Trainee Members

Meet the Trainee Members of our Cluster

  • Khadijat Adeleye

    PhD Candidate

    School of Nursing

    Khadijat is a Ph.D. Candidate at Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. She is committed to helping hospitals and health systems build a culture of excellence that delivers exceptional patient-centered care. Khadijat obtained her Master’s in Nursing from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Her research has focused on understanding the experiences of families experiencing stillbirth to improve health provider-patient communication, after-death care practices for stillbirth families, and social support for families whose babies have died.

  • Zara

    Zara Afshar

    Undergraduate Student

    University of British Columbia

    Hello! My name is Zahra Shahriyari Afshar. I am a UBC Vancouver Undergraduate student specializing in Clinical, Forensic, and Health Psychology with a minor in Biology. I recently have embarked on my journey towards medical school in hopes of becoming an Orthopedic surgeon in the future. I am deeply passionate about the global health and humanities crisis and have founded and supported my very own Red Cross Club at my high school.

  • harini

    Harini Aiyer

    PhD Candidate

    University of Saskatchewan

    I am a student of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. My training in global health, community health, and anti-oppressive methodologies allow me to engage respectfully with communities to build respectful, authentic partnerships with an emphasis on equitable outcomes. I draw on my experiences as an immigrant in Canada, while being mindful of my relative privileges and power dynamics in the spaces I navigate– both within and outside academia.

  • Iqra

    Iqra Akram

    PhD Student

    Simon Fraser University

    Iqra Akram is a PhD Scholar in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Her academic training includes a BSc (Honors) in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from Arid Agriculture University, Pakistan and an MSc in Public Health from the University of Debrecen, Hungary. Iqra’s research interests span a wide spectrum, reflecting her diverse expertise. Her areas of focus encompass nutritional epidemiology, food and social eating, social determinants of health, and mixed methods research.

  • Md Saiful Alam

    Md Saiful Alam

    PhD Student

    School of Population and Public Health

    University of British Columbia

    Saiful is starting his PhD at the School of Population and Public Health at UBC. He is part of the FOCAL research team that is fighting against cervical cancer worldwide. His overall research goal is to improve women's health by contributing to the elimination of cervical cancer through the lens of prevention. He completed his Master of Science (MSc) degree from the University of Saskatchewan (USASK).

  • melina

    Melina Albanese

    PhD Candidate

    University of Toronto

    Melina is an Epidemiology Ph.D. candidate and research assistant at the University of Toronto. She is also a reviewer for the Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research. Melina previously studied at the University of British Columbia, where she completed her B.Sc. in Biology (2018) and M.Sc. in Population and Public Health (2021). Melina has worked as a research assistant at the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research and the Human Early Learning Partnership, based at UBC.

  • ravia

    Ravia Arora

    Master's student

    University of Waterloo

    Ravia is a second-year Master of Public Health student at the University of Waterloo. She has professional and research experience in health equity, digital health interventions, mental health, user-experience and design. She is also a Project Coordinator in research and development, on the futures innovation team at lululemon.

  • sophie

    Sophie Arseneault

    Undergraduate Student

    McGill University

    Sophie Arseneault is a long-standing advocate for health equity. Serving as a Board Director for Fòs Feminista's International Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice, she supports youth-led approaches to regressive policies impeding on the health and well-being of vulnerable communities.

  • Faria Athar

    PhD Candidate

    University of Victoria

    Research keywords: menopause, metabolic health, reproductive longevity, PCOS

  • foruzan_bahrami

    Foruzan Bahrami

    Master's student

    Université Laval

    Has earned a B.Sc in Midwifery and a master's degree in epidemiology with an endometriosis focus

  • Jacquie Baker

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    University of Calgary

    My current research focuses on women’s heart and brain health in cardiovascular autonomic disorders. I primarily conduct research in patients with 1) Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome; a chronic disabling disorder characterized by hemodynamic instability that primarily affects young females (90-95%), and 2) neurogenic orthostatic hypotension; a debilitating condition that affects older adults and people with neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s disease), neuropathies (e.g., diabetes), and neural injuries (e.g., spinal cord injury).@jacquie__baker

  • myfanwybakker

    Myfanwy Bakker

    PhD Student

    Department of Psychology

    University of British Columbia

    I am a second year PhD student in clinical psychology at UBC Okanagan, supervised by Dr. Susan Holtzman. Broadly, my research interests include: the role of self-compassion and mindfulness in mental health, emotion regulation, depression, and the impact of trauma and stress on formal and informal caregivers' mental health. In my previous roles as a registered nurse, I have worked extensively in the areas of mental and sexual health. I am passionate about reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues and advocating for increased access to mental health services in Canada.

  • ashley

    Ashley Balsom

    PhD Student

    University of Regina

    Ashley A. Balsom is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Regina. She is also currently a SSHRC doctoral fellow. Ms. Balsom is currently working under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Gordon in the Women’s Mental Health Research Unit. She is interested in exploring evidence-based interventions adapted for women experiencing infertility, exploring women’s coping and resiliency when experiencing transitions in their lives, and exploring the influence of infertility on sexual function.

  • chinmayi_balusu

    Chinmayi Balusu

    Master's student

    Columbia University

    Chinmayi is a student pursuing neuroepidemiology and medical humanities at Columbia University in New York City. She is a researcher at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Stanford Medicine with interests in cognitive neuroscience, brain injury, and stroke.

  • Kristianni

    Kristianni Bance

    PhD Student

    De La Salle University

    Kristianni is a PhD clinical psychology student at De La Salle University, Philippines. Her research interests are exploring the Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) experience among young adult Filipino women, resiliency, emotion regulation, and mental health of menstruating young adults with existing clinical disorders and exploring evidenced-based mindfulness for menstruating young adults. Outside of work, she is a photography enthusiast, loves traveling, and prefers coffee over wine. 

  • Lexia Bao

    Undergraduate Student

    Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences

    University of British Columbia

    Lexia Bao is a fourth year undergraduate student at UBC. She’s currently a member of the Viau Lab researching stress-induced sex differences and will begin her co-op term at the lab in September.  

  • eunice

    Eunice Bawafaa RN, MSTTI, MScN

    PhD Candidate

    School of Nursing

    University of British Columbia

    Eunice is a Founding Member of the Coalition of African, Caribbean, and Black Nurses in British Columbia. As a health care professional (RN) who has worked in a materially under-resourced country in the Global south for several years, Eunice brings a passion for women’s health research. Specifically, she has worked as a counsellor for pregnant women living with HIV/AIDS and their partners which has piqued her interest in issues of nurse/patient empowerment in relation to achieving quality nursing care.

  • jamie

    Dr. Jamie Benham MD, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    University of Calgary

    Dr. Benham is an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary in the Departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences. Her research focuses on the interplay between endocrine disease, physical activity and cardiometabolic health. 

  • Victoria

    Victoria Bernaud

    PhD Student

    Department of Psychology

    Arizona State University

    She is currently a 5th-year graduate student working towards her PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience in the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University under the mentorship of Dr. Heather Bimonte-Nelson. She is interested in the role of ovarian hormone changes across the lifespan in influencing the trajectory of healthy cognitive aging in females. Her current research uses rodent models to evaluate the cognitive and neurobiological outcomes associated with variations in the menopause experience, including surgical alterations of the reproductive tract.

  • ayan

    Ayan Biswas

    Undergraduate Student

    Jadavpur University

    Ayan Biswas is an undergraduate student with a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering at Jadavpur University. Find Ayan on Twitter and LinkedIn.  

  • puja

    Puja Biswas

    PhD Candidate

    University of British Columbia

    Puja Biswas's research interests focus on understanding sex-difference in energy metabolism regulated by insulin-signaling pathway. Using Drosophila (fruit fly), Puja Biswas is doing her PhD study at Rideout Lab to better understand how males and females maintain their stored fat. Puja Biswas completed her BSc and MSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. She completed her 2nd MSc from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, exploring fat synthesis pathways using mouse cell lines.

  • Naseeb

    Naseeb Bolduc

    Master's student

    School of Population and Public Health

    University of British Columbia

    Naseeb is an MSc student at the UBC School of Population and Public Health. She previously completed an honours degree in philosophy at UBC, and is interested in questions related to values, justice, and health found at the intersection of public health and philosophy. Her thesis examines different perceptions of healthcare equity in the context of cancer care funding in British Columbia. She is currently assisting with the SSHRC Insight project “Distinct Concepts of Diversity and their Ethical-Epistemic Implications for Science”, lead by Dr. Daniel Steel at the W.

  • jessica

    Jessica Booth

    Undergraduate Student

    Behavioural Neuroscience

    University of British Columbia

    Jessica Booth is an Undergraduate Science student at the University of British Columbia studying Behavioural Neuroscience. She plans on testing and developing medication and medical procedures oriented to the betterment of women's health. Currently, she is investigating impulsivity in bipolar, stimulant users and gamblers to develop procedures for biological treatments. She hopes to continue her investigation in medicine and mental health to improve the standard of treatment for minority groups.

  • profile picture of Alana Brown

    Alana Brown

    PhD Candidate

    University of Toronto

    Alana Brown is a PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Gillian Einstein. Alana strives to use her training in statistics, functional and structural neuroimaging, and neuroendocrinology to understand the effects of ovarian hormones on cognition, sleep microstructure, and brain health. She studies these factors in women with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (surgical removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes) prior to spontaneous/natural menopause.

  • anna

    Dr. Anna Brugulat-Serrat

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    BarcelonaBeta Brain Research Center

    Anna Brugulat-Serrat is a Ph.D in Biomedicine (mention of Cum Laude) and a Clinical Neuropsychologist. In 2019 she was selected as an Atlantic Fellow for Equity Brain of Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) based in the Memory and Aging Center (University of California, San Francisco). Currently, Brugulat-Serrat is a post-doctoral researcher in the Neuroimaging Research Group in the Alzheimer´s Clinical Research Program at the Barcelonabeta Brain Research Center.

  • pia

    Maria Pia Campagna

    PhD Candidate

    Monash University

    Pia Campagna is a final year PhD Candidate in the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Neuroimmunology Genomics and Prognostics group at the Central Clinical School, Monash University. Her doctoral work aims to improve personalised disease management and long-term outcomes for people with MS using genomics. This involves identifying pharmacogenetic biomarkers, epigenetic prognostic biomarkers, and potential therapeutic targets that stop disease progression by characterising pregnancy-related epigenetic changes in women with MS.

  • allison

    Allison Campbell

    PhD Candidate

    Simon Fraser University

    Allison is currently completing her Ph.D. working under the co-supervision of Dr. Anita Cote (TWU) and Dr. Victoria Claydon (SFU). Allison completed a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Maryland and Master of Science in Kinesiology majoring in Exercise Physiology at Indiana University.

