Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Lab Alumni

Dr. Erin Browne completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology while working at the Health Psychology Lab. Prior to joining our lab, she completed her M.Sc. in Health Psychology at the University of Northern British Columbia where she worked with Dr. Kenneth Prkachin who is a widely recognized authority in non-verbal pain expressions. Her graduate work has been supported, in part, through a national fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Browne has published in this area and has taught university level Health Psychology. During the summer of 2016 she represented our lab at the national workshop on innovation (organised by the AGE WELL Network of National Centres of Excellence) where she won first prize in the one-minute pitch competition. Following the completion of her doctorate, she obtained employment as a psychologist with Creative Therapy Consultants in Prince George, British Columbia.

Dr. Theresa Dever Fitzgerald was accepted to our graduate program in Clinical Psychology after completing her honour’s thesis at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton under the supervision of Dr. Diane LaChapelle. She started her work at the Health Psychology Laboratory funded by a CIHR summer studentship and has since been awarded an SGI Graduate Fellowship in Aging and Health which supported her Master’s studies and a CIHR Doctoral Award for her dissertation work. Her work has been widely presented in the peer reviewed literature and scientific meetings. Following the completion of her dissertation, focusing on falls in older persons, she obtained employment at the St. John Psychology Centre (SJPC).

Dr. Heather Eritz completed her studies at the Health Psychology Lab. She started her work at the Health Psychology Laboratory funded by a CIHR summer studentship. Her work has been published in the peer-reviewed literature and her doctoral studies were funded, in part, through an Alzheimer Society of Canada doctoral fellowship. Following the completion of her studies she obtained a Psychologist position with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region.

Dr. Shannon Fuchs-Lacelle completed her Master’s and Ph.D. research (clinical psychology) at the Health Psychology Laboratory (2007). Her Master’s thesis was entitled “Development of a Pain Checklist for Older Adults with Dementia”. Her Ph.D. dissertation was entitled “Pain and Dementia: The Effects of Systematic Assessment on Clinical Practices and Caregiver Stress”. During her studies she was awarded a doctoral fellowship from the Alzheimer Society of Canada (declined), as well as a fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Dr. Fuchs-Lacelle has co-authored a book chapter on the communication of pain, as well as peer- reviewed papers on ethical issues and on pain assessment among seniors. Moreover, she has presented her work at a variety of conferences. She has also served as President of the Psychology Graduate Students Association. Following the completion of her Ph.D. work, she accepted a Clinical Psychologist position at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre in Regina.

Dr. Michelle Gagnon joined the Health Psychology Laboratory after completing her Honours (B.A.) degree at the University of Ottawa. Her Master’s research, focusing on pain in older persons, was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). She completed her doctoral studies in clinical psychology, funded by a prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, and has published several articles in the peer reviewed literature. Fluent in both English and French, Ms. Gagnon has also served as Chair of the Student Section of the Canadian Psychological Association.  Following her graduation, she obtained an appointment as Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon).

Dr. Natasha Gallant, a fluently bilingual scholar, completed her doctoral studies in clinical psychology at the Health Psychology Lab. She was admitted into our clinical psychology graduate program after completing her honours psychology degree at Huron College, University of Western Ontario. As an undergaduate student, Ms. Gallant pursued research on pain phenomena which provided excellent preparation for her graduate work at the Health Psychology Laboratory. She completed her Master’s thesis while investigating the role of social support in the pain experience of older adults. Her doctoral dissertation focused on implementation science related to barriers and facilitators in the adoption of advanced technologies for pain assessment in long-term care. Her graduate work was funded, in part, by fellowships from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.  In her spare time Dr. Gallant enjoys playing piano and the guitar. Following the completion of her studies, she became employed as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Regina.

Dr. Omeed Ghandehari came to the health psychology lab after completing his undergraduate degree at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He completed both his Master’s and doctoral theses on topics pertaining to pain in older adults.  During his studies he was funded through a variety of sources including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). His work has been published and presented in national and international conferences. Following his training at our lab, he obtained a psychologist position with the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) where he later served as Director of Training of the NSHA-Annapolis Valley Psychology Residency Program.

Dr. Sheryl Green completed her Ph.D. (clinical psychology) research at the Health Psychology Lab in the fall of 2006. The title of her dissertation was “Psychosocial Pain Management Interventions for Seniors: Theoretically and Empirically Derived Predictors of Change”. Dr. Green has published several scientific papers in the areas of pain assessment, ethics and neuroscience and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario. Following the completion of her dissertation, Dr. Green accepted the positions of Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University and Faculty Supervisor at the Clinical Psychology Residency Program, St. Joseph’s Health Care. In 2012, she published (with McCabe and Soares) a book entitled Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Menopause (New Harbinger Publications Inc.)

Dr. Amy Hampton was accepted into the clinical psychology program following the completion of her honours degree at the University of Calgary. She is interested in the role of emotional regulation in the pain experience. Her work has been published in the peer reviewed literature and has been presented at a variety of conferences. Dr. Hampton is an avid runner (5 km in 22 minutes) and the undisputed winner of the 2014 fundraiser run to fight depression that was organized by graduate students in our department. She has been an active lifestyle role model for all of us in the lab.  Following the completion of her dissertation at the Health Psychology Laboratory, she obtained employment as a Psychologist for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (Regina Mental Health Services).

