Asia Akther
Asia (pronounced Aaazia) is a second-year PhD candidate in Epidemiology at the School of Epidemiology and Public Health (SEPH), under the supervision of Dr. Tara Elton-Marshall and Dr. Ian Colman. She holds an Honours BSc in Neuroscience and Mental Health from Carleton University, with dual minors in Psychology and Statistics. Her research interests lie in psychiatric epidemiology, with a particular focus on mental health, substance use, and behavioural addictions among equity-deserving populations. Outside of academia, Asia is an avid traveller and self-proclaimed shopaholic.
Brianna Frangione
Brianna Frangione is a PhD Candidate in Epidemiology at the University of Ottawa with research interests in occupational and environmental determinants of health. She holds a BSc in Health Sciences from Carleton University. Her doctoral research focuses on the association between occupational exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation and dementia among Canadian nuclear power plant workers. Her research is supported by a Canadian Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award from the Canadian Institute of Health Research.
Dawn Blair
Dawn is a PhD candidate in the uOttawa School of Epidemiology and Public Health. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Aberdeen (2019) and an Honours BSc in Biomedical Sciences from uOttawa (2017). Her current PhD research investigates how neighbourhood social cohesion can modify the relationship between stress and mental health outcomes using data from Canadian and international longitudinal studies. Dawn also works as an epidemiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada where she’s done research on family violence, mental health, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond research, Dawn spends most of the rest of her time eating vegetarian pizza, exercising, playing sudoku, and hanging out with her dog and cats.
Emma Bastidas-Burley
Emma completed her BSc at Trent University in Forensic Science and is currently enrolled in the Master’s of Epidemiology program at the University of Ottawa. Her thesis focuses on the mental health exacerbations due to wildfire smoke exposure and on potential disproportionally impacted populations.
Lia Hsueh
Lia Hsueh is an undergraduate Biomedical Science student at the University of Ottawa. She has been involved with the lab since 2023 and recently completed an honours thesis examining the association between body image and subjective social status in high school students. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, swimming, and trying new recipes.
Nicole Hammond
Nicole is a PhD candidate in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa, and a research trainee in the APEAL laboratory. Nicole has a diverse educational background, having obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law & Psychology (2010) and Masters in Experimental Psychology (2012) at Carleton University, followed by a Masters of Science in Epidemiology & Community Medicine (2018) at the University of Ottawa, before pursuing her PhD. Nicole also has a varied research and professional work history, which she believes equips her with a unique skillset to contribute to advancing the field of Psychiatric Epidemiology. Nicole’s doctoral research focuses on family-level risk and protective factors for suicidal behaviours among Canadian adolescents, and is funded by a Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Saguna Katyal
Saguna Katyal (she/her) is a 2nd year MSc Epidemiology student, co-supervised by Dr. Ian Colman and Dr. Marco Solmi. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science with a Minor in Psychology. Her research focuses on mental health and lifestyle patterns, specifically the link between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and sleep patterns among young adults. Outside of lab, she likes to go hiking, shopping, and explore new cultures and cuisines
Sara Siddiqi
Sara is a PhD Candidate in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health and APEAL laboratory. She has a MSc in Neuroscience and Bachelor of Health Sciences from Carleton University. Her work in neuroscience evaluated the role of ethno-racial factors in Parkinson’s Disease prevalence and advocated for diversity in research. She hopes to bring a unique background with neuroscience, biomedical sciences, and equity work to the field of Epidemiology. Also supervised by Dr. Jess Fiedorowicz, Head and Chief of the Department of Mental Health at The Ottawa Hospital, Sara’s doctoral thesis will investigate the relationship between mental disorders and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Outside of the lab she enjoys baking, hiking, and skating!
Shannon Thompson
Shannon is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Ian Colman’s APEAL laboratory. She holds a B.Sc in Behaviour, Cognition and Neuroscience from the University of Windsor, and an M.Sc in Neuroscience from the University of Ottawa. In her master’s work, Shannon investigated hippocampal postnatal neurogenesis and its association with the cognitive impairments affecting Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patients. Under the supervision of Dr. Michael Martin, Manager of the Mental Health Epidemiology branch at Correctional Services Canada (Adjunct Professor, University of Ottawa; APEAL alumni), Shannon’s doctoral research will be to evaluate suicidality in Canadian Federal Penitentiaries
Vangel Matic
Vangel is a 2nd year MSc Epidemiology student. He previously completed a BSc and MSc in Neuroscience at Western University. His MSc Research Project is investigating the moderating role of school connectedness on adolescent mental health following exposure to adversity. Outside of research, Vangel enjoys playing music, riding bicycles, and cooking.