  • Michelle

    Michelle Carter

    Clinical Nurse Specialist, PhD Student

    University of British Columbia

    Michelle Carter is a PhD student at the UBC School of Nursing and a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Psychiatry at St. Paul’s Hospital. She aims to strengthen perinatal mental health (PMH) services to support the complex and evolving needs of birthing people and their families. Her focus is on the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based nursing care practices.

  • danica

    Danica Chang

    Medical Student

    University of Alberta

    Danica Chang is a Medical Student at the University of Alberta, conducting clinical research under the supervision of Dr. Sofia Ahmed and Dr. Sandi Dumanski at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on contraception, sexual function, and reproductive health in young women with chronic kidney disease and aims to help improve clinical treatment in this high-risk population. Danica graduated in 2022 from the University of Calgary with a MSc in Medical Science and remains motivated to pursue her goals of becoming a leader in women’s kidney and reproductive health.

  • Shanzeh Ahmad Chaudhry

    PharmD Student

    University of British Columbia

    Shanzeh is a UBC Pharmacy student who is passionate about justice, advocacy and women's health research!IG: @sc_7801X: @therealshanzehc

  • kayonne

    Kayonne Christy

    Master's student

    Department of Sociology

    University of British Columbia

    Kayonne is currently a first year sociology masters student at UBC, working under the supervision of Dr. Gerry Veenstra. She completed her undergraduate training at McMaster University, where she received her B.Sc. in the Life Sciences and B.A in the Health Studies. Her research interests exist in the nexus between race, gender, class and health. She is largely interested in the social/structural determinants of health, and the interplay between social and health inequities.

  • patricia

    Patricia Clement

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Ghent University

    Dr. Patricia Clement is a postdoctoral researcher at the Ghent University Hospital in Belgium. Her work focusses on the variability of perfusion of the healthy brain, including age and gender related differences. Currently, she is investigating the physiological fluctuations of perfusion in the female brain, throughout the natural menstrual cycle and when using hormonal anticonception.

  • Pontiana

    Pontiana Ritika Clement Ravi

    Undergraduate Student

    Rajalakshmi Engineering College

    Anna University

    I am a passionate Biotech student who has developed a deep fascination for immunology, infectious diseases, and pathobiology. Throughout my academic journey, I have discovered the complexity and the incredible potential of immunology to transform healthcare. This fascinationhas propelled me towards a career in biotechnology. 

  • kalysha

    Kalysha Closson

    PhD Student

    School of Population and Public Health

    University of British Columbia

    Exploring gender, relationship power equity and youth-engagement among young men and women growing up within HIV hyper-endemic settings in South Africa

  • Quincy Collins

    Master's student

    Medicine

    University of British Columbia

    I am a Master's student in the CELL program studying how maternal stress alters the activity of microglia during embryogenesis, leading to neurodevelopmental disorders.Publications:Collins, Q. P., Grunsted, M. J., Arcila, D., Xiong, Y., & Padash Barmchi, M. (2023). Transcriptomic analysis provides insight into the mechanism of IKKβ-mediated suppression of HPV18E6-induced cellular abnormalities. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 13(4), j

  • Kathryn

    Dr. Kathryn Corbett MD

    Resident Physician

    Medicine

    University of Calgary

    Kathryn Corbett is a first-year resident physician at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. She is conducting research in women’s health among nephrology patients under the supervision of Dr. Sandra Dumanski. Specifically, her research is focused on better understanding sexual dysfunction in women with chronic kidney disease to inform the clinical discussion and management of these symptoms. Before coming to Calgary, she completed her medical school training at the University of Toronto and earned an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University.

  • livia

    Livia Cosentino

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Istituto Superiore di Sanità

    My long-term research goal involve the development of a comprehensive understanding of key brain mechanisms and how their alterations contribute to mental disorders. My academic training and research experience to date have provided me with an excellent background in behavioral neuroscience in both preclinical and clinical settings. As an undergraduate at Sapienza University, I conducted research on the efficacy of novel pharmacotherapies for the treatment of Rett syndrome behavioral and physiological alterations in rodent models, under the supervision of Dr.

  • Jordyn

    Jordyn M. Cox

    Master's student

    University of Alberta

    Jordyn is a first-year Master's student in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine awarded a CIHR CGS-M award at the University of Alberta. Working under the supervision of Dr.Taniya Nagpal, Jordyn is passionate about understanding health stigma from lived experiences in pregnancy especially among marginalized populations such as women of colour. Her current thesis will focus on exploring urinary incontinence-related stigma among women of colour and understanding how this may be an unspoken barrier to effective treatment options.

  • Tabatha-Craig

    Tabatha Craig

    PhD Student

    University of Victoria

    Tabitha Craig is a PhD student in the Cerebrovascular Health, Exercise, and Environmental Research Sciences (CHEERS) Laboratory at the University of Victoria. Her research focus is on the impact of sex hormones on cerebrovascular endothelial function and arterial stiffness in response to environmental and physiological stressors.Twitter: @Tab_craig2

  • Julia-Dahlby

    Julia Dahlby

    PhD Student, Physiotherapist

    University of British Columbia

    Julia Dahlby is a physiotherapist and PhD student at the University of British Columbia. After five years of treating patients with mild traumatic brain injuries, she took her passion for neurological rehabilitation back to academia and joined Dr. Lara Boyd's Brain Behaviour Lab in 2021. Funded by CIHR, her research focuses on the underrepresentation of females and women in stroke research, and furthering our understanding of how rehabilitation interventions may need to differ for the different sexes and genders.Twitter - @JuliaDahlbyPT

  • hallie

    Hallie Dau MPH

    PhD Student

    School of Population and Public Health

    University of British Columbia

    Hallie Dau, MPH is a PhD student at the at the School of Population and Public Health at UBC. Her research focuses on the impact of cervical cancer on women and families in low- and middle-income countries. She is supervised by Dr. Gina Ogilvie. Hallie previously completed her MPH at the George Washington University where she focused on global maternal and child health.

  • Miguel de la Flor García

    PhD Student

    Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa

    Miguel de la Flor García was graduated in Veterinary Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid. During his degree, he collaborated with the Departments of Genetics and Physiology and did internships at the “National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research” (INIA) and the “Margarita Salas Center for Biological Research” (CIBMS). Moreover, he delved into the developmental neurobiology field during his final degree project.

  • ismalia

    Ismália De Sousa

    PhD Candidate

    School of Nursing

    University of British Columbia

    Ismália De Sousa is a doctoral candidate in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia, under the supervision of Dr. Sally Thorne, Dr. Sandra Lauck and Dr. Thalia Field.

  • Holly Dempster MSc

    Medical Student

    Holly Anne Dempster, BSc (Hon), MSc, is a medical student at Memorial University of Newfoundland (graduating class of 2021).

  • alysha

    Alysha Deslippe

    PhD Student

    Food, Nutrition and Health

    University of British Columbia

    Alysha is a first year PhD student in Human Nutrition at UBC under the supervision of Dr. Tamara Cohen. Her research focuses on understanding the role biological sex and gender norms have on teens' dietary habits to create more inclusive food literacy program for youth. By creating more inclusive programs, all teens can be encouraged to adopt and maintain dietary habits that support life-long health. Alysha has a background in health promotion and epidemiology through the training of her Masters. She is also versed in metabolisms and nutrient needs from the training of her Bachelors.

  • deea

    Deea Dev

    Undergraduate Student

    University of British Columbia

    I am a fourth year Behavioural Neuroscience (BSc) student at UBC. I currently work as a research assistant under the supervision of Dr. Daniela Palombo at the Memory & Imagination Lab. We are exploring the lived experiences of women who have gone through IVF treatments and seeking to understand how the memory of negative fertility events can relate to aspects of psychological and relational well-being.  

  • aneet

    Aneet Dhaliwal RN

    Instructor

    School of Nursing

    British Columbia Institute of Technology

    Aneet graduated with a MSc in Nursing from the University of British Columbia in December of 2022. She is now an instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. 

  • Joselyn Dionisio

    Nagoya City University

    Joselyn is a biologist interested in DOHaD and placental role during perinatal infections. She is currently completing her Master's degree at Nagoya City University, in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Science.@JoselynDionisio

  • Dollina

    Dollina Dodani

    PhD Student

    Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

    University of British Columbia

    Dollina completed her undergraduate studies in computing science and molecular biology & biochemistry at Simon Fraser University and is now a PhD student in bioinformatics at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests lie in developing computational techniques to analyze high-dimensional genomic data and identify biomarkers that tailor patient care. Her PhD research explores the potential utility of the vaginal microbiome individually and in combination with cell-free DNA for improved screening and detection of endometrial cancer.

  • Becky Donelon

    Advanced Care Paramedic

    Becky has worked and developed educational governance frameworks and regulatory legislation at provincial and national levels and currently holds a Manager role in licensing and compliance with Alberta Health. Obtaining her first paramedic credentials in 1980 as an EMT-A followed by Advanced Care Paramedic in 1997 she worked clinical practice in EMS ground, flight, and integrated fire/ems settings, eventually moving into clinical education leadership roles.

  • marissa

    Marissa Doroshuk

    Master's student

    University of Calgary

    I began my education in this field with my Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation degree (First Class Honors). Since then, I have developed my skills and knowledge by getting certified as an Exercise Physiologist (CSEP-CEP), specializing in applied women's physiology, and yoga teacher training. Currently, I am an MSc student at the University of Calgary, specializing in Health and Exercise Physiology. My project focusses on menstrual cycle tracking methods, machine learning/prediction analytics, femtech, and mHealth.

  • madeline

    Madeline Doucette

    PhD Student

    University of Victoria

    I am in the second year of my doctoral degree at the University of Victoria majoring in clinical neuropsychology. I completed my Master's of Science in Clinical Neuropsychology also at the University of Victoria in the summer of 2021. My interests are primarily in the effects of exercise and sports concussions on executive function, especially with my own personal experience as a university athlete (UNBC Timberwolves Women’s soccer). I hope to examine the role of estrogen and the menstrual cycle in elite female athletes' cognitive functioning throughout a season.

  • Alicia

    Alicia Duval

    PhD Student

    McGill University

    Alicia Duval is a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at McGill University, specializing in neuropsychology. Her doctoral research focuses on the impact of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) on cardiovascular and cognitive outcomes. She is particularly interested in exploring mindfulness-based interventions for individuals with PCOS.Twitter: @aliciamarieduval

  • tarrah

    Tarrah Ethier

    PhD Student

    Medicine

    Queen's University

    Tarrah is a PhD Student in Translational Medicine (Department of Medicine) at Queen's University. She works in the Ormiston Lab and focuses her studies on understanding the mechanisms behind the sex paradox in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, a deadly disease that implicates the cardiovascular, pulmonary and immune systems. She previously explored sex differences in arterial stiffness for her MSc work in the Cardiovascular Stress Response Lab at Queen's University.

