katherine McMillan completed both her Masters Degree in Psychology and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Asmundson through the University of Regina. During completion of her graduate program, Katherine was the recipient of 19 scholarships and awards, including the prestigious Frederick Banting and Charles Best CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship -Masters Award, Frederick Banting and Charles Best CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral Award, and P.E.O. Scholar Award. Through her work with the AIBL, Katherine has published 19 peer-reviewed manuscripts, with seven as first author, co-authored one book chapter, and has presented her research at 10 national and international conferences. Katherine is currently employed as a Clinical Psychologist (provisional) with Mental Health and Addictions Services in Saskatoon, SK.
Email: kmcmillan84@gmail.com
Holly Parkerson was a Doctoral Degree student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Regina. Her research supervisor was Dr. Gordon Asmundson. Holly's research explored connections between anxiety, health behaviours, and physical health outcomes. Her doctoral thesis was a pilot test of a fully automated online stop-smoking program that offered individualized information and a structured quit-plan to support participants as they quit smoking. Her goal was to provide accessible stop-smoking support to Canadians and identify ways to make smoking interventions more effective for at risk populations. Holly has received several large scholarships during her graduate training including Canadian Institutes of Health Research Master's and Doctoral awards.
Email: hparkerson@gmail.com
Samantha Horswill received her B.A. (Hons.) from the University of Alberta in 2011. Samantha's research interests lie primarily in the investigation of resilience (e.g., hopefulness) and risk factors (e.g., anxiety sensitivity) in the formation of posttraumatic stress disorder. Her Master’s research used horror movies to consider how predispositional factors longitudinally influence stress-induced PTSD symptoms. She completed her 4-month Master’s internship at the Regina
Mental Health Clinic. Samantha has completed her Doctoral degree under the supervision of Dr. Nick Carleton. Her doctoral dissertation considered how predispositional variables influence the development of PTSD in highly trauma- exposed populations such as police officers. Samantha’s research was supported by a Saskatchewan-CIHR Regional Partnerships Program Doctoral Award.
Email: samantha.horswill@gmail.com
Christina graduated from the University of Toronto (St. George) with a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Psychology in 2011. She completed her M.A. in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Asmundson at the University of Regina. Christina’s interests pertain to traumatic experiences and how this may manifest within forensic populations (e.g. police officers, first person responders), in addition to the development and efficacy of treatment initiatives for
criminal offenders. Some other research interests examine how expressive writing's efficacy for treating post-traumatic symptoms is impacted by personal characteristics (emotional, cognitive) and different modalities (hand-written vs. typed).
Email: dambrosc@uregina.ca
After completing a B.A. in Communications Studies, Sabine decided to pursue a career in psychology. She received her B.A. in Psychology (First Class Honours) from the University of Calgary in 2014. Her honours thesis examined attentional biases in currently depressed, previously depressed, and never depressed individuals. She completed her M.A. in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Nick Carleton examining the role of intolerance of uncertainty and social anxiety in decision- making, supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship. Sabine is currently completing her doctorate at the University of Calgary where her research examines the role of attentional biases in the co-occurrance of paediatric chronic pain and anxiety.
Email: sabine.soltani@gmail.com
After graduating from the Royal Military College of Canada with a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in 2009, Mathew worked under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Asmundson at the University of Regina. While working under Dr. Asmundson in the AIBL, he completed his Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology in 2011 and Doctoral degree in 2015. During his doctoral training he researched how aerobic exercise effected posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms as his doctoral dissertation. He completed his predoctoral residency at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center in Ottawa Ontario in 2015, and completed rotations in the Operational Stress Injury Clinic, Anxiety Disorders Clinic, and Mood Disorders Clinic. Mathew is now a registered psychologist with competencies in both clinical and rehabilitation psychology in the province of Ontario. Mathew currently works in a multidisciplinary third-party funded health service setting, conducting and presenting outcome research, supervising non-regulated health professionals, and working with patients suffering from wide array of psychiatric and physical health conditions.
Dr. Michel Thibodeau was granted his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Regina under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Asmundson. He completed his residency in the Vancouver Coastal Health program and has sought externships at world-class sites in Canada, the United States, and Australia. He is currently a Registered Psychologist in Ontario, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and works as a psychotherapist in private practice. Dr. Thibodea's research has focused on anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and psychometrics. He received several prestigious awards in recognition of his contributions as a graduate student (e.g., Master’s, Doctoral, and Brain Star Awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Beck Institute Scholarship).
