People

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2023 Hearts and Minds Lab

Lab Knowledge Exchange Retreat  

Lab yoga at The Forks — Summer 2020

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Principal Investigators

Leslie E. Roos, PhD – Clinical Psychology –CV
Ryan J. Giuliano, PhD – Cognitive Neuroscience – CV

   

Dr. Leslie E. Roos is an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba, with appointments in Psychology and Pediatrics. She aims to prevent the intergenerational transmission of stress-linked health inequities by developing scalable programs that promote parent mental health and family relationships. In her basic science research, Dr. Roos takes a multi-modal approach across neurobiology, cognitive function, and parent-child observation methods to identify opportunities to improve program efficacy. Dr. Roos also consults on program evaluation with local agencies and international teams to advance community-sourced solutions for stress-exposed families, starting in the prenatal period. Dr. Roos completed her clinical residency at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto and received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oregon (2018). She is Junior Fellow at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, Affiliated Researcher with the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba and Chair of the Academic Research Committee at the Until the Last Child Foundation. As a mother of two young children, Dr. Roos is also familiar with many parenting challenges and continually impressed with the incredible effort families put forward every day.

Dr. Ryan J. Giuliano is an Associate Professor at the University of Manitoba in the Department of Psychology. Ryan’s work emphasizes the interplay between neurocognitive function and peripheral measures of stress physiology. To this end, Dr. Giuliano primarily uses electrophysiological measures of neural activity (electroencephalography, EEG) and cardiac activity (electrocardiography, ECG; impedance cardiography, ICG) to elucidate individual differences in behaviour and brain function as a function of stress. In this work, stress is examined both in terms of chronic and acute stress, measured through a combination of self- or parent-reported experiences with various stressors and adverse circumstances, as well as through laboratory inductions of concurrent stress. Dr. Giuliano is also a proud advocate for scientific outreach and prioritizes disseminating results from the latest findings in developmental science and cognitive neuroscience in public-friendly talks aimed at non-experts given around the local community.

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Graduate Students

Allie Conway

Allie is in her first year of her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Manitoba, where she also received her Masters degree in School Psychology. She uses her personal and professional experience to guide her research which focuses on adolescent ADHD, family stress, and family quality of life. Outside of work, Allie enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing video games, and spending time outdoors.

 

Cici Guo

Cici is in the final year of her Master’s in clinical psychology. Her thesis focuses on relations between sensitive parenting and maternal mental health symptoms such as depression, sleep, and anger. Cici has an interest in family and relationship science. Particularly, considering the role of attachment and mental health in parent-child relationships and subsequent peer-child relationships across youth development. In her spare time, Cici enjoys reading, hiking, travelling, and spending time with her pets.

Sandra Hunter

Sandra is an Indigenous mother and grandmother who is in the second year of her PhD in Clinical Psychology. She has extensive experience working with parents and families in various forms and feels passionate about working in both group and individual settings. Sandra’s MA and PhD research involves traditional Indigenous parenting practices in Manitoba with the goal of increasing cultural identity and well-being for Indigenous families and communities. Sandra believes in focusing on the substantial value of intergenerational relationships and building support for promoting healthy families.

Kayla Joyce

Kayla is in the third year of her PhD in Clinical Psychology. Her research focuses on identifying the unmet program needs of postpartum mothers with concurrent substance use and mental health concerns, an understudied and highly stigmatized population. Kayla’s dissertation focused on the development of evidence-based programs addressing the self-identified needs of postpartum mothers with concurrent substance use and mental health concerns. Outside of university, you will likely spot Kayla tending to her beloved cats and the kittens she fosters.

Sydney Levasseur-Puhach

Sydney was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is Anishinaabe and a member of Sandy Bay First Nation. Sydney completed her Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Psychology in 2021 and is currently a PhD Student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Manitoba. Her research interests centre around Indigenous child and family wellbeing.

 

Bobby McHardy

Bobby is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology. Under the supervision of Dr. Leslie E. Roos, Bobby’s research interests include clinical trials, research-policy connections, family mental health, and the broader impacts of family mental health programming on health and equity. Outside of his academics, Bobby enjoys distance running, playing the guitar, and spending time with family.