  • erin

    Erin Fitzpatrick

    Master's student

    Department of Psychology

    University of British Columbia

    Originally from Nova Scotia, Erin graduated with an Honours degree in Psychology from Dalhousie University in 2020. She is now an MA student in the Clinical Psychology program at UBC. With a special interest in body image, her research largely focuses on discovering novel methods for improving sexual and relationship well-being in couples transitioning to parenthood and promoting evidence-based sexual education.

  • josephine

    Josephine Mary Violet Francis Xavier

    PhD Student

    York University

    Josephine as a researcher, is interested in broad areas like virtual reality in nursing education and practice, women's mental health, perinatal mental health, father's involvement in immigrant childbearing families, healthy behaviours of school-age children, neonatal pain relief, neonatal hypoglycemia, gender-inclusive language, and promotion of breastfeeding support. She actively takes part in knowledge translation and mobilization through National and International meetings and conferences. She is multi-linguistic and speaks Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Arabic.

  • Catie Futhey

    Medical Student

    Medicine

    Catie is a medical student at the University of British Columbia. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience from the University of McGill. 

  • RG

    Romina Garcia de leon

    PhD Student

    Neuroscience

    University of Toronto

    Romina is a PhD student in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto and CAMH under the supervision of Dr. Liisa Galea in the Laboratory of Behavioural Neuroendocrinology. Broadly, Romina wishes to investigate reproductive periods and the neurobiological underpinnings that increase stress vulnerability and depression in females, and subsequently their offspring. Her research focus is on postpartum depression (PPD) and whether immune modulations improve antidepressant efficacy in a rodent model of PPD and increase stress resilience in offspring.

  • erin

    Erin Gionet

    Master's student

    University of Calgary

    I am a second-year MSc student in Community Health Sciences (health services research) at the Cumming School of Medicine, UCalgary. My research focuses on mental health outcomes for caregivers of youth with neurodevelopmental and substance use disorders though the lens of social/structural determinants and health equity. I have lived experience as a caregiver and as a front-line community health worker in a high-acuity setting. 

  • Bryna

    Bryna Goeckner

    PhD Candidate

    Medical College of Wisconsin

    I am a graduate student researching sport-related concussion in female athletes through neuroimaging and clinical outcomes with consideration of hormonal contraception and hormone levels.@BrynaGoeckner

  • Alexa Govette

    PhD Candidate

    University of Toronto

    Alexa is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Jenna Gillen in the Exercise, Nutrition and Health Lab. Her research focuses on understanding how exercise and nutrition can be used to improve cardiometabolic health in women, and mitigate the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Alexa is currently undergoing research to help characterize the long term exercise improvements in pre- and post-menopausal women.

  • laura

    Laura Gravelsins

    PhD Student

    University of Toronto

    My primary research investigates the influence of ovarian hormone deprivation on brain health. I study memory, and its relationships to sleep disruption, oxidative stress, and brain structure, in middle-aged women with prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (surgical removal of both ovaries and fallopian tubes) prior to spontaneous (natural) menopause. This is a group of women who experience an abrupt, early decline in ovarian hormones and are at a high-risk for developing later life Alzheimer’s Disease.

  • kelly

    Kelly Gregory

    PhD Student

    University of Toronto

    Kelly is a PhD student in the Social and Behavioural Health Sciences program, at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Her research focuses on women’s experiences of the healthcare system, as both providers and receivers of care. As an Ontario Women’s Health Scholar (2022), Kelly has been recognized for her rigorous qualitative research on women first responders, as well as her previous and future potential as a women’s health researcher.

  • Harman-Grewal

    Harman Grewal

    Master's student

    Simon Fraser University

    Harman is a second-year Master of Public Health student interested in centering capacity bridging between underserved communities and researchers to reduce health inequities. She is passionate about amplifying the experiences and voices of individuals with intersectional identities in health research so that these folks can meet their health and wellbeing needs.

  • Nabilah

    Nabilah Gulamhusein

    Master's student

    University of Calgary

    Nabilah is an MSc student at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. She recently graduated with a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on the route of post-menopausal estrogen administration and cardiovascular risk. Nabilah hopes to become a leader in women's cardiovascular health research and improve patient outcomes.

  • Amané

    Amané Halicki-Asakawa

    Graduate Student

    Department of Psychology

    University of British Columbia

    Amané is a first-year M.A. student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia-Okanagan, supervised by Dr. Maya Libben. Her undergraduate thesis, completed at McGill University, examined the effects of voluntary emotion regulation on the postauricular reflex, a psychophysiological measure of the appetitive response. Amané’s Master’s research will investigate the ways that technology and e-mental health can increase accessibility to eating disorder services and treatments.

  • Sarah Harris

    Sarah Harris

    Master's student

    University of Nottingham

    Sarah Harris is an endometriosis researcher and freelance journalist. She has done her BA in Journalism & Sociology from Cardiff University and is currently completing her Masters in Public Health at the University of Nottingham. She is soon to begin her PhD which will examine factors that contribute towards delayed endometriosis diagnosis. She also regularly writes about issues related to women's health for national and international publications. 

  • Clare

    Clare Heggie

    PhD Student

    University of New Brunswick

    Clare Heggie is a PhD student at the University of New Brunswick and the Research Coordinator for Wellness Within, an organization that supports women and gender diverse people who have experienced criminalization. She has been involved in a number of research projects focusing on the sexual and reproductive health experiences, needs, and outcomes of incarcerated and criminalized people, and is currently coordinating a project examining abortion and contraception access in prisons.

  • heller

    Dr. Carina Heller

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Friedrich Schiller University Jena

    Carina was trained in psychology and holds a PhD from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, in which she focused on white and gray matter brain alterations in patients with the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, a syndrome associated with a 30% risk to develop schizophrenia in adult life. In this and other projects, she cooperates with the Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory (PNL), Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, USA.

  • catriona

    Catriona Hippman

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Medicine

    University of British Columbia

    Dr. Hippman is a postdoctoral research fellow with the BC Women's Reproductive Mental Health Program, the UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and the University of Calgary Faculty of Nursing. Her fellowship is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Michael Smith Health Research BC, the Killam Trusts, the University of Calgary Eyes High Program, and the BC Women's Health Foundation, and her research work is additionally supported by generous gifts from an anonymous donor and iA Financial Group.

  • heather

    Heather Hollman

    PhD Student

    University of Victoria

    I am a PhD student in the UVic Behavioural Medicine Lab. My dissertation is on the promotion of tailored physical activity among postpartum individuals with lumbopelvic pain.

  • Parnian

    Parnian Hossein Pour

    Master's student

    School of Population and Public Health

    McMaster University

    Parnian Hossein Pour is a Master of Public Health candidate in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence & Impact at McMaster University and a practicum student at the Muraca Perinatal Epidemiology Research Lab (PERL). She has obtained an honours Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences from Queen's University. Her work at PERL is focused on characterizing the risk factors for cervical injury during childbirth and advancing health equity in maternal outcomes.

  • Sarah Anne Howard

    Sarah Anne Howard

    PhD Candidate

    University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

    Sarah Anne is a final-year PhD Candidate studying Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at UNC Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on the development of novel non-hormonal contraceptive technologies for both women and men.@SarahAnneSci

  • jodie

    Jodie Hughes

    PhD Student

    University of Roehampton

    Jodie is a first year PhD student at the University of Roehampton. She is currently studying disparities in the care of Endometriosis patients by comparing sample groups, under the supervision of Dr Astrid Hauge-Evans and Dr Patrick Brady. She graduated in 2019 with a Master of Science. Her aim is to identify where there are gaps in care of Endometriosis patients to improve health related quality of life.

  • holly

    Dr. Holly Hunsberger

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Rosalind Franklin University

    Holly is a postdoctoral scientist with a dual appointment at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI/RFMH). She received her PhD from West Virginia University in Dr. Miranda Reed’s laboratory. There, she studied glutamate’s role in Alzheimer’s disease pathology using novel microelectrode array technology. She is now in Dr. Christine Denny’s laboratory, where she recently received a K99/R00 to study the sex-specific impact of anxiety on Alzheimer’s disease progression.

  • maya

    Maya Iturra

    PhD Student

    Antioch University New England

    For the past 20 years I have dedicated my life both in academia and as an activist to deepening my understanding and responsibility to embracing social justice with an intersectionality framework. As a PhD student I hope to continue to address issues of inequity and lack of diversity in the many systems that our world unfairly privileges some groups over others. I plan to do so, by publishing articles addressing intersectionality and social justice as well as provide anti-oppression trainings for systems.  

  • faith

    Faith Jabs

    PhD Student

    Department of Psychology

    University of British Columbia

    Faith Jabs is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology at the University of British Columbia. She is also a research study coordinator in the UBC Sexual Health Laboratory and currently works on a randomized control trial for testing the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based group therapy treatment for women with Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder. 

  • Kiranjot

    Kiranjot Jhajj

    Master's student

    Department of Psychology

    UNBC

    I’m Kiranjot from Prince George, BC and I just finished my BSc Honours in Psychology at the University of Northern British Columbia. Currently, I am an MSc student in the Psychology program at UNBC. My research interests include female behavioural neuroendocrinology, specifically looking at the effects of ovarian hormones on cognition. In addition, I am passionate about advocating for mental health and learning about feminist and clinical psychology.

  • amy

    Amy Johnston

    PhD Candidate

    University of Ottawa

    Amy Johnston is a PhD candidate in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, and a doctoral trainee at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. She holds a Master of Science with a specialization in Health Services Research and a Master of Biomedical Technology, both from the University of Calgary. Her doctoral research focuses on women’s cardiovascular health, specifically, long term cardiovascular risk associated with a history of high blood pressure disorders of pregnancy.

  • ellen

    Ellen Jopling

    PhD Student

    Department of Psychology

    University of British Columbia

    Ellen Jopling is a doctoral student in the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Lab at the University of British Columbia. Her program of research examines the impact of stress on wellbeing across the lifespan through the integration of affective, cognitive, and biological measures.

  • megan

    Megan Kadzirange

    Undergraduate Student

    Department of Psychology

    University of British Columbia

    My name is Megan Kadzirange and I am an international Undergraduate student from Zimbabwe, studying Psychology at the University of British Columbia. My interests include global and public health, particularly women's health in rural, low-income and/or Indigenous communities. Additionally, I am passionate about creative and academic writing, and how both can be used to make research more accessible to diverse audiences.

