Director
Dr. Joshua Rash, PhD, RPsych
Biography: Dr. Rash an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Director of the Memorial University of Newfoundland – Behavioural Medicine Centre (MUN-BMC), and Senior Research Fellow at the Duke University Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research (CHPIR). He is a Clinical, Health and Rehabilitation Psychologist registered in the province of NL with expertise in behavioural medicine, health behaviour change, chronic disease management, and cardiovascular psychophysiology. Dr. Rash has significant experience conducting multi-site, pragmatic clinical trials that involve pharmacological and behavioural interventions. His expertise is highly sought out in chronic pain management, weight management, stress management, motivating health behaviour change, treatment of insomnia, and cardiovascular psychophysiology. Dr. Rash has had the privilege of working with provincial governments and not for profit organizations (e.g., Salvation Army; Pain Canada; Stepped Care Solutions) and mentorship networks (e.g., Atlantic Mentorship Network – Pain & Addictions; AMN-P&A) to transform healthcare delivery.
Awards and Distinctions: Dr. Rash was privileged to receive the following awards: 1) 2022 Memorial University of Newfoundland Distinguished Emerging Scholar Award; 2) 2021 Memorial University of Newfoundland President’s Award for Outstanding Research; 3) 2021 Memorial University of Newfoundland School of Graduate Studies ROCKStar Graduate Supervisor Award; 4) 2021 Canadian Psychological Association President’s New Researcher Award.
Funding: Research conducted at the MUN-BMC has received generous financial support from the following organizations: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); Duke University Endowment Fund; Memorial University of Newfoundland; Northern Ontario Academic Medicine Association (NOAMA); Substance Use and Addictions Program of Canada (SUAP); The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medicine Organization (TOHAMO); University of Calgary Clinical Research Fund
Dr. Rash’s CV can be found here.
Follow him on Researchgate and Google Scholar
Research Coordinator
Name: Laura Harris-Lane, MSc
Position in lab: Research Coordinator
Duration in lab: May 2021-Present
Background and Training: I completed my Bachelor of Science (Hons) and Master of Science in Experimental Psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Supervised by Dr. Nick Harris, my master’s thesis assessed cannabis use perceptions among young adults in Canada shortly before cannabis was legalized for non-medical use. After completing my masters, I worked as a research analyst with Eastern Health for two years before joining the MUN Behavioural Medicine Centre in May 2021.
Research Focus: Clinical Psychology; System-Level Change; Access to Care; Behaviour Change
Research Project: I am primarily working on the CIHR-funded “Digitizing Stepped Mental Healthcare” project in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Sub-projects of this larger initiative include evaluating: 1) change in knowledge, clinical decision-making, and provider attitudes after completing the Stepped Care 2.0 and One-at-a-Time Therapy courses; 2) the implementation process in the three provinces; 3) the change management process among leadership, providers, and staff; 4) client outcomes; and 5) healthcare system outcomes.
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Graduate Students – Doctoral
Name: Julie Dwyer, BA(Hon), MSc
Position in lab: Experimental Psychology Doctoral Student
Duration in lab: Sept 2021-Present
Background and Training: I obtained my B.A (hons) at Memorial University, where my research examined the relationship between worry, mindfulness and self-management under the supervision of Dr. Peter Mezo. I subsequently completed a graduate program in Clinical Epidemiology through the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial. I worked in the MIRIAM lab (Memorial Institute of Research Interventions in Anxiety and Mood disorder) as well as the Recovery and Performance Lab before moving to Scotland. I completed a MSc in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Dr. David Gillanders at the University of Edinburgh. My research explored mindfulness-based interventions for anxiety, and the relationship between our implicit and explicit beliefs surrounding worry. I have worked at Eastern Health for the last 5 years in a variety of programs including the early psychosis program at the Waterford, inpatient rehabilitation at the Miller Centre as well as the Centre for Pain and Disability Management (CPDM).
Research Focus: Health Psychology; Pain management
Research Project: My interest in pain emerged from my time working at the CPDM, and this will be the focus of my doctoral research.
Name: Kaitlyn Lem
Position in lab: Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student (PsyD)
Duration in lab: Sept 2022-Present
Background and Training: Kaitlyn completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Health Studies at the University of Toronto, where she examined the impacts of social connection on physical health in older adults under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Bethell. Upon graduation, Kaitlyn worked in e-health and for the global health NGO, Bridge to Health, which aims to develop sustainable healthcare programs in underserved communities. Kaitlyn concurrently worked on the SUMMIT Trial, a large-scale RCT which seeks to test the effectiveness of non-traditional care delivery methods with the goal of scaling up access to maternal mental health treatments, under the supervision of Dr. Daisy Singla. Kaitlyn is also passionate about community involvement and volunteers as a Crisis Responder with Kids Help Phone.
