Melanie Noel, PhD, RPsych is a 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.

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.

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.

Josep was born in Menorca, Spain and completed his Bachelor's degree in Psychology at the University of the Balearic Islands in 2017. Currently, Josep is pursuing his PhD at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili under the supervision of Prof. Jordi Miró. Josep is a recipient of a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, enabling him to travel to Canada to investigate the factors involved in the transition from acute pain to chronic pain in youth in our lab.

Safira grew up in Calgary and is in the last year of completing her Bachelor’s in Psychology at the University of Calgary. She is passionate about exploring how physical health affects psychological well-being, especially in children. Safira will be completing her Honours thesis this fall, investigating sleep, pain, and headache in pediatric mild traumatic brain injury.

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.

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.

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.

Dr. Tutelman is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Departments of Oncology and Psychology at the University of Calgary. Her research expertise is centered at the intersection of psychosocial oncology, pain, and mental health. Dr. Tutelman’s doctoral research at Dalhousie University was focused on examining the relationship between pain and fear of cancer recurrence in survivors of childhood cancer. Her work has been recognized nationally and internationally, including by the World Health Organization as evidence on the burden of cancer-related chronic pain in children. As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Tutelman also provides clinical care to children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer through Cancer Care Alberta. Dr. Tutelman is co-supervised by Dr. Fiona Schulte and Dr. Melanie Noel.

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.

Prior to returning to UCalgary to complete an after degree in psychology, he spent 10 years working in video and documentary production and discovered that the greatest satisfaction in this work came from listening and supporting others who wanted to share their stories. Media narratives and their influences on our thoughts, behaviours and emotions have long been an interest of his. Sean now plans to combine his previous educational background–a BA in English and MA in Film Studies–with his current field to examine how popular film and television productions shape our understanding of the subjective experiences of neurodiverse youth.

Jamie is pursuing graduate studies in Clinical Psychology. He graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours), majoring in psychology in 2022. Jamie is passionate about psychopathology and 4e cognitive science. His research in the Peak Research Lab and the Partnering for Pain Lab has explored pediatric chronic pain, PTSD, and resilience factors. He is presently pursuing research examining the relationship between chronic pain and stoicism. Jamie also presently works as a Research Assistant in Daniel McGrath's Substance Use and Gambling Lab. He has also completed a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Technologies and Construction Management from VIA University College in Denmark and a diploma in Architectural Technologies from SAIT Polytechnic

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.