  • cindy

    Cindy Kalenga

    PhD Student

    Medicine

    University of Calgary

    Cindy Kalenga is PhD student within the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary with a focus on women’s cardiovascular health. Her research project investigates the role of the route of administration of exogenous estrogen - in the form of contraceptives and hormone therapy - and cardiovascular risk in women. Cindy serves as the student moderator for Libin Cardiovascular Journal Club and was recently appointed the Lead for the CIHR Sex and Gender Based Analysis in Health Research Trainee Network. 

  • Vasileia

    Vasileia Karasavva

    PhD Student

    University of British Columbia

    Vasileia Karasavva is a Vanier Scholar and a PhD student in clinical psychology at the University of British Columbia. Her research program explores multiple facets of cyber aggression with a special interest in technology-facilitated sexual violence. She is passionate about understanding who is affected by it, why some choose to perpetrate it, and most importantly the ways we can better support those who experience it.@vkarasavva

  • Jalisa Karim

    PhD Student

    Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

    Jalisa graduated from the University of Waterloo with a BMath in Biostatistics and BA in Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies. She is now a PhD student at UBC in Women+ and Children’s Health Sciences, where her research focuses on endometriosis and infertility.

  • Dr. Shahin Kassam

    Dr. Shahin Kassam

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    School of Nursing

    University of British Columbia

    Dr. Shahin Kassam holds a PhD in Nursing from the University of Victoria and comes from a clinical public health nursing background with focus on women living with emotional, mental, and physical sequelae of forced migration. As the successful candidate for a grant-funded Postdoctoral Research Fellowship within the UBC School of Nursing, Capacity Research Unit, (supervisor: Dr. Vicky Bungay), Dr.

  • Jasleen

    Jasleen Kaur

    Graduate Student

    University of Regina

    Jasleen Kaur received her BSc (Honours) from University of Calgary in 2022. Her honours research focused on examining the rates and predictors of anxiety and depression among partners of pregnant individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic, under the guidance of Dr. Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen.

  • Natalie Kearn

    Undergraduate Student

    Queen's University

    Natalie Kearn is a third year Bachelor of Health Sciences Student at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario with a keen interest in Women's Health. She conducts research in the Department of Medicine and Department of Biomedical Sciences at Queen's University.

  • bibiana

    Bibiana Kemerer

    Master's student

    University of British Columbia

    Bibiana is a current masters student in UBC's Reproductive and Developmental Sciences program. She works under the supervision of Dr. Lori Brotto for UBC's Sexual Health Lab. She is currently studying how mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy can help couples improve their sexual health after prostate cancer. She is also creating patient education materials based on these therapies.

  • brianna

    Brianna Kennelly

    PhD Student

    McMaster University

    I am a PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. Deborah Sloboda. My research is in the field of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Specifically, my research investigates how exposure to maternal obesity impacts future immune responses to infection.

  • Jahin Ali

    Jahin Ali Khan

    PhD Candidate

    Western University

    Jahin Ali Khan is a PhD Candidate in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics program at Western University. Using health administrative data, she is studying sex and gender differences in the risk of psychotic disorders among migrants in Ontario.

  • sakshi

    Sakshi Kharbanda

    Master's student

    University of Calgary

    I am Sakshi Kharbanda, an incoming graduate student in Medical Sciences. I am passionate about reproductive and sexual health in marginalized communities.

  • maya

    Maya Koblanski

    Undergraduate Student

    Behavioural Neuroscience

    University of British Columbia

    Maya Koblanski is a passionate and motivated undergraduate in her third year of Behavioural Neuroscience at UBC. She has worked in the Viau Lab for the past year and a half researching sex differences in stress coping responses, recently under an NSERC USRA, and is now starting her directed studies research project.  

  • Marta Kolbuszewska

    Master's student

    Department of Psychology

    Marta is a graduate student in the clinical psychology program at UBC. Her research interests centre around understanding processes contributing to sexual well-being in individuals and couples. She is particularly interested in using longitudinal data analytic techniques to better understand factors that influence the development of sexual problems over time, with a particular focus on sexual pleasure and genito-pelvic dysesthesias.

  • sydney

    Sydney Ku

    PhD Student

    Temple University

    Sydney graduated from Colby College in the spring of 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience. While at Colby, Sydney worked in the Glenn Lab, a behavioral neuroscience rat lab, as a research assistant and later conducted a senior thesis examining psychomotor stimulant sensitization as a function of estrus cycle stage and biological sex. Sydney is currently pursuing a PhD in Psychology and Neuroscience at Temple University, studying the effects of early life adversity on maternal behavior under the mentorship of Dr. Debra Bangasser.

  • jacynthe

    Jacynthe L'Heureux

    PhD Student

    School of Population and Public Health

    University of British Columbia

    Jacynthe L’Heureux is a doctoral student in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Dr. Wei Zhang focusing on health economics. Her work includes publications on caregiving, labour force participation and the measurement of work productivity loss. Her research centers around the intersection of health and work with a special lens to the role of gender. She is keen on understanding the unique perspectives of women and the challenges they face in their workplaces.

  • jesse

    Jesse Lacasse

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Brock University

    Jesse is a PhD student in Behavioural Neuroscience at Concordia University in Montreal. He is a researcher at the Centre for Studies in Behavioural Neurobiology, where he examines the effects of steroid hormones on cognition.

  • madison

    Madison Lackie

    Graduate Student

    Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

    University of British Columbia

    Madison Lackie, a Master’s of Science student in the UBC Reproductive and Developmental Sciences program, working primarily out of the Women’s Health Research Institute at BC Women’s Hospital. Her research interests focus on postpartum depression and the use of technology to support healthcare.

  • Juliette

    Juliette Langelier

    Master's student

    University of British Columbia

    Having graduated from Concordia University with a BSc in Health, Kinesiology, and Applied Physiology and a specialization in Athletic Therapy, I am pursuing my studies at UBC through the Women+’s and Children’s Health Sciences program. My master’s thesis, under the supervision of Dr. Anita Coté and Dr. Christine Voss, will focus on women+ specific health issues related to physical activity and exercise. Through my graduate studies, I am looking to develop actionable tools that healthcare professionals can use to improve women+ athlete’s health.

  • rebecca

    Dr. Rebecca Lawn PhD

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    School of Population and Public Health

    Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health

    I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Prior to this, I gained a first-class BSc (hons) in Psychology from Newcastle University and a PhD from the University of Bristol, where I worked between the School of Psychological Science and the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit. 

  • bonnie

    Bonnie Lee

    Events & Communications Assistant, PhD Student

    University of British Columbia

    Bonnie Lee is our Events & Communications assistant, Trainee Cluster Lead, and Trainee Member. She is a Neuroscience PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia studying with Dr. Liisa Galea in the Laboratory of Behavioural Neuroendocrinology.

  • Michelle

    Michelle Lisonek

    Medical Student

    Medicine

    University of British Columbia

    I am currently a medical students passionate about women's health and public health, among other topics! I have had the privilege of being involved in multiple pediatric and gynecologic research projects throughout my undergraduate and medical degrees, and I enjoy networking with other trainees and researchers in my community and at conferences.

  • kyara

    Kyara Liu

    Master's student

    University of Toronto

    Kyara is a first year Master’s of Public Health student at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, specializing in the social and behavioural health sciences stream. She is also a research associate at the Artificial Intelligence for Justice Lab in Toronto. She completed her Honours BA in Sociology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC in 2022. Her research interests broadly include women's health, family health, and gender-based violence, and the intersections of the social determinants of health on these areas.

  • alex

    Alex Lukey

    Graduate Student

    School of Nursing

    University of British Columbia

    Alex is a second-year MSN student at UBC Okanagan. She is also currently practicing as a Registered Nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver in cardiology and cardiac surgery.  Alex’s research passions include applying technology to improve patient self-care and improving women’s health equity with population-based data. Alex’s thesis research is focusing on improving heart failure patient self-care through gamified education. She is also a recipient of the CIHR Women’s Health Clinical Mentorship Grant.

  • claire

    Claire Lunde

    PhD Student

    University of Oxford

    I am a Ph.D. student in the Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford, and I work closely with the Biobehavioral Pain Innovations Lab at Boston Children's Hospital to collect data on individuals with pain. My professional aspirations involve women’s health education and advocacy. I am passionate about exploring the role of stress, trauma, and resiliency on women’s bodies and brains, as proposed in my recently published Pain-Stress Model (PMID: 32273840).

  • Christie

    Christie MacLeod

    PhD Student

    Department of Psychology

    McMaster University

    Christie MacLeod is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at McMaster University. Her clinical and research work takes place at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton in the Women's Health Concerns Clinic and Mood Disorders Clinic. Her research aims to explore potential neural mechanisms for the sex-related difference in prevalence of depression. As women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression when compared to men, characterization of sex-related differences in the cerebral cortex can aid in prevention and treatment strategies tailored specifically for women.

  • Rand Mahmoud

    PhD Student

    Neuroscience

    University of British Columbia

    My research interests broadly lie in understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of stress resilience and vulnerability, particularly as they relate to neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression. Unfortunately, despite the fact that women are more likely than men to develop depression and other stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders, female subjects continue to be largely excluded from preclinical research.

  • kassa

    Kassa Maksudi

    PhD Candidate

    University of Cape Town

    I am a researcher and activist with a background in Psychology, Criminology, and Health Promotion.  I am originally from Burundi and moved to South Africa as a refugee in the late 1990s.

  • kerry

    Kerry Marshall

    PhD Student

    School of Nursing

    University of British Columbia

    Kerry (she/her) is a Registered Nurse with certified practice in reproductive health (contraceptive management and sexually transmitted infections). She completed her Masters of Nursing from the University of Saskatchewan in 2019, exploring fertility intentions and family planning experiences within the 2SLGBTQ community. She began a PhD in the School of Nursing at UBC in 2021, under the umbrella of sexual health. Her research interests include gender equity, reproductive justice, sexuality, sexual health, and pleasure.

  • rory

    Rory Marshall

    PhD Student

    University of British Columbia

    Rory A. Marshall is a paramedic working with British Columbia Emergency Health Services and a PhD Student at the School of Health and Exercise Sciences in the Faculty of Health and Social Development at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Rory earned his Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Business at Vancouver Island University and his Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. He has also had international paramedic experience practicing in New Zealand and Central America.

  • magdalena

    Magdalena Martínez-García

    PhD Student

    Neuroscience

    Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón

    Magdalena is a Neuroscience Ph.D. student at the Neuroimaging Group of the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón of Madrid, Spain. Her research focus is to unveil the structural and functional plasticity of the human parental brain. Through longitudinal neuroimaging studies, she seeks to characterize the brain remodeling in both women and men during their transition into parenthood and determine how such adaptations can deviate from normality and cause mental health problems.  