Dr. Paulette Hunter completed her Master’s thesis and Ph.D. dissertation research at the Health Psychology Laboratory. Her Master’s thesis (2007 Winner of the Psychological Society of Saskatchewan Master’s Thesis Award) was entitled “A Clinical Trial Evaluation of a Pain Management Program for Seniors with Dementia”. Her doctoral research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and was titled “An empirical study of health providers’ beliefs about personhood in dementia and their influence on intended patient care”. Dr. Hunter was also the 2008 recipient of the Donald Menzies Bursary from the Canadian Association on Gerontology (CAG).  Following her completion of her work at the Health Psychology Laboratory, she was appointed Assistant Professor of Psychology, St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Diane LaChapelle completed her Master’s and Ph.D. research at the Health Psychology Laboratory. The title of her dissertation was “An Investigation of Pain and its Psychosocial Consequences: Examining the Impact of Age and Coping Style” (2002 – 2003 winner of the Saskatchewan Psychological Society’s Dissertation Award). The focus of her Master’s thesis was on pain assessment among young adults with limited ability to communicate. During her graduate studies at the University of Regina, Dr. LaChapelle has been supported by a competitive Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada doctoral fellowship and numerous other smaller scholarships. She also won numerous academic awards and distinctions (e.g., provincial award for best Master’s thesis in psychology, Senior Women Academic Administrators’ Award, Jillings Award for Excellent Performance During a Psychology Internship) and is a founding member and Past President of the Psychology Graduate Students Association. During her years at the Health Psychology Lab, Dr. LaChapelle authored/co-authored over ten peer reviewed papers and several conference presentations. Following the completion of her dissertation she accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton.

Website: http://www.rehabilitationpsychologyresearchlab.com/

Dr. Amanda Lints-Martindale completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology (2010) at the University of Regina. She commenced her work at the Health Psychology Laboratory after completing her B.Sc. at Brandon University. Her graduate studies were been supported by a scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada as well as by a major SGI Graduate Fellowship in Aging and Health. While working at the Health Psychology Laboratory, Dr. Lints-Martindale published peer reviewed articles relating to pain in older adults as well as to fear of falling. Her pre-doctoral residency was completed at the Calgary Consortium in Clinical Psychology. Following the completion of her work at the Health Psychology Laboratory, she accepted a faculty position with the Department of Clinical Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba.

Dr. Sarah Lok Chuen Chan completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Health Psychology Laboratory after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia. Her work has been published in the peer-reviewed literature and her doctoral studies were supported through a major fellowship from the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Following her graduation, she obtained employment at the Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre.

Dr. Martin completed a post-doctoral fellowship (funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research) at the Health Psychology Laboratory (2004) following his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from West Virginia University. He has been the co-author of several peer-reviewed papers and three book chapters. Most of these are in the general area of gerontology. Following the completion of his post-doctoral work, Dr. Martin accepted the position of Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology Graduate Program, Faculty of Education, University of Regina.

Dr. Katherine Owens completed her PhD in clinical psychology in 2008. Both her Master’s thesis and her PhD dissertation focused on the investigation and measurement of health anxiety. Dr. Owens is the author of an award winning health anxiety self-help book. Katherine currently practices in the areas of Adult Clinical and Adult Neuropsychology working with individuals from late-adolescence to the very elderly. Dr. Owens completes the neuropsychological assessments for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

In addition to her private practice, Dr. Owens is a senior psychologist with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, has provided clinical supervision and training to psychology interns, practicum students, residents, and provisionally registered psychologists, and serves as a chief psychologist and the director of clinical training.

Dr. Owens has taught psychology at every level, instructing at the University of Regina, Campion College, Luther College, and McMaster University. She is an adjunct faculty member with the Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Regina and with the Faculty of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Delaine Shackleton (Ammaturo) joined the Health Psychology Lab after completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Calgary. Her Masters and Ph.D. research at our lab focused on pain in older adults with and without dementia and her work has been published in the peer-reviewed literature.  As one of her hobbies, Dr. Shackleton developed a healthy foods blog that was featured in the Huffington Post.  Following the completion of her doctoral studies, she obtained employment as a psychologist with the Kelowna Psychologists Group.

Dr. Jaime Williams completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology (2008) at the University of Regina. Her doctoral studies have been supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship as well as by a competitive fellowship from the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Her Master’s studies at the Health Psychology Laboratory were supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Her work relates to basic and applied investigations of fear of pain among seniors. Dr. Williams has extensive experience in working with individuals with severe cognitive impairments. During her studies at the Health Psychology Laboratory she published several peer-reviewed papers and presented her work at a variety of scholarly conferences. Her pre-doctoral internship was completed at the QE-II Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Following her studies at the Health Psychology Laboratory, she accepted a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Dr. Williams played the primary role in the construction of the Health Psychology Lab website.

Dr. Sandra Zwakhalen completed her Ph.D. at Masstricht University (The Netherlands) and is well published in the area of pain assessment in seniors with dementia. Over the course of the 2009 Fall semester, she completed a short post-doctoral fellowship at the Health Psychology Lab.