Research Focus: Clinical Psychology, Evidence-based care, Accessibility, Scalable interventions, Community care
Research Project: Digitizing Stepped Mental Healthcare
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Name: Kaitlyn Mahon, MSc
Position in lab: Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student (PsyD)
Duration in lab: Sept 2019-Present
Background and Training: I completed a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and MSc at MUN. During my masters I was supervised by Dr. Sheila Garland, where my research focused on examining the financial impact of cancer in young adults across Canada. During this time I was also involved in research studies evaluating cognitive impairment and sleep quality in cancer survivors.
Research Focus: Clinical Psychology; Access to care
Research Project: My current research focuses on evaluating whether mental health providers can be trained to competence in delivering stepped mental healthcare.
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant support.
Name: Emily Marriott
Position in lab: Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student (PsyD)
Duration in lab: Sept 2022-Present
Background and Training: I obtained my BSc (Hons) in Psychology at Queen’s University, where I investigated the effect of comorbid PTSD and chronic pain on pain-related disability in Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans, and examined the role of pain-related anxiety constructs contributing to the comorbidity. I then pursued a MSc by Research in Clinical Psychology at the University of Edinburgh, where I researched the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of parents and their children with and without intellectual disabilities, with a special focus on childhood anxiety.
Research Focus: Clinical Psychology; Health Psychology
Research Project: I am interested in conducting research aimed at exploring the link between mental and physical health in individuals with chronic health conditions, including mechanisms of increased pain-related disability in individuals with comorbid chronic pain and psychological disorders, as well as investigating factors that promote wellness in these populations.
Funding: The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
Name: Emily Saunders
Position in lab: Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student (PsyD)
Duration in lab: Sept 2017-Present
Background and Training: I am a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral program at MUN and I am currently completing my residency in the Saskatoon and Area Psychology Residency Program. I received my Bachelor of Arts (Hons) at Queen’s University, where I examined the impact of personality on the effectiveness of self-esteem maintenance techniques. Following my undergraduate degree, I spent two years working in Dr. Janice Kuo’s Borderline Personality Disorder & Emotion Processing Laboratory at Ryerson University where I assisted on studies examining the efficacy of emotion regulation strategies in reducing distressing emotions.
Research Focus: Clinical Psychology; Evidence Based Treatment; Access to Care
Research Project: I am currently working as a research assistant on a systematic review of the qualitative evidence regarding barriers and facilitators of healthcare provider uptake of clinical practice guideline recommendations for the management of common mental health concerns. For my doctoral dissertation, I am building a contextual picture of maternal wellbeing in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) and examining the complex relationships between maternal mental health and utilization of healthcare services in NL.
Funding: School of Graduate Studies Doctoral Fellowship and Graduate Assistantships (2017 -2020); MUN President’s Doctoral Student Investment Fund (2017 – 2019); Janeway Foundation Research Grant (2018).
Name: David Storey, B.A. (Hons), MSc., CD
Position in lab: Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student (PsyD)
Duration in lab: Sept 2022-Present
Background and Training: I completed my Bachelor of Arts (Hons) at the University of Guelph in 2008. I spent 14-years in the Canadian Armed Forces first as a reservist, and then as a regular force member. During this time I deployed on four tours of duty to various locations in the Middle East and North Africa. I voluntarily released from the military in 2018 and completed my Master of Science in Experimental Psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2022. Supervised by Dr. Kellie Hadden, my master’s thesis looked at gender differences in street-involved youth with respect to attachment, history of childhood maltreatment, and symptoms of psychopathology. During the last semester of my Master’s degree I worked as a research assistant for the MUN School of Pharmacy’s Cannabis Health Evaluation & Research Partnership (CHERP). I planned, coordinated, and facilitated a series of workshops to identify effective mechanisms to provide education around cannabis to youth and their parents using social media.
Research Focus: Clinical Psychology, Addictions, Chronic Pain, Veteran Mental Health
Research Project: I am currently working as a research assistant on phase one of the VEterans Cannabis Therapy Outcome Registry (VECTOR), to increase understanding of Veterans’ opinions on the use of medicinal cannabis.