  • Justin

    Dr. Justin Matheson PhD

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

    I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Translational Addiction Research Laboratory at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. I previously completed my PhD in Pharmacology & Toxicology at the University Toronto. My research program focuses on understanding how both sex and gender influence cannabis and other substance use, with a particular emphasis on incorporating sex/gender science into clinical and public health approaches to improve substance use health.Social media: @justinrmatheson

  • Holly

    Holly Mathias

    PhD Student

    University of Alberta

    Holly Mathias, MA, is a PhD student, Vanier Scholar and 2023 Trudeau Scholar in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. Holly holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Global Development Studies and English Literature from Queen’s University, and a Master of Arts in Health Promotion and Certificate of University Teaching and Learning from Dalhousie University.  Holly’s doctoral research examines unpaid family support for people who use drugs in rural Canada through a gender lens.

  • Emily

    Emily May PhD

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences

    My research focuses on the impact of ovarian hormones on the brain and behavior, particularly in context integration and mind-body connection. I am deeply motivated by improving the lives of understudied women and gender diverse individuals through this understanding.

  • emily

    Emily McKay RN

    Master's student

    School of Nursing

    University of British Columbia

    Emily McKay is a Registered Nurse pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing at the University of British Columbia. Emily currently works at the Women's Health Clinic at BC Women's Hospital. She is also a Graduate Academic Assistant for Dr. Ojukwu, and works on several research studies centered around HIV care for African/Caribbean/Black women, intimate partner violence, and teenage pregnancy.

  • sonia

    Sonia Milani

    Master's student

    Department of Psychology

    University of British Columbia

    Sonia (she/her/hers) is a MA student in the Clinical Psychology program. She has been conducting research in the field of sexuality using psychophysiology and eye-tracking methods since 2016. Her master’s thesis will explore modifiable factors that promote individuals’ and couples’ sexual well-being, with the goal of developing evidence-based interventions aimed at bolstering sexual health and well-being.

  • kaylee

    Kaylee Misener

    PhD Candidate

    Department of Psychology

    University of British Columbia

    Kaylee Misener is a Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) supervised by Dr. Maya Libben. She has been conducting research in the areas of eating disorders and body image for 8 years. Her undergraduate honours thesis, completed at UBCO, investigated whether an implicit measure of disordered eating could be used to assess cognitive distortions among individuals who exhibit eating disordered symptoms as compared with post-symptomatic and control groups.

  • Hana

    Hana Mitsui-Hotz

    Undergraduate Student

    McGill University

    Hana Mitsui-Hotz is an undergraduate student in the final year of her BSc. in Kinesiology at McGill. She is currently doing a research practicum in the

  • Mohsen

    Mohsen Monji

    PhD Candidate

    Department of Sociology

    Concordia University

    I am a sociologist interested in exploring social inequalities, social determinants of mental health, & mental health disparities at the intersection of gender and sexual orientation. My work involves using statistical and machine learning modeling to analyze such intersectional inequalities & disparities. The ultimate goal of my research is to generate meaningful insights that can inform policies and interventions, fostering mental health equity at the population level.

  • maria

    Maria Fernanda Mujica-Coopman

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos

    My interest in human nutrition research started during my undergraduate studies. I completed my MSc in Human Nutrition at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, in 2015. The main focus of my master thesis was the comparison of iron and zinc supplementation on anemia in Chilean childbearing-aged women. As part of a Canada-Chile Leadership Exchange Scholarship, awarded 2014, I participated in a collaborative project between Drs Yvonne Lamers and Gilberto Kac (Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil).

  • elle

    Elle Murata

    PhD Student

    University of California, Santa Barbara

    Elle's research explores the impact of sex steroid hormones on brain structure and function, leveraging neuroimaging to interrogate how menopause shapes neural circuitry underlying working memory. She is also interested in how reproductive disorders, such as endometriosis and PCOS, influence the brain and cognition. In addition to incorporating aspects of the human condition specific to women in her research efforts, Elle is driven by the critical need for the inclusion of women and other underrepresented individuals as scientists in the field of neuroscience.

  • Dilnaz Mustafina

    Dilnaz Mustafina

    Undergraduate Student

    Simon Fraser University

    Dilnaz is a second-year undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, studying Health Sciences. She is in love with reproductive biology and embryology.

  • Shawna

    Shawna Narayan

    Master's student

    Department of Psychiatry

    University of British Columbia

    Shawna Narayan is a graduate student researcher with the CREDA Study in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. Her research explores the experiences ethnic minorities have with anxiety and depressive resources to help support the creation of culturally responsive e-mental health services. She has an interest in the development of quality mental health care for marginalized populations.  

  • Kaitlin

    Kaitlin Nelson

    Master's student

    University of British Columbia

    Kaitlin Nelson is a focused graduate student pursuing a master's in experimental medicine at UBC. With an undergraduate background in Kinesiology, she works as a Research Coordinator at the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research. Outside academia, Kaitlin finds solace in nature.Instagram: @katiesweetpea

  • Elizabeth

    Dr. Elizabeth Nethery RM, PhD

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    School of Population and Public Health

    University of British Columbia

    Dr. Elizabeth Nethery is a post-doctoral research fellow and perinatal epidemiologist with a broad interest in the impacts of research evidence on clinical practice. She received her PhD from School of Population and Public Health at UBC and is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research at UBC. She is also a Registered Midwife (non-practicing) in BC, Canada.

  • elaha

    Elaha Niazi

    Undergraduate Student

    University of Calgary

    Elaha Niazi is an undergraduate student studying Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. Her passion for improving women’s health led her to join the Ahmed-Dumanski lab, where she is currently investigating the effect of in-vitro fertilization on cardiovascular outcomes, as well as examining period product and contraceptive access across Canada and the United States. Elaha also volunteers with her university's Women’s Resource Center and engages in women’s health-focussed community outreach, dedicated to advocating for women’s cardiovascular, reproductive, and mental health.

  • candace

    Candace Oghide

    Master's student

    School of Nursing

    McMaster University

    Candace Oghide is a 2nd year Masters student in Nursing from McMaster University. She has a clinical background in community women's health, HIV inpatient, and sexual assault/domestic violence. Candace is passionate about health equity and working with marginalized women. Candace's research interest is in sexual and reproductive health, with a focus on African, Caribbean, and Black-Canadian women.

  • Olajumoke Ojeleye

    Olajumoke Ojeleye

    PhD Student

    University of South Florida

    As a maternal and child health nurse and a doctoral student at the University of South Florida College of Nursing, USA, I am currently conducting research to enhance perinatal mental health interventions. My focus lies on exploring the needs, preferences, and access to care among perinatal adolescents in order to create culturally adaptive and sustainable solutions.

  • helen

    Helen Okoye

    PhD Student

    School of Nursing

    University of British Columbia

    I am a Lecturer at Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Nigeria. I am currently in a PhD program at University of British Columbia School of Nursing. My dissertation is focusing on adolescent sexual and reproductive health.

  • Irina

    Irina Oltean

    PhD Student

    McMaster University

    Irina Oltean holds a Master of Science from the University of Waterloo with a focus in pediatric epidemiology. They worked as a Research Coordinator in surgery and pathology at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario prior to starting their PhD at McMaster University, in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact. Irina is a 2022 recipient of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Doctoral Research Award.

  • Godwin Opoku Agyemang

    Master's student

    Godwin completed his BSc in Biochemistry in Ghana, and currently in his final year of the MPhil Human Nutrition and Dietetics program. He has a keen interest in maternal and child nutrition, and has extensive experience in community-based interventional studies which seeks to positively impact the dietary behaviours of women and children. Godwin aims to become a dietitian and a professional in any institution where he can utilize his skills in his skills promoting maternal and child health.

  • natasha

    Natasha Orr PhD Student

    PhD Student

    Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

    University of British Columbia

    Endometriosis is a gynaecologic condition that affects 10% of women, and 50% of those women have deep dyspareunia (pelvic pain with deep penetration during sexual activity). This pain negatively affects sexual function and relationships. Factors that play a role in deep dyspareunia may be peripheral (e.g., location of endometriotic nodules) and/or central (e.g., pathological sensitization at the level of the brain and spinal cord).

  • Victoria

    Victoria Paller

    Master's student

    University of British Columbia

    Victoria is an MSc student in the WACH program at UBC. She graduated from the University of Ottawa with an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences Degree in 2022. During this time, she completed an Honours thesis with Dr. Angel Foster. This research used a mixed-methods approach to explore how COVID-19 affected abortion access in Canada. Following her bachelor's, she continued to engage in health research as a research assistant (RA) in Dr. Sarah Munro's lab at UBC where she worked on the Ask Us Study, the Story Project, and the CART Access Project.

  • xinru

    Xinru Pang

    Master's student

    University of British Columbia

    Xinru is currently a Master of Food Science student at the University of British Columbia. She also holds an undergraduate degree in life sciences and psychology.

  • Meejin Park

    Meejin Park

    Master's student

    McMaster University

    Meejin is currently completing her M.Sc. at McMaster University’s Muraca Perinatal Epidemiology Research Lab (PERL).

  • kiran

    Kiran Parmar

    Master's student

    School of Population and Public Health

    University of British Columbia

    I am a research assistant working with Dr. Paul Yong’s Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis research team. I completed my undergraduate studies at UBC majoring in Microbiology and Immunology and recently began my MSc journey also at UBC with School of Population and Public Health. 

  • badal

    Badal (Brandon) Pattar

    Master's student

    Medicine

    University of Calgary

    Badal is a first-year MSc student in Medical Science at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, under the supervision of Dr. Sofia Ahmed. His research focuses focuses on highlighting the importance of incorporation of sex- and gender- based considerations in hypertension and cardiovascular care. Badal recently graduated in 2022 from the University of Calgary with a BSc in Cellular, Molecular, and Microbial Biology and remains motivated to become a leader in women's heart health research, and utilize his various research skills to improve the quality of care for patients.

  • kamala

    Kamala Payyapilly Thiruvenkatanathan

    PhD Candidate

    Pennsylvania State University

    Kamala is a third year Ph.D. candidate in Informatics (Human-Computer Interaction) at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research is situated at the intersection of women’s health and technology with a specific focus on pregnancy after loss. Attending to the rising interest in designing interventions for pregnancy and maternal health, alongside the ongoing call to question the stigmatization of women’s bodies, her research centers a common but tabooed experience of pregnancy after loss.

