DR. MARGARET MCKINNON
Principal Investigator
Dr. Margaret McKinnon is Full Professor and Associate Chair, Research in Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, where she holds the Homewood Chair in Mental Health and Trauma. She is also the Research Lead for Mental Health and Addictions at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and a Senior Scientist at Homewood Research Institute. Work in Dr. McKinnon’s laboratory focuses on identifying the neural and behavioural correlates of PTSD and trauma-related illnesses and on translating this knowledge to the development and testing of novel treatment interventions aimed at reducing the cognitive and affective sequelae of these conditions. A licensed clinical psychologist and clinical neuropsychologist, Dr. McKinnon has a special interest in military, veteran, and public safety populations (including healthcare workers), and has worked with these groups clinically and in her research program. She has published or in press nearly 150 scientific works. Work in Dr. McKinnon's lab is supported by federal and provincial funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Institute for Military and Veterans Health Research, Veterans Affairs Canada, Defence Canada, the PTSD Centre of Excellence, MITACS, and the Workers Safety Insurance Board of Ontario, by a generous donation to Homewood Research Institute from Homewood Health Inc., and by generous gifts from private foundations, including True Patriot Love, the Cowan Foundation, the Military Casualty Support Foundation, the FDC Foundation, and the AllOne Foundation. Dr. McKinnon is a frequent commentator in the media on matters related to PTSD, moral injury, and the impact of trauma on special populations.
CHRISTINA CHRYSLER
Clinical Research Lead
Christina Chrysler is a Clinical Research Lead and oversees the McMaster Trauma and Recovery Lab. She has spent 20 years at McMaster University working in clinical health research as a Clinical Research Coordinator and Senior Grants Advisor. She provides a comprehensive understanding of clinical research projects, study design, data management, grant administration, research finance and research contracts. The majority of Christina career was spent managing the Canadian arm (MSSNG) of the International Autism Genome Project. Christina is also a trained psychometrist and has a specialization in complex neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, anxiety, mood disorders, developmental disabilities and cognitive impairments. As the Clinical Research Lead, she oversees all the activities in the lab to ensure the projects are on track to meet deliverables and timelines.
HEATHER MILLMAN
Clinical Research Co-Lead
I am a qualitative researcher with a special interest in PTSD among military and public safety personnel. I have worked with Dr. McKinnon since 2018 and have coordinated and managed a number of research projects related to mental health and cognitive remediation among military, veterans, and public safety personnel who have been impacted my trauma. My research in the mental health field has involved positions with McMaster University, Homewood Research Institute, and Homewood Health Centre. In addition, I have experience conducting health related research with diverse groups, including refugees to Canada and traditional herbalists in Paraguay. I am currently pursuing my MSc. in Psychotherapy at McMaster University, and I also hold a Master’s of Public Issues Anthropology from the University of Guelph.
DR. ANDREA BROWN
Research Associate
Dr. Andrea Brown obtained her PhD in Applied Social Psychology from the University of Guelph. In addition to her work in the Trauma and Recovery Lab, Dr. Brown has conducted applied research and program evaluation for not-for-profit organizations, regional government, the Department of National Defence, academe, and industry. Since 2015, Dr. Brown’s focus has been on mental health and addictions research and evaluation, with a specialty on military sexual trauma (MST) and post-traumatic stress disorder. She is also the Co-Director of the MiNDS Network for MST and the Director of Knowledge Exchange for the Canadian MST Community of Practice. In addition to this, Dr. Brown is currently completing a Masters in Psychotherapy at McMaster University.
DR. KIM RITCHIE
Research Associate, Homewood Research Institute
Kim Ritchie is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, at McMaster University, working under the supervision of Dr. Margaret McKinnon. She holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Science from Queen’s University and is a registered nurse with extensive clinical experience in mental health, geriatric mental health, and professional practice.
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Kim is involved in a project to understand the unique and shared lived experiences and psychological impacts among healthcare providers and public safety workers resulting from their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research will contribute towards the development of novel approaches to mental health assessment, prevention, and treatment to address the needs of healthcare providers and public safety personnel during and after the pandemic. Her areas of research interest include moral injury, PTSD and dementia, and the mental health of older adults, with a particular focus on aging veterans.
DR. KRYSTA ANDREWS
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Krysta Andrews received an undergraduate degree at Queen’s University in Biology and a Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Toronto. She completed her doctoral degree in Neuroscience at McMaster University and is currently pursuing a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences. Krysta’s research interests focus on using psychosocial (e.g. interpersonal relationships, family functioning), cognitive and neurobiological models (e.g. stress physiology, executive functions) to explore the mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Krysta is also interested in evaluating the efficacy of novel, evidence-based therapeutic programs for children, youth and adults with trauma histories.
MINA PICHTIKOVA
Clinical Research Coordinator
Mina is a graduate of McMaster University’s Honours BSC. Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour program, and is currently pursuing an MA in Clinical and Counselling Psychology at the University of Toronto. She has 6 years of research experience conducting both quantitative and qualitative research on the topics of PTSD, concurrent disorders, moral injury, borderline personality disorder, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma. She currently works as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Trauma and Recovery Research Unit.