 

Meghan Mollons

Meghan is in her third year of the MA School Psychology program. Her research interests include supporting Indigenous mental health, and family and community wellbeing. Her Master’s research is on Indigenous family experiences with school psychologists, with specific attention on barriers and facilitators, with the aim to improve service access for Indigenous families.

 

 

Chhavvy Narendra

Chhavvy is in her second year of the Developmental Psychology PhD program at the University of Manitoba. She recently completed her Master’s in Developmental Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Ryan Giuliano. Her research interests involve understanding the impacts of stress and stress buffering on caregiver-child psychophysiology and self-reported experiences. Through her dissertation research, she hopes to examine whether parent neurobiological responsivity to their children’s distress predicts later sensitive behaviour. Outside of school, Chhavvy enjoys listening to music in various languages, travelling, and spending time with family, friends, and her dog, Archie.

Shayna Pierce

Shayna is a Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Manitoba with a background in psychology, biology, and health studies. Currently, her research interests involve determining the unmet mental health support needs of women experiencing perinatal mental health concerns related to prior traumatic birth experiences and perinatal loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal loss). Shayna’s long-term career goals as a Clinical Psychologist are to inform the development of medical practice guidelines for perinatal mental health screening and integration of perinatal mental health services into primary perinatal care. When not doing school-related activities, Shayna enjoys spending time travelling, hiking, or camping with friends.

Kaeley Simpson

Kaeley has a Master’s degree in School Psychology and is in her third year of the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at the University of Manitoba. Kaeley’s research aims to improve child, parent, and family well-being through developing innovative mental health interventions. She has a particular interest in ehealth, app, and digital health interventions.

Mohammad Soleyman Nejad

Mohammad, a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of Manitoba, holds an M.Sc. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Sapienza University in Rome, Italy. He began his academic journey in his hometown in Iran, earning a B.A. in Psychology. His previous research has primarily centered on social psychology and social neuroscience, with his Master’s thesis exploring the neuroaesthetics of social interactions. Currently, he is engaged in research using electroencephalography (EEG) and conducting cardiac measurements via electrocardiography (ECG) and impedance cardiography (ICG) to investigate how individual variations in behavior and brain function are connected to stress.

Shaelyn Stienwandt

Shaelyn is in the final stages of the Clinical Psychology PhD Program and recently finished her residency at Health Sciences Centre working with children, adolescents, families, and adults. Her research aims  to advance child mental health outcomes through understanding the impact of family stress and developing evidence-based family-centered interventions. Outside of work, she enjoys all things outdoors including backcountry canoeing, camping, cross country skiing, cycling, and snowboarding.

Nicole Tongol

Nicole is in her second year of the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at the University of Manitoba. Her research interests include immigrant family mental health and barriers to family well-being and service access, particularly within the Filipino community. Nicole enjoys playing with her cat, crocheting, playing her ukulele, and gaming with friends.

 

Harleen Gill

Harleen is in her second year of the Clinical Psychology Master’s program. Broadly, her research interests include early intervention, intergenerational transmission of risk, and depression in children and youth. She especially enjoys focusing on the experiences of visible minorities. In her spare time, Harleen likes to read and spend time at the beach or on the water.

Madissen Sitka

Madissen is in her second year of the MA program in clinical psychology. Her research focuses on stress physiology and how wearable technology can be used to create physiologically informed mental health interventions. Outside of the lab Madi enjoys spending time outside hiking, running and at the dog park!

 

Kyla Wiens

Kyla is in her first year of the MA program in clinical psychology. Her research focuses on family mental wellness and expanding access to care through eHealth programs. Outside of the lab Kyla enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and thrifting.

 

Morgan Hanson-Oliveira

Morgan is in her first year of the MA program in clinical psychology. Her research focuses on mental health service accessibility in northern rural and remote communities, and Indigenous family mental health. In addition to her research, she enjoys reading romance novels, watching movies with her family, and going to local events with friends.