  • leah

    Leah Sarah Peer

    Founder, Medical Student

    Peer Medical Foundation

    Leah Sarah Peer is a Medical Student, Global Health Fellow and a Graduate with a Specialization in Biology & a Minor in Human Rights. She is the Founder & Executive Director of the Peer Medical Foundation (PMF), an aspiring youth-led international not-for-profit organization advancing health equity, diversity & inclusion. She is also the Host of the Peer Med Podcast, an initiative under PMF intertwining medicine, an ever changing science of diagnosis and treatment with conversations about issues in healthcare where lives are on the line.

  • tania

    Tania Pereira

    PhD Student

    York University

    I am currently researching the effects of oral contraceptives on autonomic function, specifically investigating physiological responses to reflex activations in healthy women (chemoreflex, mechanoreflex and metaboreflex). I am also investigating the effects of the menstrual cycle and sex differences.

  • danielle

    Dr. Danielle Perro

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    University of Oxford

    Hi! I'm Danielle. I recently completed my PhD at the University of Oxford, where I studied and phenotyped widespread pain in women living with chronic pelvic pain, and conditions such as endometriosis. As a Postdoctoral Researcher, I use epidemiology to study period pain in adolescence and understand both its causes and impact on chronic pain later in life.

  • naomi

    Naomi Phagau

    Graduate Student

    Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

    University of British Columbia

    Naomi is an MSc student in the Reproductive and Developmental Sciences program based in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She previously completed an Honours BSc in Neuroscience and Psychology at McMaster University and is interested in reproductive health, mental health, and racial and ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality. Under the supervision of Dr. Gillian Hanley, her thesis examines the association between maternal depression and treatment with an SSRI antidepressant on early childhood development.    

  • tristan

    Tristan Philippe

    PhD Student

    Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences

    University of British Columbia

    As a data scientist I value advancements that provide more data to dissect and discover. However, as a biologist I know that it is essential to have a deep understanding of the underlying biology to gain deep insights about the value of this data. With a decade of experience on the bench and five years of experience behind the screen I hope to bring the two together to advance medical research.

  • Shayna Pierce

    PhD Student

    University of Manitoba

    Shayna is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Manitoba with a background in psychology, biology, and health studies. Clinically, she is passionate about supporting people experiencing mental health challenges during pregnancy and postpartum, including those who have had traumatic birth experiences or a perinatal loss. Beyond her clinical work, Shayna conducts research focused on determining the unmet mental health support needs of women and birthing people experiencing perinatal mental health concerns.

  • evelina

    Dr. Evelina Pituch

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    University of Toronto

    Evelina Pituch is a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Health and Society at the University of Toronto Scarborough, supervised by Dr. Hilary Brown. Dr. Pituch is an occupational therapist by training and her program of research aims to improve the perinatal supports for parents with disabilities. She holds a PhD in Rehabilitations sciences and a bachelor’s-professional master’s in occupational therapy from the University of Montreal.

  • dawn

    Dawn Poh

    Medical Student

    Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia

    I am currently a 4th-year medical student in Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia, but born and bred in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. I have a keen interest in obstetrics and gynaecology and have plans to sub-specialize in gynae-oncology. I will be planning my specialty training in the U.K. upon graduation. I am a university ambassador for InciSioN MY, currently attending virtual international conferences hosted by WHO, G4 Alliances, Woman In Global Health, etc., to broaden insights on Global Surgery and raise awareness of gender equity around the globe.

  • laura

    Laura Pritschet

    PhD Student

    University of California, Santa Barbara

    Laura Pritschet is a graduate student working with Dr. Emily Jacobs in Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She leverages techniques from network neuroscience and neuroendocrinology to explore how sex steroid hormones impact human brain function across hormonal transition periods. The goal of her research is to improve the utility of sex hormones as markers of vulnerability for neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders that are disproportionately skewed towards women.

  • neelam

    Neelam Punjani BScN, MScN

    PhD Candidate

    School of Nursing

    University of Alberta

    Neelam Punjani is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. She has received her BScN and MScN at Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery from Karachi, Pakistan. Shortly after, she began working actively within the community advocating for young people's sexual and reproductive health and rights. Her current topic of research for her Ph.D. is inspired by seeing countless young girls in her home country unable to express themselves related to their sexuality.

  • tanvi

    Tanvi Puri

    PhD Candidate

    Neuroscience

    University of British Columbia

    Hi! I’m Tanvi Puri, a Ph.D. candidate in the Galea Lab. I’m interested in figuring out how pregnancy, and the hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy, can affect cognition, stress resilience, and neurogenesis across different ages. My projects also investigate the changes in molecular mechanisms underlying neuro plastic changes and behavior, and will allow us to identify possible future targets for precision medicine. I got my B.A. in Neuroscience from Washington University in St.

  • wansu

    Wansu Qiu

    PhD Student

    Neuroscience

    University of British Columbia

    My thesis investigates the effects of maternal postpartum antidepressant exposure, and how this pharmacological treatment affects both the mother and offspring in a rat model of postpartum depression. And whether there are dietary interventions (such as folate/folic acid) can be an effective treatment for PPD. My expertise includes knowing a lot about the impressionism period of art although I am really bad at painting impressionism and a lot better at painting post-impressionism, Greek mythology, and comics particularly the Batman universe.

  • thish

    Thish Rajapakshe

    Undergraduate Student

    University of British Columbia

    Thish is a senior undergraduate student studying Molecular Biochemistry and Philosophy at UBC Okanagan. She is passionate about health equity, policy, and leveraging quality improvement science for the enhancement of women’s health. Her research areas of interest include the study of interpersonal factors affecting smoking cessation in young women and patient reported outcomes-based analyses of clinical interventions. 

  • Varinder

    Dr. Varinder Randhawa MD-PhD

    Critical Care Fellow, Heart Failure Transplant Cardiologist

    University of Toronto

    Dr. Varinder Kaur Randhawa is completing her critical care fellowship training at the University of Toronto, having completed MD-PhD, internal medicine, core cardiology, heart failure-transplant cardiology and post-doctoral clinical, quality improvement and translational research training at the University of Toronto, Western University and Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

  • shilpa

    Shilpa Rao

    PhD Candidate

    Neuroscience

    Lerner Research Institute

    Currently pursuing a PhD in Molecular Medicine in Dr. Antoine Louveau's lab, dept of Neurosciences at Lerner Research Institute. Our lab specializes in Parkinson’s Disease in minority populations, specifically in the Latin American population. My thesis investigates the association between female health factors and the severity of Parkinson’s disease in these women.

  • jennifer

    Jennifer Richard

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    University of British Columbia

    My research focuses on the effects of diet and metabolic status on learning and memory and sex differences in these effects. I finished my BSc and MSc in Pharmacology at the University of Gothenburg (Gothenburg, Sweden) and completed my PhD at the Institution for Neuroscience and Physiology and the University of Gothenburg in January 2020 under the supervision of Dr. Karolina Skibicka.

  • victoria

    Victoria Riehl-Tonn

    Master's student

    Medicine

    University of Calgary

    Victoria is a MSc student in Medical Science at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. Under the supervision of Dr. Sofia Ahmed, her research focuses on the association between sex related differences and dialysis adequacy in both peritoneal dialysis and the home hemodialysis population. She recently graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Nursing and received her Registered Nurse designation. Her clinical and research experience sparked her interest and drive to improve patient care and focus on patient-oriented research. 

  • shie

    Shie Rinat

    PhD Student

    University of British Columbia

    Shie is a PhD student in the Brain Behaviour Lab, under the supervision of Dr. Lara Boyd. Shie's passion for stroke research began while working as an occupational therapist in an inpatient neurological rehabilitation unit in Tel-Aviv. Her doctoral work aims to investigate stroke in women, and specifically, the effect of sex hormones and past pregnancies on stroke risk and recovery in women. Although women account for 60% of stroke-related deaths, they are often under-represented in stroke research.

  • Dr. Katerina Rnic

    Dr. Katerina Rnic

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Department of Psychology

    University of British Columbia

    Dr. Katerina Rnic received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and completed her clinical internship at the Calgary Clinical Psychology Residency. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Joelle LeMoult’s Depression, Anxiety, and Stress (DAS) Lab and in Dr. Raymond Lam’s Lab in the Department of Psychiatry. She is also a Clinical Psychologist at the Vancouver CBT Centre.

  • Sara Rodrigues

    Dr. Sara Rodrigues PhD

    Director, Applied Research

    Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

    Dr. Sara Rodrigues is Director, Applied Research at the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families. Her current program of research focuses on the social determinants of mental health of CAF and RCMP Veterans, with a focus on women's mental health and aging. She is a co-founder of The Athena Project at the Atlas Institute, a community building and research initiative for women Veterans.

  • Raquel

    Raquel Rodriguez

    Undergraduate Student

    School of Kinesiology

    McGill University

    Raquel Rodriguez is a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology student at McGill University who is deeply committed to advancing healthcare, with a particular focus on women and marginalized communities. Recognizing the unique struggles faced by these groups, including transgender and gender-diverse individuals, fuels her passion for promoting inclusive and equitable healthcare practices. In addition to her academic pursuits, she serves as a pediatric physician assistant, dedicated to contributing to clinic healthcare and advocating for comprehensive, patient-centered care.

  • hani

    Hani Rukh E Qamar

    Undergraduate Student

    McGill University

    Hani Rukh E Qamar is the Founder of Canadian Advisory of Women Immigrants (CAWI) and a BSc. Psychology and Neuroscience student at McGill University. She is a research collaborator at University of Regina on the impacts of COVID-19. She is the President of UAEM McGill and she is involved in McGill Global Health Programs. She is passionate about empowering womxn immigrants, providing access to medicine, mental health and global health.

  • jinan

    Jinan Saboune

    PhD Student

    McGill University

    Jinan Saboune is a Ph.D. student in the Cardiovascular Health and Autonomic Regulation Laboratory (CHARlab) at McGill University. Her research looks at the neurovascular changes that occur during a very critical phase in a woman's life: peri-menopause. As women age and transition into menopause, they lose most of their estrogen content, which makes them more susceptible to cardiovascular dysfunction. The goal of her research is to look at these complex hormone fluctuations, that are being exhibited during this phase, and how they contribute to worse cardiovascular outcomes. 

  • eshmehar

    Eshmehar Kaur Sahni

    Undergraduate Student

    University of Delhi

    I am a psychology undergraduate from University of Delhi. I have recently completed a research project on COVID-19 and mental health of doctors. I wish to pursue I/O Psychology.

  • Julia Santana Parrilla

    Research Coordinator

    Julia Santana Parrilla (she/her) received her MSc from UBC's School of Population & Public Health in 2020. Her Thesis project “Anxiety and depression during pregnancy: primary antenatal care provider perspectives” provided qualitative descriptions of how anxiety and depression are addressed with pregnant people. Participants (Registered Midwives, Family Physicians, Obstetrician Gynecologists) emphasized the need for perinatal mental health to be integrated in funding, research, policy, and practice priority-setting.

