Melanie Noel, PhD, RPsych is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Calgary and a Full Member of the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. She directs the PEAK (Pain Education, Advocacy, Knowledge) Research Lab within the Vi Riddell Pain & Rehabilitation Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Canada.

As a person with lived experience dealing with chronic pain in his childhood, Merek has a great interest in learning more about how psychology and pain come together, and using this knowledge to help others struggling with pain. Merek began as a volunteer, and has completed a summer studentship and honours thesis under Dr. Noel, with hopes of continuing on to the clinical psychology program.

Maria came to Calgary from Russia to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a Psychologist. She is fascinated by the relationship between mind and body, psychopathology and physical health, and by therapeutic approaches that tackle that relationship.

Tatiana is a PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Calgary. Tatiana’s research interests surround how chronic and acute pain narratives are co-constructed between parents and children across early childhood and into adolescence. Tatiana is passionate about pediatric psychology and investigating ways to promote children’s physical and mental health. Her previous research experience explored children’s cognitive and language development. Tatiana remains interested in cognitive factors involved in children’s development and how shared language regarding painful experiences can serve as a context within which to study children’s broader social and emotional development.

Queenie is passionate about finding ways that we can live better together. She believes a key to achieving thriving communities is to support those in the most vulnerable positions, including children and marginalized individuals. As such, her breadth of research experience in psychology, public health, and education is connected by a focus on advocacy and justice.

Allison was born in New Brunswick and moved to Calgary shortly thereafter. She is the recipient of an Alberta Children's Hospital summer studentship award, and will complete her Honours thesis in Psychology at the University of Calgary in the Fall.

Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Psychology degree, Sergio intends to pursue an Honours thesis as a steppingstone to graduate studies in Clinical Psychology.
 
Having secondhand experience with chronic pain, Sergio is curious about how parent/child dialogue regarding pain can shape appraisals, and thereby influence a youth’s belief in adaptive or maladaptive ways.

Emily grew up in a small rural town outside of Montreal, Quebec, and completed her Bachelor’s in Psychology at the University of Calgary in 2020. She has since worked as a research coordinator in the field which has emphasized her desire to pursue the field of clinical psychology. Emily prides herself on ensuring that participants engaging with her research feel included, safe, and heard and strives to create an environment that is conducive to these tenets.

Sam is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Psychology Department. She is passionate about exploring research related to the emotional well-being of children and youth with complex health care and communication needs.

Jaimie is a PhD Candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Calgary. Her research examines the connections between adversity, chronic pain, and mental health in parents and their children. She hopes to identify both risk and resiliency factors that can be addressed in interventions to improve the outcomes of families living with chronic pain

Atiqa moved to Calgary to pursue graduate school in Clinical Psychology, under the supervision of Dr. Noel. Atiqa is interested in understanding the relationship between mild traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, and mental health. She is particularly interested in examining how different moderators affect the transition from acute to chronic pain in mTBI.

Kailey grew up in Winnipeg and completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree at the University of Manitoba in 2021. She is moving to Calgary to pursue her career goal of becoming a clinical psychologist. She has strong interests in child and family mental health and how this is related to pain.

Charles is currently in his third year of undergraduate psychology studies. He aspires to either be a future counselling psychologist or psychiatrist. His interests include, but are not limited to the following: paediatrics, psychosis, and child and adolescent psychiatry. 

Glorianna grew up in Calgary and is currently in her fourth year at the University of Calgary, majoring in Cellular, Molecular, and Microbial Biology. She is applying for an After-Degree in Psychology and intends to pursue graduate studies in Clinical Psychology.