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David’s academic mentor: Darren Warburton, PhD

David’s community mentor: Elder Gail Sparrow

Elizabeth Cuellar (she/her) is a PhD Student in Mental Health at McGill University. Her research interests focus on exploring Indigenous youth mental health leadership and intergenerational Indigenous healing practices. She is also interested in finding ways in which both psychotherapeutic methods and traditional healing practices support overall wellbeing as part of a strength-based approach to mental health. As the daughter of an Iñupiat mother and a Mexican father, Elizabeth’s personal mental health journey informs her work. Elizabeth also has a Master's in Development Practice and has previously worked as a qualitative program evaluator in Francophone and Hispanophone countries where she focused on household and community resilience.

Outside of her academic and professional work, Elizabeth enjoys spending time in nature, fostering dogs, and cooking traditional Mexican dishes from the  hand-written recipes passed down by her grandmother.

Elizabeth’s academic mentor: Srividya Iyer, PhD

Elizabeth’s community mentor: Morgan Phillips

Emma Giberson is a PhD student in clinical psychology at the University of New Brunswick. She is working under the supervision of Dr. Janine Olthuis. Emma’s research is focused on increasing access to evidence-based mental health interventions. This includes investigating mental health interventions that address barriers to receiving care, such as internet-based interventions, and interventions that increase individuals’ willingness and acceptance of mental health services. As part of this research, Emma is passionate about improving access to mental health care for individuals living in rural communities.

Fatemeh Khorramrouz, MSc is a doctoral candidate in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and a research trainee at The Hospital for Sick Children. She is mentored by Dr. Catherine Birken, Co-Director of TARGet Kids!, Canada’s largest primary care research network for children. Fatemeh’s research focuses on the role of parents in shaping healthy eating behaviours during early childhood. She is currently leading Parents Together, an internal pilot randomized controlled trial testing the feasibility of a parent-based behavioural intervention delivered by public health nurses. Her long-term goal is to co-design equitable, family-focused interventions that empower diverse families to support healthy lifestyles in young children.

Fatemeh’s academic mentor: Catherine Birken, PhD

Fatemeh’s community mentor: Carol Lee

François Kajiramugabi Maneraguha is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Montreal, under the supervision of Professor José Côté, Honorary Holder (2005–2025) of the Chair in Innovative Nursing Practices and co-director of the Quebec Network on Nursing Intervention Research (RRISIQ). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master of Science in Nursing (Maternal and Child Health), and a Master of Public Health with a specialization in Research and Innovation in Care. Since November 2024, he has served as the Director General of the Research Chair in Sustainable Health and Nursing Sciences in Africa (CRISIA Asbl). He received the Prix Publication en français Alice-Girard from the Fonds de recherche du Québec. He is also the recipient of the Prix Coup de cœur from the Centre d'excellence sur le partenariat avec les patients et le public (Quebec) for his research project “Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Their Hands: One Mobile Health App at a Time.” His research focuses on digital health innovation and artificial intelligence to improve maternal and youth health through the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral digital interventions. His doctoral work investigates the behavioral foundations of youth intention in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, to use mobile health applications for comprehensive sexuality education, using a convergent mixed-methods design. Grounded in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this research aims to identify the factors influencing youth intention prior to the design or implementation of any behavioral intervention.

François’s academic mentor: José Côté, PhD

François’s community mentor: Valentin Musikami Mutabunga

Jamie is a second-year PhD student in medical sciences at the University of Calgary. Under the supervision of Dr. Linda Carlson, Jamie specializes in psychosocial oncology. Specifically, her CBITN doctoral research seeks to understand how spending time in natural environments can impact cancer care and will lead to the development of a nature-based oncology program. Jamie's research interests also include the complex interaction between the mind and the body in cancer care. Her current research project, the Mindful-Gut Study, looks at how a mindfulness program tailored to individuals with cancer can reduce chronic psychosocial and gastrointestinal symptoms and change the gut microbiota.