 

Madison Young

Madison is in her first year of the MA Clinical Psychology program and previously completed a Master’s in Counselling Psychology. Her research experience is in child development. She is a member of O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation and enjoys hiking, traveling, and exploring new places with family and friends.

 

Affiliated Graduate Students

Lara Penner-Goeke

Lara is a first-year student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of Manitoba. She completed her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Jen Theule in 2023.  Lara has been a team member of the Hearts and Minds Lab for several years and currently works as a project coordinator for the BRIDGE Project. Her research interests include parent-child relationships, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and evaluating interventions to increase family well-being.

Allyson Paton

Allyson obtained her Honours degree in Psychology at the University of Manitoba. She has been with the Hearts and Minds lab since 2019 and started as the lab coordinator in Summer of 2021. Her previous research focused on adapting a stressor paradigm for use in virtual settings and the impact of maternal depression on children’s stress system reactivity and recovery. Her research interests include the impact of childhood adversity on development and the intergenerational impacts of mental health.

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Lab Coordinators

Viviana Burgos

Viviana is a research assistant at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba working under the supervision of Dr. Leslie Roos. With a postgraduate degree in Medical and Health Psychology and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she is passionate about empowering individuals to live fulfilling lives despite health challenges. Experience in psychological assessment and supporting children and adults managing chronic illnesses. Her future plans include pursue a master’s and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology to further elevate the role of psychology in improving healthcare and patient outcomes.

Tia Alsaidi

Tia recently graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a B.A. Hons degree in Psychology. She has been with the Hearts and Minds lab since Fall 2023 and started as a research coordinator in Summer 2024. Her research interests involve addressing the needs of underrepresented populations within Canada through the implementation of eMental Health interventions.

Lab Alumni

Lindsay Berard

Lindsay is a PhD Candidate in the Clinical Psychology program. Working under the advisement of Dr. Corey Mackenzie, Lindsay’s research has explored the process of psychological help-seeking, to better understand when and how individuals come into the mental health system, to identify ways the health system can better support individual needs. Within the Hearts and Minds Lab, Lindsay has contributed to the development and facilitation of the parent skills training programs. A mom herself, Lindsay is passionate about working with mothers and parents to enable them to access the support they need during the perinatal period and while navigating the changes and challenges that come during parenthood.

Tasmia Hai

Dr. Tasmia Hai is an Assistant Professor in the Educational and Counselling Psychology program at McGill University. She is also a school and clinical psychologist. Tasmia completed her post-doctoral fellowship under Dr. Leslie Roos’ supervision, supporting parent mental health programs and is currently one of the senior clinicians for the BRIDGE program. Her program of research is centered on the exploration of the neurobiological and behavioural correlates of childhood disorders.

Charlie Rioux 

Dr. Charlie Rioux was a postdoctoral fellow in the Hearts and Minds Lab in 2021-2022 under the supervision of Dr. Roos, working on the BEAM program. She then joined the University of Oklahoma as an assistant professor and is now the director of the PEANUTs Lab. She conducts interdisciplinary developmental research examining contextual, individual, and developmental factors associated with mental health from the prenatal period to adulthood. She also does methodological research aiming to contribute to the accessibility of state-of-the-art developmental research methods and improved science communication.

Rachel Roy 

Rachel completed her Masters degree in School Psychology at the University of Manitoba under the supervision of Dr. Leslie Roos and Dr. Janine Montgomery in 2023. Rachel’s masters research focused on the mental health experience of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Specifically, facilitators and barriers to mental health service use in a sample of Manitoban parents. Rachel currently works as a School Psychologist in a school division within Manitoba in addition to providing psychoeducational assessment for children and adolescents in private practice. Rachel is dedicated to helping children and adolescents thrive and achieve a positive school experience.

Marlee Salisbury 

Her primary research interest is in understanding how early life stress affects social-emotional development and attachment, particularly in children who are at risk for intergenerational trauma and mental illness. The long-term goal of Marlee’s research is to inform clinical practice and interventions for managing the psychological impact of chronic stress in early life. Aside from her clinical research, Marlee is a self-professed cat lady and professional thrifter! 

