Our Team
Lab Coordinator
Kenzie (she/her) started as lab/research coordinator in April 2025 after completing her Specialized HBA with in Psychology, Minor in Philosophy. She began as a volunteer research assistant in the lab in 2023 and completed her undergraduate honours thesis with Dr. Aislin Mushquash in 2024/2025. Her research interests include interpersonal relationships, intimate partner and domestic violence, intimate relationships, trauma, and coping. Outside of work, Kenzie enjoys reading, spending time with her dog, making jewelry, watching Critical Role, and listening to Taylor Swift.
PhD Students
Angela (She/her) began the Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University in 2025. Her research focuses on the role of digital mHealth tools in promoting youth and family mental health, emotion co-regulation, and coping. Prior to this, she also completed her MA in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University under the supervision of Dr. Mushquash. Her MA research focused on implementing and assessing the impact of a resilience-building and coping mHealth app, JoyPop, as an adjunct tool for youth clients receiving mental health services. Her research has been supported through CGS-M CIHR funding, and she is a Fellow with The Digital, Inclusive, Virtual, and Equitable Research Training in Mental Health Platform (DIVERT Mental Health). For 5 years, Angela also worked with individuals with developmental disabilities as a support worker. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking/baking new recipes, reading, and rock climbing!
Jaidyn began her PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2024. Her overall research umbrella is focused on the coping methods used by dark personality traits in response to stressors. Her research and clinical interests include forensics/law, coping, the internet, personality, childhood adversity/trauma, and encouraging well-being. Jaidyn completed her HBA in 2021 and MA in 2024, all supervised by Dr. Mushquash at Lakehead University. She was previously awarded the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council - Canada Graduate Master's Scholarship and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Her doctoral research is currently supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council - Doctoral Fellowship. She has experience with other research examining the JoyPop app, Indigenous mental health, and more. Outside of academia, she is an avid reader and story writer, and usually has some kind of oldies or musical ambience playing
Izzy began the PhD program in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University in 2024. Prior to that, he also completed his Master’s degree under the supervision of Dr. Mushquash. His research focuses on the implementation and evaluation of innovative e-mental health interventions, such as mobile apps and generative artificial intelligence, aimed at supporting adaptive coping and well-being. Izzy is also a Fellow of the Digital, Inclusive, Virtual, and Equitable Research Training (DIVERT) in Mental Health Platform. In addition to his research, Izzy is passionate about mentoring and co-supervising undergraduate students. Outside of academia, he is an avid tennis player, enjoys reading about topics beyond psychology (such as history), and cherishes spending time with his partner, dog, and family.
Angela began the PhD program in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University in 2020. Prior to that, she also completed her Master’s degree under the supervision of Dr. Mushquash. Her MA thesis examined the benefits of journaling using a smartphone app, and she has also been involved in evaluating this smartphone app as a resilience-promoting tool more generally. Her doctoral research focuses on victimhood as a personality trait and its relationship to perceptions of trauma, daily interpersonal stress, and PTSD symptoms. She is also interested in teaching and has taught PSYC-3018 - Psychological Disorders in Adulthood at the undergraduate level. Angela’s graduate studies are supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. She has previously been supported by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship.
Vamika began the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Lakehead University in 2022. Her area of research involves investigating the effectiveness of a mental health and well-being-focused smartphone app for emerging adults. Vamika completed her Master’s in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University in 2022. Her Master’s thesis focused on the role of stress and coping in the relationship between childhood adversity and alcohol outcomes among emerging adults. The Ontario Graduate Scholarship supports Vamika’s current graduate studies. Her work has previously been funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Vamika has clinical experience in psychoeducational assessments with children and youth and assessment and intervention with adults.
MA Students
Kati (she/her) joined the MA Clinical Psychology program at Lakehead University in 2025. She completed an Honours BSc in Psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2024. Her MA thesis will examine whether social media use functions as an effective coping mechanism for acute stress recovery, and whether its effectiveness depends on active versus passive use. She is currently supported by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and was recently appointed as a general committee member on the CPA's Section for Students in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Kati's other research interests include the evaluation and effective implementation of digital mental health tools, the role of peer support in chronic pain, and the transdiagnostic applicability of DBT. Outside of academics, Kati enjoys making collages, playing board and video games, and spending time with her cat, Wiggler.
Amy joined the MA Clinical Psychology Program at Lakehead University in 2024. She completed an Honours BSc specializing in Psychology at York University in 2021. Her MA thesis will be examining Canadian educators’ (K-12) openness to use digital mental health tools inside and outside of the classroom. Amy was awarded the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)- Canada Graduate Master’s Scholarship in 2025 and the St. Joseph’s Care Group Award in Applied Health Research. She has previously been supported by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Amy’s other research interests include, emotion regulation, chronic pain, adolescent and young adult mental health, and maternal health. In her spare time, Amy loves to read novels, crochet, bike ride, go to concerts, and spend time with her cat Sammy.
Teagan (she/her) is an Indigenous graduate student from Kenora, Ontario. She began training in Clinical Psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Aislin Mushquash in 2024. She holds a HBSc in Behavioural Neuroscience (2018) and an MSc in Biology (2022) from Laurentian University, as well as a Specialized HBA in Psychology from Lakehead University (2024). Her HBA thesis, supervised by Dr. Aislin Mushquash, examined the acceptance of the JoyPop™ app among post-secondary students through a qualitative approach and received recognition of academic excellence from the Canadian Psychological Association. Teagan’s research interests focus on adaptive coping mechanisms, childhood adversity, and the evaluation and integration of mHealth tools. Outside of her academic pursuits, Teagan enjoys beading, sewing, watching movies, and playing video and board games.
Undergraduate Students
Brooklyn is in her fourth year of HBSc Psych and Bed, and is completing her undergraduate Honours Thesis with Dr. Aislin Mushquash and co-supervisor Ishaq Malik this 2025/2026 academic year. She started as a research assistant doing qualitative coding for research from Children’s Centre Thunder Bay during the 2024/2025 academic year. Her research interests include personality traits, emotion regulation, ACEs, gambling motives, and problem online sports betting. Brooklyn has lots of other practical experiences, including a research opportunity course in Dr. James Kryklywy's lab, Psi-Chi membership, volunteering for Let's Talk Science, and is currently the President of Lakehead University's Women in Sports Association (WISA.) Outside of work and school, Brooklyn enjoys hiking, dancing, and playing piano.