Jamie’s academic mentor: Linda Carlson, PhD

Jamie’s community mentor: Mohamed Jaffer

Jessica Burdick is a PhD student in Health and Exercise Science at Concordia University, supervised by Dr. Simon Bacon at the Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre (MBMC). She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Honors Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology at Concordia University. Her research in the EMBRACE study explores how dietary patterns and gut microbiota influence outcomes after metabolic-bariatric surgery. She has presented internationally, contributed to multi-lab collaborations, and is active in teaching and student leadership. Her goal is to advance personalised interventions that improve obesity management and related comorbidities. is a PhD student in Health and Exercise Science at Concordia University, supervised by Dr. Simon Bacon at the Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre (MBMC). She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Honors Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology at Concordia University. Her research in the EMBRACE study explores how dietary patterns and gut microbiota influence outcomes after metabolic-bariatric surgery. She has presented internationally, contributed to multi-lab collaborations, and is active in teaching and student leadership. Her goal is to advance personalised interventions that improve obesity management and related comorbidities.

Jessica’s academic mentor: Simon Bacon, PhD

Jessica’s community mentor: Cheryl Petrinchuk

Laura is an MA student in the Clinical-Developmental Psychology program at York University. Laura previously completed her BSc (Hons) and MSc at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and has been engaged with mental health and substance use research for almost a decade. Laura is completing her MA research under the supervision of Dr. Jennine Rawana on co-designing a digital emotion regulation intervention to support the mental health and well-being of emerging adults. This work is grounded in behaviour change frameworks, theories, and techniques to support emerging adults in successfully enacting and sustaining adaptive emotion regulation behaviours.

Laura’s academic mentor: Jennine Rawana, PhD

Laura’s community mentor: Alexia Jaouich

Lisa-Marie Maukel is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), supervised by Dr. Heather Tulloch in the Cardiovascular Health Psychology Lab within the Prevention and Rehabilitation Department. She investigates psychosocial risk factors influencing heart disease outcomes, with a particular focus on sex- and gender-related differences. Lisa-Marie develops and evaluates psychological interventions to improve both mental and cardiac health. A key aspect of her research addresses the unique risk profiles and care needs of patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a condition that predominantly affects women and is associated with elevated psychological distress, which can impede recovery.

Lisa-Marie’s academic mentor: Heather Tulloch, PhD

Lisa-Marie’s community mentor: Anne Elliott 

Lotenna is a medical doctor and health researcher specialising in digital mental health and artificial intelligence (AI). He has clinical and research experience across Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and Canada. He earned a Master’s in Global Health with Distinction from University College London, where he developed expertise in global mental health, intervention design and evaluation, and implementation science. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) and a doctoral researcher with the Mental Health Systems and Services Lab in the Faculty of Medicine. His mixed methods research focuses on enhancing digital mental health interventions and leveraging AI to improve their efficacy, user experience, and scalability. Beyond academia, he is a One Young World Ambassador recognised for his leadership in healthcare access and equitable AI.  

Lotenna’s academic mentor: Daniel Vigo, PhD

Lotenna’s community mentor: Melissa Kimwere (Mumbi)

Nikita was trained to be a dentist (B.D.S. degree) in India, but pivoted her career towards population health research by pursuing a Master in Public Health (M.P.H. degree). Currently, Nikita is a third-year doctoral (Ph.D.) student in the Medical Sciences-Dentistry program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada under the supervision of Dr. Maryam Sharifzadeh-Amin. Nikita is particularly interested in researching health promotion amongst different population groups using a variety of approaches and settings. Her doctoral research utilizes qualitative methods to understand how oral health can be integrated within existing school-based health programs. Findings from her doctoral research hold significant potential for advancing health promotion through schools. Alongside her doctoral studies, Nikita is also pursuing a research internship with Alberta Education (Ministry of Education) where she is helping evaluate a program on providing specialized learning supports to children studying in First Nation schools across Alberta.