Funding: Veterans Affairs Canada Educational Training Benefit
Name: Elizabeth Wallack, MSc. Med. (CH)
Position in lab: Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student (PsyD)
Duration in lab: Sept 2019-Present
Background and Training: Elizabeth previously worked at the Recovery and Performance Laboratory, L.A. Miller Centre, St. John’s NL. The ReP lab conducts intervention research focused on neuroplasticity, recovery, and exercise physiology for post stroke patients and people living with multiple sclerosis. Special areas of interest include interventions for individuals with high levels of impairment and older adults.
Elizabeth has a Masters of Science in Medicine, Community Health and Humanities. Elizabeth also has past work experience in the non-profit sector, as well as planning academic conferences and community events. Elizabeth also has a passion for community service, taking an active role in her community as a volunteer for causes related to dementia and caregiver support.
Research Focus: Health Psychology; Rehabilitation
Research Project: The focus of Elizabeth’s dissertation research will examine Heart Rate Variability to evaluate the effectiveness of three stress reduction interventions in collaboration with Duke University’s Center for Health Policy & Inequalities Research.
Funding: Duke University Endowment Fund
Graduate Students – Master’s
Name: Alesha King
Position in lab: Undergraduate Honours student.
Duration in lab: Jan 2021-Present
Background and Training: I initially joined the MUN Behaviour Medicine team volunteering with the Internet Therapy for Depression Trial (INTEREST). I will now be looking at the effectiveness of healthcare provider training in digitizing stepped mental healthcare as part of my honour’s thesis project.
Research Focus: Clinical Psychology
Research Project: Understanding healthcare provider experiences with “Introduction to Stepped Care 2.0” and “One-at-a-Time Counseling.”
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Undergraduate Students
Name: Claire Osmond
Position in lab: Undergraduate Honours student.
Duration in lab: Apr 2022-Present
Background and Training: I am currently in my fourth year of a joint honours in Biology and Psychology. I have joined the lab to complete my honours project.
Research Focus: Behavioural Medicine
Research Project: Evaluating the efficacy of intranasal oxytocin on pain and function among individuals who experience chronic pain: A multisite, placebo-controlled, blinded, sequential, within-subjects crossover trial.
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Name: Rachael Pike
Position in lab: Undergraduate Honours student.
Duration in lab: Apr 2022-Present
Background and Training: I am currently completing my last year as an undergraduate student at Memorial University, completing a BA(Hons) degree, majoring in Psychology. I spent this summer doing research work with Dr. Adrienne Peters investigating responses to neurodivergent youth and their contact/communications within the justice system, completing a comprehensive literature review on the topic.
Research Focus: Forensic Psychology & Clinical Psychology
Research Project: Evaluating competency in Stepped Care 2.0 and one-at-a-time therapy following completion of training courses.
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Research Assistants
Name: Sarah Fitzgerald, BSc(Hon)
Position in lab: Research Assistant
Duration in lab: Apr 2019-Present
Background and Training: In the winter of 2020 I worked under the supervision of Dr. Joshua Rash to complete a report on the implementation of Stepped Care 2.0 using behaviour change management strategies. In the Spring of 2020, I completed a training workshop in the management of chronic pain and depression and began working with the Internet Therapy for Depression Trial (INTEREST). In May of 2021 I completed a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree with a major in Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Rash at Memorial University of Newfoundland. My honours thesis comprised of a systematic review, highlighting the barriers and facilitators of using guideline-based care for the treatment of common mental illnesses.
Research Focus: Psychosomatic Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology, Chronic Pain. Research interests include: Factors that prevent and facilitate the effective management of chronic disease and mental illness; the relationship between chronic disease and mental illness with a focus on how this knowledge can enhance our understanding of disease progression, etiology, and prognosis; improvement and implementation of health policies and practices that improve standard of care; clinical inertia; provider’s prescribing and referral practices and the use of behaviour change techniques within a medical domain.
Research Project: A systematic review of healthcare provider adoption of recommendations made by clinical practice guidelines for the management of common mental illnesses; Healthcare provider knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes regarding opioids for chronic non-cancer pain in North America: A systematic review; Training mental healthcare providers in New Brunswick in “one at a time therapy” and “stepped mental healthcare”; and Barriers and facilitators of healthcare provider uptake of clinical practice guideline recommendations for the management of common mental health concerns: A qualitative evidence synthesis using the theoretical domains framework.
