The Lab Team

Degrees in Progress:

PhD in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Ryerson University

Research Interests:

Brittany’s research interests lie within the complex interactions between environment and biology that
underlie developmental outcomes. She is particularly interested in the development of stress physiology
and how early experiences contribute to multisystem regulation across different contexts. Her Master’s
thesis examined the relationship between maternal sensitivity and infant stress reactivity across and
between slow- and fast-acting stress systems. Her doctoral dissertation will further explore how aspects
of parenting influence infant regulatory development across behavioural, emotional, physiological and
neural systems.

Clinical Interests:
Brittany is currently a practicum student at Kindercare Psychology. She has previous experience at
Hamilton Health Sciences in the Child and Youth Regional Outreach and Urgent Access Clinic and the
Family Health Team at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital. She has gained experience treating children,
youth, families, and adults using multiple modalities (e.g., cognitive-behavioural interventions, emotion-
focused family therapy). She has experience in psychodiagnostic, psychoeducational, and
socioemotional assessment across childhood and adulthood.

Research Support:
2017-2018 Ontario Graduate Scholarship
2017 Institute for Stress and Wellbeing Research – Harry Rosen Research Grant
2015-2016 Ontario Graduate Scholarship
2015 Institute for Stress and Wellbeing Research – Harry Rosen Research Grant
2014-2015 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Grant

Recent Awards and Recognitions:
2017 Canadian Psychological Association Programme of Certificate of Academic Excellence
2017 Yeates School of Graduate Studies Dennis Mock Student Leadership Award

Publications:
Ludmer, J. A., Jamieson, B., Gonzalez, A, Levitan, R., Kennedy, J., Villani, V., Masellis, M., Santo Basile, V.,
& Atkinson, L. (2017). Maternal SLC6A3 and OXTR genotypes interact with maternal history of care to
predict maternal cortisol secretion in the context of mother-infant separation. Biological Psychology,
128, 154-164. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.09.004

Atkinson, L., Jamieson, B., Khoury, J., Ludmer, J., & Gonzalez, A. (2016). Stress physiology in infancy and
early childhood: Cortisol flexibility, attunement, and coordination. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 28, 1
– 12. DOI: 10.1111/jne.12408

Presentations:

Jamieson, B., Ludmer, J., Gonzalez, A., Levitan, R., Kennedy, J., Villani, V., Masellis, M., Santo Basile, V., &
Atkinson, L. (2017, June). Maternal OXTR and DAT1 genotypes moderate association between maternal
history of care and maternal cortisol secretion in the context of mother-infant separation. Poster
presented at the annual convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Toronto, ON.

Ludmer, J., & Jamieson, B. (2017, May). When the past and the present collide: The case of the D/CC
dyad. Invited symposium presentation for the Pederson, Moran and Goldberg Research Meeting (Home
County Attachment Meeting), Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario.

Jamieson, B., Ludmer, J. A., Khoury, J., Villani, V., Gonzalez, A., & Atkinson, L. (2016, July). The impact of
the mother-infant relationship on infant stress physiology. Invited symposium presentation accepted at
the International Association for Relationship Research, Toronto, Ontario.

Ludmer, J. A., Jamieson, B., Khoury, J., & Atkinson, L. (2016, June). What are we missing? Attachment,
attunement, and adaptation as physiological flexibility. Invited symposium presentation for the
Pederson, Moran and Goldberg Research Meeting (Home County Attachment Meeting), Guelph
University, Guelph, Ontario.​

Jamieson, B., Gonzalez, A., Levitan, R., Hehman, E., Masellis, M., Santos Basile, V., & Atkinson, L. (2016,
June). Maternal sensitivity and infant stress system coordination. Poster presented to the annual
convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Victoria, BC.
Jamieson, B. (2015, October). Maternal sensitivity and infant stress system coordination. Poster
presented at the Psychological Graduate Student Association’s 7 th Annual Research Symposium, Toronto,
ON.

Atkinson, L., Gonzalez, A., Khoury, J., Ludmer, J., Jamieson, B., Masellis, M., Santos Basile, V., Kennedy, J.,
& Levitan, R. (2015, September). Parenting and infant HPA function: Adaptation as physiological
flexibility. International Society for Psychoneuroendocrinology Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland. DOI:
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.447
Jamieson, B., Ludmer, J., Khoury, J., & Atkinson, L. (2015, July). Oh Baby! Love, Stress and Brain
Development in Infancy. Oral presentation at the 2015 Ontario Science Centre Sexposium, Toronto, ON.

Hills, J., Alter, R., & Jamieson, B. (2014, April). Introducing the Psychology Foundation of Canada’s Stress
Lessons and Kids Have Stress Too! School Programs. Presented at the Spring 2014 Education Research
Development and Innovation Conference, Saskatoon, ON.

