Andrea Raynak is the Director, Nursing Practice at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Within her role, she advances the practice of nursing organizationally and creates and maintain programs and practices that support, promote and evaluate nursing practice. She facilitates the integration of research into practice and further, progresses a learning culture. Her research interests include identifying knowledge/health system gaps and proposing sustainable solutions to enhance the nursing profession and further, guide organizational and academic policy. She also works as a Contract Lecturer for Lakehead University. Andrea began the PhD Health Sciences program in 2020. Her research involves examining nurse’s attitudes towards patients with substance use difficulties in the hospital setting in order to propose pragmatic approaches to care for this patient population. Her work is supervised by Dr. Mushquash and supported by a CIHR Doctoral Student Research Award. In her free time Andrea enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, reading fiction novels and running!
Genevieve started her PhD in clinical psychology in 2022. Her research interests include children’s mental health and trauma. Dr. Mushquash supervises her dissertation research that examines the relationship between compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and adverse childhood experiences in mental health professionals. Although presently inactive, Genevieve is registered as a psychological associate with the College of Psychologists of Ontario with competencies working with children and adolescents.
Lydia (she/her) started her PhD in the Clinical Psychology program at Lakehead University in 2023. Her MA thesis examined the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences and suicide-related behaviours in First Nations adults accessing a substance use treatment program. Moving forward, her PhD dissertation will examine facilitators and barriers for the implementation of land-based wellbeing programs supporting First Nations adults accessing substance use treatment programs. Her doctoral research is funded by a three-year CIHR CGS-D Research Award. Lydia is also interested in research exploring social determinants of health, as well as research applying decolonial methodologies. Aside from her research, Lydia enjoys reading, knitting, and doing pretty much anything outdoors with her dog, Fitz.
Abbey Radford is a Métis doctorate student in the clinical psychology program at Lakehead University. Her research interests include examining Indigenous mental health and substance use, resilience and cultural connectedness, utilizing community-based participatory research frameworks. Abbey works on various research projects focused on topics such as child maltreatment, youth homelessness, vaccine hesitancy, peer interventions, e-health interventions, and transdiagnostic interventions for children. Her Master's research, investigating substance use motives and risky personality traits among First Nations adults seeking treatment for substance use, was supported by a Joseph-Armand Bombardier SSHRC scholarship, and a CIHR scholarship supports her doctoral work.
Crystal entered the PhD in Health Sciences program at Lakehead University in 2023. Her research interests include Indigenous disease etiology, chronic disease and illness in remote First Nations, COVID-19, health equity, food security, and planetary health. Crystal’s dissertation research is supervised by Dr. Chris Mushquash and Dr. Helle Moeller and will be evaluating the impact of immediate lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on the health status and health outcomes of Indigenous persons living with comorbid chronic kidney disease and diabetes in remote First Nations in Northwestern Ontario. She is currently working on a systematic review on upstream approaches to addressing Indigenous mental health and well-being in the context of climate change, and a literature review on comorbid chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and SARS-CoV-2. After completing her doctorate, Crystal intends to continue working collaboratively with First Nations across Ontario to address emerging health challenges. In her free time, Crystal enjoys working out, spending time with family and friends, hiking with her dog Pebbles, and hyper fixating on all things astrophysics.
Kristy is a PhD student whose research interests include culturally relevant mental health treatments for First Nation people, substance use as a form of self-medication, resilience in childhood and adolescence, as well as responsible gambling in northern Ontario and Indigenous populations. Her dissertation research examines the development, implementation, and evaluation of a transdiagnostic group intervention for First Nations children, relying on cultural skills and practices as a medium for intervention. Kristy’s work is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Doctoral Award from the Institute of Indigenous Peoples Health and Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant. Kristy has collaborated with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, as well as Thunderbird Partnership Foundation on research projects. Kristy completed her pre-doctoral residency in the 2022 - 2023 year with the Northwestern Ontario Residency Psychology Internship Consortium in Thunder Bay, Ontario. In her leisure time, Kristy enjoys spending time with family, snowboarding, gardening, crafting, and walking her dog.
Lauren (she/her) is completing her PhD in the Clinical Psychology program at Lakehead University. Her research centers around substance use disorders and improving intervention effectiveness and cultural fit for First Nations people. Her dissertation work is supervised by Dr. Chris Mushquash. It focuses on identifying individual and group-level success factors to improve outcomes for First Nations adults in an inpatient substance use program. This dissertation project will result in the development and piloting of a psychological measure for the purpose of improving program decision-making and outcomes. Lauren's work has been supported by the St. Joseph's Care Group Award in Applied Health Research and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. In her free time, Lauren enjoys snowboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, and hiking.
Trent began the PhD Clinical Psychology program at Lakehead University in 2023. Being Mi'kmaq, his research aims to foster mental wellness among First Nations youth. His dissertation research which is supervised by Dr. Mushquash, aims to develop and test a culturally-adapted substance use prevention program for First Nations youth. In his free time, Trent enjoys playing guitar, camping, and going to the gym.
Mallory began the MA Clinical Psychology program in 2022 at Lakehead University. For their thesis project, they are examining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and sexual debut among the First Nation population. Their thesis is supervised by Dr. Mushquash. Mallory’s research interests include trauma, sexual health, First Nation youth health and well-being, suicide, harm reduction, and prevention. Mallory currently holds a position with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation Oshkaatisak council. Mallory is a trainee with the 2SLGBTQ+ Health at Dalla Lana School of Public Health. In their free time, Mallory enjoys traveling, music, hiking, and crafting.
Brittany (she/her/kwe) began her MA in clinical psychology at Lakehead University in 2023. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Honors) with a minor in Indigenous Studies from the University of Victoria. Brittany is originally from southern Ontario and is a member of the Mississauga’s of the Credit First Nation. Her research interests center on the prevention and/or progression of chronic illnesses among Indigenous populations and community-based/led research. Brittany’s MA research is supported by a Canada Graduate Scholarship and an Indigenous Scholar Supplement Award from SSHRC. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, cycling, yoga, cooking vegan food, and slow walks with her senior pug, Daisy.
Aashvi Gupta Joined Lakehead University in 2019 as an undergraduate student in the HBA psychology program. She currently works in Dr Chris Mushquash’s lab as a research assistant on the ACEs project. Aashvi is very passionate about both research and clinical work. She hopes to bring care to rural and remote areas of northwestern Ontario and help fill in the gaps for underrepresented groups in the literature. She aspires to join the clinical psychology program at Lakehead University. Aashvi loves to swim and spend time outdoors.