Dr. Daniel Peluso is currently working in private practice at the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Ontario. He received his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Regina after completing his residency at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre in Ottawa, ON in 2013. During his residency, Dr. Peluso completed rotations in the Operational Stress Injury Clinic, working with military veterans and RCMP in addition to working in the anxiety and mood disorders programs. His clinical practice focuses on assessment and treatment of anxiety, mood, emotional, and trauma-related disorders. Under the supervision of Dr. Asmundson, he has published 8 peer-reviewed articles in the area of clinical training, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. He has also co-authored 3 book chapters in the area of somatoform and anxiety disorders. His research in traumatic stress and anxiety was supported by a CIHR Doctoral Research Award.
Kelsey C. Collimore, Ph.D. is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Mood and Anxiety Treatment and Research Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Ontario. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Regina in 2011, following an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences undergraduate degree from McMaster University in 2004. She completed her internship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in 2010-2011, with rotations in anxiety disorders, psychological trauma, and borderline personality disorder. Dr. Collimore's clinical and research interests include anxiety and related disorders, anxiety disorder co-morbidity, cognitive-behavioural treatments of anxiety disorders, and the integration of emotion regulation strategies in the treatment of anxiety. She has published 12 journal articles and five book chapters (regarding the anxiety disorders, health anxiety, and fear of pain), and has given several oral and poster presentations at academic conferences. Dr. Collimore was awarded masters and doctoral research awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). In 2009, she was awarded a CIHR Brain Star Award and a Career Development Travel Award from the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.
Lydia was as a postdoctoral fellow under Dr. Gordon Asmundson's supervision from 2010 to 2013. She received her Bachelor's of Psychology in 2004, and her Master's of Research in Clinical and Health Psychology in 2007, both at the University of Málaga (Spain). Her Master's thesis focused on psychological variables predicting chronic pain patients' adjustments to pain condition and treatment outcome perception. She was awarded a FPU (“Formación de profesorado Universitario”) doctoral fellowship of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Sciences to complete a doctoral research program in the Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment of the University of Málaga. In May of 2010, she received her PhD. Her dissertation research examined differences in pain sensitivity between non-PTSD trauma- exposed individuals, trauma exposed individuals with a probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and non-trauma-exposed individuals. Her research with Dr. Asmundson explored the comorbidity between PTSD and chronic pain, and the mutual maintenance of both disorders, as well as the potential influence of traumatic experiences over the pain system.
After working for several years in the logging and cabinetmaking industries Murray enrolled at the University of Regina to pursue professional training in Clinical Psychology. His Masters research examined tonic immobility (also known as “fear paralysis”) in relation to traumatic event type and symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Murray's research interests include the effects of childhood adversity on adult health and cognitive-behavioural therapies for anxiety and pain disorders. Murray was awarded a CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship to complete his doctoral research which will consist of an investigation of the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and pain-related anxiety. During his Masters training, Murray completed his internship at Wascana Rehabilitation's Functional Rehab Program for which he received the Jillings Award for excellence in Clinical Psychology.
Amanda is a 5th-year psychology student at the Federal University of Sergipe (Brazil). She is an undergraduate visiting research student working at the Anxiety and Illness Behaviour Laboratory at the University of Regina as a research assistant under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Asmundson. Her primary research interests involve studying variables associated with the maintenance of and treatment for fear and anxiety-related disorders among people with chronic medical conditions.
Dalainey is a former Research Coordinator of the AIBL and PsyPan Network who remains an affiliate under the mentorship of Dr. Gordon Asmundson while she pursues graduate training in clinical psychology as a PhD Student at the University of Ottawa. She brings experience conducting health psychology and clinical epidemiological research working with diverse groups across the lifespan. She promotes patient-centred research while contributing to multidisciplinary studies to develop targeted health interventions and improve patient prognosis. Her research focus relates to the impact of comorbid anxiety, trauma and depressive-related disorders on symptom severity and prognosis of chronic health and pain conditions.
Kadie received her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology in 2014 from the University of Regina. Her honours thesis examined whether participants encoded the statistical properties of a set presented over an extended period while attending to task-irrelevant properties of the set. Kadie worked with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region as a research coordinator before coming to fill the same position for the Anxiety and Illness Behaviour Lab in 2016.
Gabrielle received her Bachelor of Arts (High Honours) in Psychology in 2015 from the University of Regina. Her honours thesis assessed the psychometric properties of a self-report measure of resiliency following trauma. Gabrielle's current research interests include adoption, identity, and resilience following traumatic exposure. Gabrielle is starting her first year as the Research Coordinator for the Anxiety and Illness Behaviour Lab.
Marissa received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Regina in 2011. She completed her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology with a focus on Learning and Development from the University of Victoria in 2014. Her thesis examined the relationship between peer victimization and internalizing problem behaviours in early childhood and how the quality of the teacher-child relationship can possibly moderate the influence by either exacerbating or protecting children from developing internalizing behaviours.
Email: marissa.zerff@uregina.ca