Our Team

Lab Coordinator

Featured

Stacie (she/her) began as a lab coordinator in September 2023. She completed her BSc with Specialized Honours in Psychology in May 2023. Her academic achievements were recognized by being awarded the Dean’s Medal for the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences. Stacie got involved with research as a research assistant for the Coping Research lab in 2021. Stacie’s research interests broadly lie in the field of neuropsychology. More specifically, she’s interested in neurodevelopmental and communication disorders, neurodiverse affirming care, inclusion, and accessibility. In conjunction with her research interest, Stacie has worked with children and youth with disabilities in various capacities for the past seven years, including as a Support Service Worker at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care and as the Coordinator of Junior Inclusion Services within the City of Thunder Bay recreational programs. Outside of work, Stacie enjoys spending time with loved ones, playing volleyball, rock climbing, and camping.

Research Coordinator

Teagan Neufeld

Research Coordinator

Teagan (She/Her) is a Métis student originally from Kenora, Ontario. She completed her BSc Honours in Behavioural Neuroscience in 2018 and her MSc in Biology in 2022. In 2021, Teagan joined Lakehead University to pursue a Specialized Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Dr. Aislin Mushquash supervises Teagan for her honours thesis, which is a qualitative examination of the acceptance of the JoyPop app in post-secondary students. She volunteered at the Coping Research Lab in 2021 and later became a research assistant and lab coordinator in 2023. Teagan's research interests include adverse childhood experiences, mental health outcomes, and adaptive coping mechanisms within the population of Northwestern Ontario, particularly Indigenous youth. In her spare time, she enjoys beading, sewing, watching movies, and playing games.

Research Coordinator

PhD Students

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Shakira Mohammed

Shakira began the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Lakehead University in 2020. Her area of research involves the investigation of vulnerability and protective factors for maladjustment in emerging adults. Shakira completed a MA in Applied Psychology at Laurentian University, where her Master’s thesis focused on the role of perfectionism and emotion dysregulation in predicting compulsive exercise. More recently, she completed a MA in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University. Her Master’s thesis evaluated explanatory factors of maladjustment in emerging adults transitioning to university, including perfectionism and a sense of mattering to others. For her dissertation research, she is particularly interested in examining the influence of a perfectionistic social environment and individual levels of perfectionism on daily experiences of maladjustment in emerging adults. Shakira’s graduate studies are supported by funds from the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program, Social Sciences Humanities Research Council Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Social Sciences Humanities Research Council Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award, and St. Joseph’s Care Group Award in Applied Health Research. Shakira is completing her doctoral clinical psychology residency training at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences with the General Adult Track and and Forensic Program. During leisure time, she enjoys the outdoors, exercising, and watching reality television.

Angela MacIsaac

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 Mann

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

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Angela Ashley

Angela (She/her) joined the MA program in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University in 2023. She completed her HBSc in Psychology: Brain & Cognition and a Minor in Neuroscience at the University of Guelph in 2020. Having been a research associate with the Family Psychology Centre in Toronto, her research interests broadly incorporate emotional coping, childhood adversity, family resiliency, and enhancing access to mental healthcare and support. Her MA thesis will largely involve analyzing the impact of an e-mental health resilience-building tool, the JoyPop app, on youth seeking mental health services in Thunder Bay. Angela was awarded the Ontario Graduate Scholarship to support her studies. Angela has also been a support worker for the last 5 years for individuals with developmental disabilities. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking new recipes, reading, and rock climbing!

Jaidyn Charlton

Jaidyn (She/her) began her graduate training in Clinical Psychology in 2022. Her research is focused on the coping methods used by certain personality traits in response to stressors. Her general interests include forensics, trauma, coping, social media, personality, childhood adversity, and encouraging well-being. Jaidyn completed her HBA at Lakehead University in 2021, also supervised by Dr. Mushquash. She has supported other research examining the JoyPop app, Indigenous mental health, and more. Outside of schoolwork, she is an avid reader and storyteller.

Izzy Malik

Ishaq (Izzy) Malik began the masters of Clinical Psychology program at Lakehead University in 2022 and is under the supervision of Dr. Aislin Mushquash in the Coping Research Lab. His research currently focuses on implementing and evaluating innovative e-mental health interventions to support adaptive coping. Specific interests center around evaluating the quality, usability, acceptance, and satisfaction of mobile mental health apps and examining the associations between personality, e-mental health interventions, coping, and mental health. Izzy was awarded the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) - Canada Graduate Master’s Scholarship in 2023. He is also a Fellow Member of The Digital, Inclusive, Virtual, and Equitable Research Training (DIVERT) in Mental Health Platform. In his spare time, Izzy enjoys playing tennis, cooking, reading, and caring for his dog.

Karin Onno

Karin is in the MA Program in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University. Broadly, her research interests involve investigating how individual differences and situational factors relate to the development, maintenance, and treatment of internalizing disorders. In her MA thesis project she will investigate how forgiveness may affect the association between past childhood adversity and mental health difficulties in adulthood.

Undergraduate Students

Featured

Research Assistant

Mackenzie (Kenzie) McQueen

Research Assistant

Kenzie is in the Specialized Honours program in Psychology (HBA) at Lakehead University. She began as a volunteer research assistant in the lab in 2023. Her areas of interest are personality psychology, psychopathology, forensic psychology, and trauma psychology. In her spare time Kenzie enjoys reading, listening to Taylor Swift, spending time with friends, and her dog Charlie.

Research Assistant

Jen Wyman

Research Assistant

In May 2023, Jennifer completed her Specialized HBA in Psychology, earning first-class standing in her undergraduate studies. She was awarded the Mettler Toledo scholarship for her entire undergraduate degree, which was tied to her father’s work – a scholarship that had not been granted for 10 years. Her main research interests include mental health and wellness, addictions, trauma, coping, mood/anxiety disorders, and other psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Jennifer began as a volunteer research assistant in the lab in 2023. She is working towards her goal of obtaining a Master’s degree and eventually a Ph.D. Beyond her academic pursuits, she hopes to open a private practice in the future. When she is not working, volunteering, or participating in research she enjoys spending time with loved ones and pets, listening to music or spending time outdoors.

Research Assistant

Amelia Traer

Research Assistant

Amelia began the undergraduate psychology program at Lakehead University in 2021. She became involved as a research assistant in the Coping Research Lab in February of 2023. Her areas of interest include Indigenous health & well-being, coping, neuropsychology, mental health interventions, and personality. Amelia's commitment to her education is underpinned by the invaluable support from the Métis Nation of Ontario Post-Secondary Education Support Program and the Indspire: Building Brighter Futures Program. She has been recognized for her academic achievements, having been named to both the Dean's List (Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences) and President's List. In her free time, she enjoys kayaking, cross-country skiing, and spending time with her dog.

Research Assistant

Claire Breton-Di-Paolo

Research Assistant

Claire is an HBA student in Psychology at Lakehead University. She is currently a volunteer research assistant in the lab. Her areas of interest include adverse childhood experiences, eating disorders, addiction, health psychology and much more. Outside of school, Claire enjoys playing guitar, dancing, swimming and just being outdoors

Research Assistant

Melinda D'Souza

Research Assistant

Melinda began the HBA in Psychology (Specialized) Program in 2021. Currently, she is a volunteer research assistant for the Joypop study. She hopes to broaden her understanding of research within Psychology by volunteering at the lab. Her research interests include mood regulation, the impact of the environment on schema formation, interpersonal relationships and coping strategies. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and crocheting.

Research Assistant

Lab Alumni

Completed Theses