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Name: Natalie Keeler-Villa
Position in lab: Research Assistant
Duration in lab: Jan 2022 – Present
Background and Training: I graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science (Hons). Dr. Tina Malti supervised me at her Laboratory for Socio-Emotional Development and Intervention (SEDI), where my research assessed the influence of mistrust on the association between poor peer relationship quality and maladjustment issues in middle childhood, including depression, anxiety, and aggression. Currently, I am undergoing my studies in the Master of Applied Psychological Science (Co-op) program at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. I completed my first co-operative work term with Dr. Joshua Rash, assisting with the “Digitizing stepped mental health care” project, primarily investigating the implementation of Stepped Care in New Brunswick. I have since stayed on as a Research Assistant, working on Stepped Care-related projects and the VECTOR project investigating cannabis use and chronic pain. I want to continue similar research initiatives when I complete a doctorate in psychology. My research interests have always aligned with projects aimed at improving access and efficiency of mental health care services, understanding psychopathologies and various treatment options. I am passionate about helping the community and improving the well-being of others, which is why I hope to become a Clinical Psychologist.
Research Focus: Clinical Psychology; Implementation Science; Pain Management
Research Project: Understanding the implementation processes and outcomes of “One-at-a-Time Counselling”; Investigating the use of cannabis for pain management.
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Name: Noah Pevie
Position in lab: Research Assistant
Duration in lab: Apr 2022 – Present
Background and Training: I obtained my B.A. (Hons) at Memorial University. My thesis, supervised by Dr. Jonathan Fawcett, was a meta-analysis on memory suppression in clinical populations. I worked for Dr. Joshua Rash as a research assistant during the Summer of 2022. I continue to work as a research assistant on the Selah trial which is evaluating stress management interventions among Clergy. I began my MSc in Experimental Psychology (Health and Wellness) in Fall 2022 under the supervision of Dr. Jacqueline Carter-Major. In this research, I am exploring body image and eating disorders in trans* and non-binary populations.
Research Focus: Psychometrics; Inclusive Healthcare; Gerontology
Research Project: Implementation of Stepped Care 2.0 and the Selah trial.
Funding: Duke University Endowment Fund
Volunteers
Name: Emily Granter
Position in lab: Volunteer
Duration in lab: Apr 2022 – Present
Background and Training: I worked under the supervision of Dr. Carole Peterson investigating children’s earliest memories. We examined the possibility for children to recall memories from very early in their lives by changing how they are asked about their memories in an interview setting. Understanding early memory is particularly important for forensic and clinical situations.
Research Focus: Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychology, & Forensic Psychology
Research Project: I have been volunteering with the MUN BMC since Spring 2022. My volunteer work has focused on analyzing the implementation of Stepped Care 2.0 and one at a time therapy (OAAT), specifically looking at provider attitudes towards a stepped care approach in their clinic.
Name: Brooke Hiscock
Position in lab: Volunteer
Duration in lab: Apr 2022 – Present
Background and Training: I am a current undergraduate student completing my Bachelor of Science (Hons) at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Under the supervision of Dr. Jonathan Fawcett, my prospective Honours project is both cognitive and clinically oriented. I have previous research experience working on a meta-analysis, and assisting with graduate projects. I also have a vast background in volunteer experience and training. A few of my other volunteer endeavors include but are not limited to: The Health Sciences Centre, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, The Neurofog Laboratory, The Psychology Department Social Media Committee, The Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation, and MUN Mentors Program.
Research Focus: Clinical Psychology, Human Cognition.
Research Project: I am currently assisting with the implementation of Stepped Mental Health Care within Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.
Name: Courtney Loveless
Position in lab: Volunteer
Duration in lab: Apr 2022 – Present
Background and Training: I am in the fourth year of a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Psychology with a second major in Gender Studies. Under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Quinn-Nilas, I am examining the role of self-compassion and sexual satisfaction in midlife married Canadians. As sexual health and mental health are important to me, I am an avid volunteer within local organizations that center on providing this care.
Research Focus: Clinical Psychology, Psychosexual Dysfunction, Sexuality.
Research Project: I am currently assisting with the implementation of Stepped Mental Health Care within Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.
Alumni
Graduate
Samantha Scurrey (2018-2022; PsyD)
Anastasia Mekhael (2020-2022; MSc) – CIHR funded
Vanessa Strong (2017 – 2021; PsyD)
Louise Bell (2018-2020; MSc) – SSHRC funded
Michael Asamoah-Boaheng (2018-2019)
Oluwatosin Badejo (2018-2019)
David Garcia (2018-2019)
Mohammad Hossain (2018-2019)
Undergraduate
Jennifer Bent (2020-2021)
Hannah Kenny (2020-2021)
Sarah Fitzgerald (2020-2021)
Rebecca Rideout (2019-2020)
Sarah Abbott (2019-2020)
Alice Chen (2018-2019)
Lucas Walters (2018-2019)
Brittany Flood (2017-2018)