  • gayatri

    Dr. Gayatri Saraf

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Department of Psychiatry

    University of British Columbia

    I am a Clinical Fellow in mood disorders in the Department of Psychiatry at University of British Columbia. My research interests include novel imaging methods to visualise brain inflammation and microstructural changes in bipolar disorder. In addition, I am also interested in newer therapies in bipolar disorder.

  • sadaf

    Sadaf Sediqi

    Undergraduate Student

    University of British Columbia

    Sadaf is an undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia working as a research assistant at the Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis Lab supervised by Dr. Paul Yong. Her research interests explore the symptoms of endometriosis-associated pain affecting women’s health. Current standard treatments for endometriosis are limited in their effectiveness for pelvic pain, which may be due to the lack of understanding of how endometriosis causes pain.

  • Amandine

    Amandine graduated as an osteopath (M.Ost) from the British College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM, London) in 2021, before completing an MSc in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of Exeter in 2022. Currently, Amandine is pursuing a Ph.D. at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), where she is looking at the role of hormones in ADHD in girls and women. Her research interests encompass women's health, mental health, and paediatric health.Twitter - @AmandineSnquier

  • Ephraim Senkyire

    Master's student

    School of Nursing

    University of British Columbia

    I am a registered general nurse (major paediatrics) with more than 7 years clinical experience.  Currently, I am academic editor for PLOS ONE. Moreover, I am chair committee member for Global Alliance for Newborn Care (GLANCE).

  • anahita

    Anahita Seraji

    Undergraduate Student

    University of British Columbia

    I am a third-year Biology major at the University of British Columbia and an aspiring cardiothoracic surgeon. I have a broad range of interests, including health care, gender equity, filmmaking, and music. Currently, I am a certified First Responder, hoping to pursue paramedicine. I also recently directed and produced a film for the ConnectHer Film Festival, addressing period poverty, child marriage, and a lack of girls' education. I have a keen sense of curiosity, so my research interests have no bounds!

  • anam

    Anam Shahil

    PhD Candidate

    University of Toronto

    Anam Shahil-Feroz is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. She has received her BSc Nursing and MSc Health Policy and Management from Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. Shortly after, she began working actively within the community to address health systems issues of access, affordability and quality of healthcare services particularly in the field of maternal and child health. Her current topic of research for her Ph.D.

  • paul

    Dr. Paul Sheppard

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Neuroscience

    Western University

    My current research interests focus around astrocytes and cognition. These non-neuronal cells, best known for their roles in metabolism, structural support, and glutamate recycling, have been historically understudied. Recently, evidence has suggested they are involved in myriad behaviours and cognitive processes. My particular interests in this area are in the encoding processes of memory formation. Previous to this, my research has focused on sex differences and sex hormones in learning and memory and the underlying mechanisms therein.

  • maria

    Maria Shock

    Medical Student

    McMaster University

    Maria is a medical student at McMaster University. She completed her BSc in Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia in 2021. She was a research assistant in the Soma Lab where she was particularly interested in investigating the roles of estrogens in social behaviour. Maria assisted Cecilia Jalabert with her PhD project investigating local sex steroid synthesis in the brain.

  • alyssa

    Alyssa Smith

    PhD Candidate

    University of Waterloo

    I completed my undergraduate work in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour at McMaster University. Before that, I worked briefly as an analyst at a bank, and completed a degree in English literature.

  • somani

    Rozina Somani

    PhD Student

    University of Toronto

    I have over 25 years of experience in Nursing. Throughout my career, I have advocated tirelessly for nurses’ rights and protections, focusing especially on nurses facing workplace violence. Currently, I am doing PhD in Nursing from the University of Toronto (UofT) with a Collaborative Specialization in Global Health (CSGH). My field of study is “Critical perspectives in health and healthcare” and my PhD research focuses on “Violence in the healthcare sectors”. My PhD study aims to provide a workable, researched-based, implementable workplace violence (WPV) reporting system.

  • Maia Stelfox

    Undergraduate Student

    University of Toronto

    I am currently a third-year student pursuing a BComm with a focus in Economics, Finance and Management from the University of Toronto.I previously worked a summer intern, providing research service and data analysis services for the University of Calgary and the Dalhousie University. 

  • Tori Stranges

    PhD Candidate

    Diverse health professional dedicated to enhancing the lives of those in the queer community. My research interests include broadly, intimate partner violence related traumatic brain injury in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. I completed my undergrad and masters in concussion based practice at Brock University. I have a rich background in concussion rehab specifically in survivors of human sex trafficking.

  • Shayda

    Shayda Swann

    Graduate Student

    Medicine

    University of British Columbia

    Shayda is a graduate student at the University of British Columbia in the combined Doctor of Medicine/Doctor of Philosophy (MD/PhD) program. She has a keen interest in HIV, women’s health, and endocrinology and will be exploring the impacts of HIV infection and social factors on hormonal dysregulation and chronic disease in women living with HIV.

  • amy

    Amy Tan

    Master's student

    University of British Columbia

    My research interests lie in the field of nutrient requirements, optimal nutrition and identifying populations at increased risk of nutrient deficiency. My project focuses on vitamin B12 in pregnant women and their newborns. Vitamin B12 is important for the healthy growth and brain development in the fetus and newborn, as well as for maternal health.

  • Guadalein Tanunliong

    Graduate Student

    Guad is a graduate student in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UBC, and her graduate research is based at the BC Centre for Disease Control. Under the supervision of Dr. Inna Sekirov and Dr. Mel Krajden, she is investigating the antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 infections in prenatal women to understand how pre-existing immune responses to endemic coronaviruses can affect their immune response, as well as how these may impact perinatal outcomes. Guad completed her BSc in Biology in 2020, and her undergraduate work involved antibody and herpesvirus research.

  • Emilie

    Emilie Theberge

    Clinical Research Coordinator

    University of British Columbia

    Emilie completed her Medical Genetics MSc. at UBC in 2022 and is currently a clinical research coordinator. She is affiliated with the departments of medical genetics and cardiology under the faculty of medicine, co-supervised by Dr. Anna Lehman and Dr. Tara Sedlak. She is conducting clinical research at the intersection of sex/gender differences, genetics and cardiovascular disease and is motivated to continue her academic pursuits in research through interdisciplinary collaborations to advance her career in precision medicine.

  • Ali

    Ali Tracy

    PhD Student

    Department of Psychology

    University of British Columbia

    Ali received her B.A. (Hon’s) in Psychology in 2016 from the University of British Columbia Okanagan and is now a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Program at UBC. The overarching goal of her research is to better understand resiliency factors related to Major Depressive Disorder in order to inform intervention. She is currently examining the role of emotion regulation strategies in psychological and biological responses to stress in participants with MDD. 

  • Samantha Trevaskis

    PhD Candidate

    University College Dublin

    Samantha Trevaskis is a PhD Candidate supervised by Dr Sonya Deschênes. Samantha's research focuses on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), mental illness and health behaviours associated with the presentation of women's symptoms. Her research will utilise ecological momentary assessment to investigate the presentation of PMDD symptoms for women over the course of their menstrual cycle and use this methodology to identify which health behaviours are beneficial for women with PMDD.

  • Luzia

    Luzia Troebinger PhD

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    University College London

    Luzia Troebinger completed her PhD at the UCL Functional Imaging Laboratory under the supervision of Gareth Barnes and Sven Bestmann. While she focused quite heavily on electrophysiological data in her early career, she always had a strong interest in psychopharmacology, neuroendocrinology and their clinical applications. She initially pursued this interest during her first postdoc, which involved projects at the University of Tromso in Norway and at Goldsmiths College in London, where she studied the effects of nicotine on visual attention using EEG.

  • Sandra

    Sandra Tsoenemawu Sikanku

    PhD Student

    University of British Columbia

    Sandra Tsoenemawu Sikanku is a Ghanaian Special educator and an advocate for Persons with Disabilities with her specific interest in the education for the Visually Impaired. Currently, she is a first-year Special Education PhD student in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education in the University of British Columbia which is ranked among the world's best universities.

  • Hsing-Fen

    Hsing-Fen Tu

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Uppsala University

    Hsing-Fen is an an occupational therapist. She started her post-doctoral research in August 2023 at Uppsala University,  where she examines at perinatal mental health and child development.Publications:(1) doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03568-2 ,(2) doi.org/10.1037/dev0001362, (3) doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072839

  • Keila Turino Miranda

    Keila Turino Miranda

    PhD Student

    McGill University

    Keila Turino Miranda is a first-year PhD student at McGill University studying polycystic ovary syndrome and cardiovascular outcomes in transgender men on exogenous testosterone. Keila sits as Chair of the Young Investigator Forum of the 2023 Canadian Hypertension Congress and is active in her role in Hypertension Canada as Student Representative of the Membership Committee and Guideline Committee. Further, Keila is the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Consultant for Can-SOLVE CKD, a CIHR SPOR network. Keila completed her MSc at the University of Calgary supervised under Dr.

  • megan

    Megan Udala

    PhD Student

    Department of Psychology

    University of British Columbia

    I am a third year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia. My research has focused on forensic psychology issues, specifically focusing on discrimination in the justice system. My clinical work has focused on neuropsychology in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

  • Amy

    Dr. Amy Vassallo PhD

    Research Fellow

    George Institute for Global Health

    Dr. Amy Vassallo is a Research Fellow in the Global Women’s Health Program at the George Institute for Global Health and committed to using evidence and innovation to improve population health. Her current research focusses on understanding sex and gender based bias and data gaps in health and medical research; and implementation of evidence based approaches to address this, including policy reform.

  • Kaila Villarey

    Kaila Villarey

    Undergraduate Student

    University of British Columbia

    Fourth-year undergraduate student at UBC majoring in Microbiology and Immunology. Experienced in clinical psychological research. Currently working on a systematic review of the effect of culture on childhood cancer survivors. Previous work analyzed the correlation between Quality of Life and childhood survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). A self-motivated 1st generation Filipino student with a passion for volunteering with vulnerable populations and advocating for women’s health, permitting unique perspectives essential to research.

  • Mai

    Mai Wageh

    PhD Candidate

    McMaster University

    Mai Wageh is a second-year Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular Exercise Physiology and Muscle Aging Lab as well as the Protein Metabolism Research Lab, supervised by Dr. Gianni Parise and Dr. Stuart Phillips, respectively. Her M.Sc. work looked at multi-ingredient protein supplementation and resistance training in healthy young men and women, and the stark sex differences in the response to acute exercise led her to investigate sex differences in muscle damage as part of her current Ph.D. work.