Kayley Leurquin

Kayley has completed her Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Psychology in 2023 and will be continuing her studies as a master’s student in Clinical Psychology starting in the Fall 2025 term. Kayley began working with the Hearts and Minds Lab in 2021, and has primarily been involved as a coordinator for PRIME and the BRIDGE Project. Her research interests include executive function, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, child and family wellbeing, and improving mental health service accessibility. In her spare time, Kayley enjoys camping, hiking, and crafting with her friends.

Cynthia Cote

Cynthia is a research coordinator at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba under the supervision of Dr. Leslie Roos. Cynthia is passionate about supporting family mental health and is currently involved in projects investigating app-based mental health supports (BEAM), innovative e-health supports (PRIME), and stress and stress recovery measured using EEG and ECG technology (BOSS). Her future plans include obtaining her Master’s and Phd in Clinical Psychology to ultimately support family wellness.

Rachel Cluett

Rachel obtained her Psychology (Hons.) degree in 2024. She has been with the Hearts and Minds lab since 2021 and started as a lab coordinator in Spring of 2023. She will be continuing her studies as a master’s student in Clinical Psychology at McGill in Fall 2025. Rachel’s research interests include stress neuroimaging, forensics, and e-health interventions for intergenerational mental health. Outside of work you can find her traveling, taking photos, or playing with her pets.

Lauren Kaminski  

Emily Cameron

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Undergraduate Honours Students & Award Recipients

Aimée McGillis (Undergraduate Research Award recipient) 

Rachel Cluett (Undergraduate Research Award recipient) 

Madi Sitka (Undergraduate Research Award recipient) 

Hayley Turner (Undergraduate Research Award recipient) 

Madeline Belows (Undergraduate Research Award recipient) 

Lakin Rose

Liam Neufeld

Sabhyam Kafle

Manoela Mallmann

Claire Robinson

Emma Papoff

Loveleen Mathode

Roxanne Ross 

Jena Krahn 

Bhavya Arora 

Jessica Trainor 

Kaitlin Loran  

Kate Addison 

Kyla Wiens 

Tia Alsaidi 

Morgan Hanson-Oliveira 

Jena Barscello 

Serena Zaenali 

Micah Parker  

Jasmine Pomrenke

Aiden Phillips

Enameka Parhar 

Avaline Konkin 

Julia Hall 

Angela Jagnyziak 

Ragheeba Khan 

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Undergraduate Honours Alumni  

Ashley Allan (Honours 2020) 

Heidi Barkman (Honours 2020) 

Lynette Bonin (Honours 2020) 

Daniella Castro (Honours 2020) 

Carly McFall (Honours 2020) 

Chantal Delaquis (Honours 2020; Undergraduate Research Award recipient) 

Alanna Beyak (Honours 2021) 

Barbie Jain (Honours 2021) 

Elbereth Luo (Honours 2021 with Dr. Toby Martin; Emerging Leader Award recipient) 

Braeden Mitchell (Honours 2021) 

Chhavvy Narendra (Honours 2021) 

Julia Sulymka (Honours 2021) 

Trevyna William (Honours 2021) 

Karen Ng (PURE Award recipient; Honours 2022) 

Allyson Paton (Honours 2021; Undergraduate Research Award recipient) 

Kailey Penner (Honours 2021)  

Danial Peirson (Honours 2022) 

Sherry Peters (Honour 2022) 

Thomas Rawliuk (Honours 2022) 

Samantha Steele-Mitchell (Honors 2022) 

Louise Andrea Torre (Honours 2022) 

Gillian Zinko (Honours 2022) 

Janelle Bobula (Undergraduate Research Award recipient, Honours 2023) 

Caelan Budhoo (Honours 2022) 

Cynthia Cote (Undergraduate Research Award recipient, Honours 2023) 

Victoria Gutscher (Honours 2022) 

Diana Prince (Honours 2022) 

Kaitlin Zeiler (Honours 2022) 

Amanda Kristjanson (Honours 2023) 

Rohit Gupta (Honours 2023) 

Meghan Cowley (Honours 2023) 

Nadine Maranan 

Kathryn Rollins (Undergraduate Research Award recipient)