Meet the Team
Graduate Research Students
Taissa Fuke
Taissa is a first-year PhD student in the School and Applied Child Psychology program at McGill University. Prior to starting her doctoral studies, she conducted ADHD assessments for adolescents and adults for two years, which sparked her interest in ADHD research and treatment. Her current research focuses on parent-centered interventions to improve outcomes for children with ADHD. Taissa holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Arts in psychology, with a focus on Lifespan Development, from Brock University, where her research concentrated on the development of executive skills in preschool children. She is training to become a school psychologist, with aspirations to work in schools and eventually open a private assessment clinic.
Emma Peddigrew
Dr. Emma Peddigrew is a postdoctoral researcher for the Educational and Counselling Psychology department. Emma completed her PhD at Brock University in the Child and Youth Studies department, where she focused on the intersection of learning disabilities and mental health, with a focus on how these factors impact children and adolescents in educational settings. Emma’s work aims to explore the unique challenges faced by students with learning disabilities, with an emphasis on developing strategies that support both academic success and mental well-being. Her broader research interests include critical disability studies and the promotion of inclusive education practices.
Christina Ghaleb
Alexandra Aliferis
Sienna Armstrong
Margaux Bouillard
Celine Huang
Amy Jolin
Amy is a first-year master’s student in the School/Applied Child Psychology program. She completed her B.Sc from Concordia University in honours psychology with a specialization in behavioural neuroscience. She completed and published her honours thesis researching mental health profiles in youth with Intellectual Disabilities. Her research interests are pediatric neuroimaging in youth with ADHD and youth with intellectual disabilities. She is currently using neuroimaging to research academic readiness in children with academic and behavioural problems. She aims to become a school psychologist to help children with ADHD and intellectual disabilities, as well as their families.
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Kaya Costanzo
My name is Kaya and I just recently obtained by BA in Psychology with a double minor in Behavioural Science and Italian Studies at McGill University. My research interests primarily center on the connections between personality and psychopathology. At the CAAR Lab, I am assisting a project titled “Equity in Mental Health Care” which investigates clinicians’ perceptions of the mental health needs of socioculturally diverse individuals, and how they strive to support such needs. Down the line, I plan to pursue a Master’s in Counselling Psychology.
Volunteer Research Assistants
Undergraduate Research Students
My name is Alexandra, and I am a third-year Psychology student pursuing a BSc. Honours degree. In the field of psychology, my research interests include the clinical diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders, with a particular emphasis on more common abnormal disorders such as MDD and OCD. Presently at the lab, I am assisting Dr. Hai in her upcoming study which will investigate the link between maternal depression and children’s behavior and academic readiness.
My name is Sienna, and I am a U3 Psychology student with a double minor in Behavioural Science and Sociology. I joined the CAAR lab through an internship for Indigenous students where I have been working on a project about clinicians working with diverse populations to better understand their experiences and potential improvements in the field. I am very interested in looking at diverse cultural perspectives in mental health treatment and after my bachelor's degree, I would like to continue my studies in this area.
My name is Margaux Bouillard, and I am a third-year undergraduate student at McGill University pursuing a BSc in Psychology. My primary research interests lie in children’s neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly ADHD and autism. At the CAAR lab, I will be assisting Dr. Hai with various tasks and providing support for an upcoming research project focused on parenting and preschool children with attentional difficulties. Additionally, I will be conducting an independent research project, where we will explore the needs of neurodiverse children in newcomer families through qualitative research.
My name is Celine, and I’m a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a B. A. & Sc. Honours in Cognitive Science. My primary research interests lie at the intersection of human behaviour, health equity, and science communication. At the CAAR Lab, I am working on a research project which examines the relationship between ADHD and cortical markers from neuro-imaging data in children. I will also be assisting Dr. Hai on various tasks in her ongoing project examining clinician perspectives on equity in mental health care.
My name is Christina, and I am currently a third-year student pursuing a BA Honours in Psychology with a minor in Education. As an aspiring child clinical psychologist, my primary research interests lie in understanding psychopathologies such as ADHD, anxiety, and depression. I am particularly passionate about identifying early onset signs, exploring preventative measures, and examining the clinical implications of these conditions. At the CAAR lab, I am currently working on a literature review focused on the impact of social determinants of health on ADHD in children. Additionally, I am contributing to research that investigates academic readiness and behavior in preschool children who exhibit inattention and hyperactivity.
Alumni
Lilia Lounis
Sebastiano Iacano