SHERAIN HARRICHARAN
Graduate Student (PhD)
Sherain Harricharan is currently pursuing her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Margaret McKinnon. She previously received her undergraduate degree in Biology and Medical Sciences at Western University, and then went on to complete her doctoral degree in Neuroscience at Western with Dr. Ruth Lanius. Her research focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder, using neuroimaging to study how pathways in the brain are altered as a function of trauma and dissociation. In particular, she studies how sensory processing in the mind and body impact cognitive functioning, including emotion regulation and social engagement. She is dedicated to help develop clinical sensorimotor treatments for traumatized individuals.
SANDHYA NARIKUZHY
Graduate Student (PhD)
Sandhya Narikuzhy is currently an PhD student in the Neuroscience program at McMaster University under the supervision of Drs. Andrew Nicholson and Margaret McKinnon. Her current research focuses on investigating the neural correlates of minority stress using fMRI and machine learning techniques. Sandhya completed her undergraduate degree at McMaster University in the Life Sciences program, specializing in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour. Additionally, she worked extensively at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) examining the effects of culturally adapted cognitive behavioural therapy (CA-CBT).
ANDREA D'ALESSANDRO
Graduate Student (MSc)
Andrea is a graduate student in the Neuroscience program at McMaster University where she is co-supervised by Dr. Margaret McKinnon and Dr. Randi McCabe. Her MSc thesis focuses on respiratory therapists' mental health and experiences with moral injury during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond her thesis work, she is a core member of the COVID-19-related moral injury in healthcare workers and public safety personnel research team in the Trauma and Recovery Lab.
MAUDA KARRAM
Undergraduate Student
Mauda is an undergraduate student in the (science honours) Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour (mental health specialization) program with a minor in Theatre and Film studies at McMaster University. Her broad research interests encompass the impact of various mental health difficulties on functionality, and related prevention and intervention styles. Her current research in the Trauma and Recovery Lab involves an exploration of the coping strategies utilized by Canadian healthcare workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
NICHOLAS HELD
Team Lead - Veteran Health and Wellbeing
Dr. Nicholas Held is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University and is the lead of the Veteran Health and Wellbeing team with the Trauma and Recovery Unit. Dr. Held holds a Ph.D in Medicine and is a registered kinesiologist. His research program focusses on improving the physical and mental health of Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans, specifically in Veterans living with chronic pain and/or PTSD.
ALUMNI
Graduate Students
2017/09 – 2019/09 Aamna Quereshi, Master’s Thesis, McMaster University
2016/09 – 2017/08 Jessica Connolly, Master’s Thesis, McMaster University
2014/09 – 2019/09 Jenna Boyd, Doctorate, McMaster University
2014/09 – 2018/08 Duncan Henderson, Doctorate, McMaster University
2013/09 – 2018/08 Laura Keating, Doctorate, McMaster University
2009/9 – 2016/08 Carolina Oremus, Doctorate, McMaster University
2013/09 – 2015/09 Ryan Pyrke, Master's Thesis, McMaster University
2010/9 – 2015/09 Melissa Parlar, Doctorate, McMaster University
2010/9 – 2015/09 Anthony Nazarov, Doctorate, McMaster University
2009/9 – 2015/09 Maria Restivo, Doctorate, McMaster University
2013/9 – 2014/8 Jenna Boyd, Master's Thesis, McMaster University
2012/9 – 2014/06 Shera Hosseini, Master's Thesis, McMaster University
2008/9 – 2012/6 Andree Cusi, Doctorate, McMaster University
2007/9 – 2012/6 Liesel Ann Meusel, Doctorate, McMaster University
2008/9 – 2010/6 Matthew King, Master's Thesis, McMaster University
Undergraduate Students
2011-2012 - Karen Joseph, Psychology Honours Thesis
2011-2012 - Clarrisa Lau, Life Sciences Senior Project
2011-2012 - Isabella Zuchelkowski, Psychology Honours Thesis
2011-2012- Ruth Kim, Psychology Honours Thesis
2011 - Melanie Cochrane, Individual Library Study
2011 - Gagan Fervaha, Individual Library Stud.
2011 - Erica Tatham, Individual Library Study
2010-2011 - Moonyong Trista Kim, Psychology Honours Thesis
2009-2010 - Deeane Diagle, Psychology Honours Thesis
2009-2010 - Julia Smith, Psychology Honours Thesis
2009-2010 - Katherine Herdman, Psychology Honours Thesis
2009 - Jeffrey Mazurkewich, Psychology Independent Study
2009 - Sylvia Eleftheriou, Psychology Independent Study
2009 - Katherine Holhausen, Psychology Independent Study
2008-2009 - Andrea Silver, Psychology Honours Thesis
2008-2009 - Natalia Ziolkowski, Psychology Honours Thesis
2008-2009 - Mohammed Ali Abid, Life Sciences Independent Study
2008-2009 - Tatiana Ashkenazy, Life Sciences Senior Project
2008-2009 - Dilzayn Panjwani, Life Sciences Independent Study
2008-2009- Nosheen Chaudhry, Applied Life Sciences Placement
2008 - Liora Ginzburg, Psychology Independent Study
2007-2008-Anthony Nazarov, Psychology Independent Study
2007-2008 - Matthew King, Psychology Independent Study
2006-2007 - Elefteria Miskopolous, Psychology Independent Study
2005-2006 - Gurpreet Jaswal, Psychology Honours Thesis
2004-2005 - Saba Ul-Haq, Psychology Independent Study
2001-2002 - Jae-Jin Ryu, Psychology Independent Study