  • kate

    Kate Wahl

    PhD Student

    Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

    University of British Columbia

    Kate Wahl is a researcher interested in new strategies for moving evidence into health policy and practice. As a PhD student in the Reproductive and Developmental Sciences program at the University of British Columbia, she uses qualitative methods to develop and evaluate approaches for sharing research evidence with stakeholders including the public, healthcare providers, and policy makers. Her current focus is on advancing the health of women and gender diverse people, and she is investigating patient decision aids, education programs, and storytelling in this context.

  • Bhairavi

    Bhairavi Warke

    PhD Student

    Simon Fraser University

    Bhairavi Warke is a PhD Student in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University. Her doctoral work focuses on Designing Interactive Self-care tools for Women experiencing Perimenopause and Menopause aimed towards real-time tracking and management of symptoms which may help in possible early detection or prevention of chronic conditions and promote overall well-being. 

  • Lianna Wat

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Dr. Lianna Wat’s research interests focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying how males and females regulate energy metabolism differently. Lianna completed her PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology in Dr. Elizabeth Rideout’s lab at the University of British Columbia. During her PhD, Lianna identified novel functions for metabolic genes and pathways that contribute to how males and females regulate fat storage differently. This work led to publications in PLoS Biology (Wat et al., 2020) and eLife (Wat et al., 2021). 

  • Xin Wen

    Xin Wen

    Research Fellow

    Royal Academy of Medicine

    My research focuses on global health challenges for women and vulnerable populations. I have published three national level articles and two national patents. I am currently the Fellow of Royal Academy of Medicine and the Royal Society of Public Health. I am also a member of the Global Health Institute of Northwestern University, USA.

  • Elise

    Elise Wiley

    Master's student

    McMaster University

    Elise completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Miami in Exercise Physiology. She is currently in the final stages of completing her MSc in Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Ada Tang. Elise’s research interests include examining sex-and gender-based differences in physiological and psychosocial markers of cardiovascular health in individuals with stroke.

  • Alexandra

    Dr. Alexandra Williams

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    University of British Columbia

    I am a clinical cardiovascular physiologist, currently a postdoctoral fellow at UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD). Although spanning a range of different conceptual approaches and methodologies, my research is increasingly focused on the investigation of sex-based differences in the autonomic control of the heart in health and disease. At ICORD, with supervisors Dr. Chris West and Dr.

  • jennifer

    Jennifer Williams

    PhD Candidate

    McMaster University

    Jennifer Williams is a PhD candidate in the Kinesiology department at McMaster University. She belongs to the Vascular Dynamics Lab, supervised by Dr. Maureen MacDonald, and focuses her research on women's cardiovascular health. Her primary research examines the short- and long-term impact of hormonal contraceptives on vascular function and structure, along with underlying regulatory mechanisms.

  • Sarah Wong

    Medical Student

    Medicine

    Sarah is currently a medical student at UBC and continues to advocate for women's health through medical student initiatives including the Women's Health Initiative and the Community Women's Initiative. Sarah completed her BSc in Behavioural Neuroscience at UBC and worked in the Galea lab (2015-2019) throughout undergrad and prior to medical school. In her free time she enjoys being outdoors rock climbing and hiking!

  • Maggie Woo Kinshella

    PhD Student, Study Coordinator

    Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

    Maggie Woo Kinshella (@MaggieWooK on Twitter) is the Global Health Research Coordinator with PRE-EMPT (PREgnancy Evidence, Monitoring, Partnerships and Treatment), IMCHA (Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa) and BEMEQ (Burden Ethnographic Modeling Evaluation Qaujilisaaqtuq) projects in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Pathology at UBC.

  • madeline

    Madeline Wood

    PhD Student

    University of Toronto

    Madeline is a PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Rabin at University of Toronto and Sunnybrook Research Institute. Her doctoral research aims to understand how sex differences risk and protective factors contribute to female vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease. Madeline's research leverages sensitive neuropsychological measures, mutlimodal neuroimaging, and longitudinal modelling to characterize early cognitive and brain changes in Alzheimer's disease.

  • Tessa

    Tessa Woodside

    Undergraduate Student

    Queen's University

    My name is Tessa Woodside, and I am an undergraduate student going into my third year of life sciences at Queens University! I am spending my second summer as a research trainee working with Drs. Sandra Dumanski and Sofia Ahmed in their lab at the University of Calgary, with the Libin Cardiovascular Institute. My primary research focus is on chronic kidney disease and its complications. However, I am especially interested in women's health and am keen on learning more!

  • Melissa

    Dr. Melissa Woodward PhD

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Department of Psychiatry

    University of British Columbia

    Melissa is an IMH Marshall postdoctoral research fellow working with Dr. Honer in the Department of Psychiatry at UBC. Her project focuses on the impact of nonfatal overdose on the brain for individuals living in precarious housing in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and the use of both retinal and brain imaging to assess microvasculature damage associated with hypoxia. Women in this cohort may be particularly at risk due to a variety of pharmacological, biological, and social factors. She completed her PhD in Neuroscience at UBC under the supervision of Dr.

  • Stephen Wright

    Dr. Stephen Wright PhD

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    School of Health and Exercise Sciences

    University of British Columbia

    Stephen is an exercise physiologist with expertise in integrative cardiopulmonary physiology. His research program focuses on cardiopulmonary hemodynamics, their relationship to exercise capacity and tolerance, and the modifying influences of sex, normal ageing, and chronic disease. Current work aims to elucidate mechanisms that regulate left atrial, pulmonary vascular, and right ventricular function, and understand how heart failure impacts lung function and contributes to dyspnea on exertion. @TheWrightHeart

  • Sandy

    Sandy Wu

    Medical Student

    Medicine

    University of British Columbia

    Sandy completed her Bachelor’s degree in Cellular, Anatomical and Physiological Sciences with Honours at the University of British Columbia. She then worked for a couple of years as a research coordinator at BC Children’s Hospital before heading back to UBC to pursue her degree in medicine. Sandy’s current research focuses on sexual pain and distress in patients with endometriosis.  

  • Joyce Xi

    Joyce Xi

    Undergraduate Student

    University of British Columbia

    Joyce Xi is a Biomedical Engineering student at the University of British Columbia. She is passionate about developing sex-specific treatments in biomedicine and applications of genetic engineering. Currently, Joyce works in Dr. Elizabeth Rideout's lab on several projects to investigate sex-linked differences in metabolism and fat storage using fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) as a model organism.  

  • shunya

    Shunya Yagi

    PhD Candidate

    Neuroscience

    University of British Columbia

    Overall objective of my research project will focus on sex difference and the effect of estrogens on adult neurogenesis and hippocampus-related cognition in rodents. Firstly, I am looking at sex differences in cognitive flexibility and the effect of estrogens on the ability of memory encoding with examining neural plasticity and learning related cell signaling pathways. Secondly, I am looking at sex differences and the role of estrogens on adult-born neurons in the dentate gyrus of hippocampus.

  • Julia Yates

    Julia Yates

    PhD Student

    Western University

    Julia Yates is a first year PhD Student at Western University whose research focuses on health-promoting behaviours of equity-deserving populations, such as women experiencing gender-based violence. As an equity researcher, my methods are grounded in an intersectional lens wherein I focus on how the various mechanisms of marginalization impact health and wellbeing.   

  • Kendra

    Kendra Zadravec

    PhD Student

    Medicine

    University of British Columbia

    Kendra is in her second year of the combined Master of Physical Therapy and PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences program supervised by Dr. Kristin Campbell. Kendra completed her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Victoria in 2018, and her Master of Science in Rehabilitation Sciences with the Clinical Exercise Physiology Lab. Her current research focuses on how to minimize the prevalence of upper limb dysfunction after breast cancer surgery using physiotherapy.

  • Dr. Kaitlin Zaki-Metias

    Dr. Kaitlin Zaki-Metias

    Diagnostic Radiology Resident

    Wayne State University School of Medicine

    Dr. Kaitlin M. Zaki-Metias is a fourth-year diagnostic radiology resident and incoming chief resident at Trinity Health Oakland Hospital/Wayne State University School of Medicine in Pontiac, Michigan. Originally from Winnipeg, MB, she currently resides in Windsor, ON with her husband and dog Henry. Following residency, Dr. Zaki-Metias will join the Breast and Abdominal Imaging fellowship program at Western University, after which she plans to return to Winnipeg for practice. Dr.

  • Angela

    Angela Zhang

    Undergraduate Student

    University of British Columbia

    Angela has finished her third year in honours Cellular, Anatomical, and Physiological Sciences at UBC. She is currently a research assistant in the Cembrowski lab at UBC, where she's using highly multiplexed fluorescent in situ hybridization to map the anterior thalamic nuclei at a single-cell, single-molecule resolution. She will be working as a data scientist during her co-op year, analyzing state-of-the-art “Big” transcriptomic data in mouse models of traumatic brain injury, and using this analysis to identify susceptible genes, pathways, and cell types.

  • Jennifer (Jia Yu)

    Jennifer (Jia Yu) Zhang

    Undergraduate Student

    School of Kinesiology

    University of British Columbia

    Jennifer is an undergraduate student at UBC currently completing her BKIN. She is currently a research study coordinator at UBC Sexual Health Research for the JUNIPER project, which is examining the differences in neural correlates of sexual response between women with and without sexual interest and arousal disorder (SIAD). She hopes that findings from this project can be utilized to inform targeted and effective treatments for SIAD. Jennifer is also a research assistant at the UBC Centre for Rural Health Research on the Rural Surgical and Obstetrical Networks project.

  • Natasha

    Natasha Zippan

    Master's student

    Department of Psychology

    Queen's University

    Natasha received her BA in Psychology with High Distinction from UBC and is currently a clinical psychology grad student at Queen’s University, working under the supervision of Dr. Meredith Chivers. She is working towards becoming a clinical psychologist specializing in sex research. Her clinical interests are sexual health, sexual dysfunctions, compulsive sexual behaviour, paraphilias, chronic illness, body dysmorphia, and depression/suicide.

  • Rebecca

    Dr. Rebecca Zivanovic

    Resident Physician

    Department of Psychiatry

    University of British Columbia

    Dr Rebecca Zivanovic is a mother, mental health clinician and clinical researcher. She works primarily in the areas of concurrent disorders and reproductive mental health - with particular interest in how reproductive health, sexual health and supported parenting can be improved for those with mental health and substance use disorders.

First Nations land acknowledegement

We acknowledge that the UBC Point Grey campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.


UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. External Link An arrow entering a square. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Menu Three horizontal lines indicating a menu. Minus A minus sign. Telephone An antique telephone. Plus A plus symbol indicating more or the ability to add. Search A magnifying glass. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service.