Jamieson, B. (2013, April). The biological impacts of bullying. Poster presented at the Interdisciplinary
Arts and Science Research Poster Symposium, Guelph, ON.

Degrees

PhD Clinical Psychology – Ryerson University
MA Clinical Psychology – Ryerson University
2013 BA (Honours) Psychology – Western University

Research Interests
Jaclyn utilizes a multi-method, multidisciplinary, and longitudinal approach to examine maternal
and infant genetic, neurobiological, and psychosocial factors as they influence child
development. Her Master’s thesis examined infant dopamine-related genetic characteristics as
moderators of the association between maternal depressive symptoms and infant stress hormone
(cortisol) secretion. Her dissertation examines associations between mother-infant attachment,
maternal history of childhood care, maternal genotypes, and mother-infant cortisol attunement.
This work helps elucidate the biopsychosocial factors that contribute to the intergenerational
transmission of attachment, cortisol, and risk for psychopathology.
Jaclyn is also involved in clinical research examining the effectiveness of group and
individualized parent-child treatment for child conduct problems.

Clinical Interests
Jaclyn is interested in cognitive-behavioural, acceptance and commitment, and dialectical-behavioral strategies for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, disruptive behaviour, trauma, obsessive compulsive disorder, and health issues. She works with children, adolescents, adults, and families. She has completed clinical training at St. Michael’s Hospital Department of Family and Community Medicine (Clinical Psychology Training Clinic), the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Better Behaviours Service), the Child Development Institute (Integra Program), the Child and Adolescent Psychology (CAP) Centre, and CBT Associates of Toronto. She is currently completing her Clinical Residency at the Hospital for Sick Children.

Research Support
2015-2018 Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Program
2014-2015  Canada Graduate Scholarship Master’s Program
2013-2014 Ontario Graduate Scholarship – Master’s Award

Selected Publications (note that Jaclyn’s former last name was Ludmer)

Ludmer, J. A., Gonzalez, A., Kennedy, J., Masellis, M., Meinz, P., & Atkinson, L. (2018). Association between maternal childhood maltreatment and mother-infant attachment disorganization: Moderation by maternal oxytocin receptor gene and cortisol secretion. Hormones and Behavior, 102, 23-33.

Pereira, J., Ludmer, J. A., Gonzalez, A., & Atkinson, L. (2017). Mothers’ Personal and
Interpersonal Function as Potential Mediators between Maternal Maltreatment History and Child
Behavior Problems. Child Maltreatment. doi:10.1177/1077559517734937

Ludmer, J. A., Jamieson, B., Gonzalez, A., Levitan, R., Kennedy, J., Villani, V., Masellis, M.,
Basile, V., & Atkinson, L. (2017). Maternal DRD2, SLC6A3, and OXTR genotypes as potential
moderators of the relation between maternal history of care and maternal cortisol secretion in the
context of mother-infant separation. Biological Psychology, 129, 154-164.

Ludmer, J. A., Salsbury, D., Suarez, J., & Andrade, B. F. (2017). Accounting for the impact of
parent internalizing symptoms on parent training benefits: The role of positive parenting.
Behaviour Research and Therapy, 97, 252-258.

Ludmer, J. A., Sanches, M., Propp, L., & Andrade, B. F. (2017). Comparing the
multicomponent Coping Power program to individualized parent-child treatment for improving
the parenting efficacy and satisfaction of parents of children with conduct problems. Child
Psychiatry and Human Development. doi:10.1007/s10578-017- 0732-1

Villani, V., Ludmer, J. A., Gonzalez, A., Levitan, R., Kennedy, J., Masellis, M., Basile, V.,
Wekerle, C., & Atkinson, L. (2017). Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2), dopamine transporter
solute carrier family C6, member 4 (SLC6A3), and catechol-O- methyltransferase (COMT) genes
as moderators of the relation between maternal history of maltreatment and infant emotion
regulation. Development and Psychopathology. doi:10.1017/S0954579417001122

Atkinson, L., Jamieson, B., Khoury, J., Ludmer, J. A., & Gonzalez, A. (2016). Stress
physiology in infancy and early childhood: Cortisol flexibility, attunement, and coordination.
Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 28. doi:10.1111/jne.12408

Ludmer, J. A., Levitan, R., Gonzalez, A., Kennedy, J., Villani, V., Masellis, M., Basile, V., &
Atkinson, L. (2015). DRD2 and SLC6A3 moderate impact of maternal depressive symptoms on
infant cortisol. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 62, 243-251.

Atkinson, L., Beitchman, J., Gonzalez, A., Young, A., Wilson, B., Escobar, M., Chisholm, V.,
Brownlie, E. B., Khoury, J., Ludmer, J. A., & Villani, V. (2015). Cumulative risk, cumulative
outcome: A 20-year longitudinal study. PLoS ONE 10. doi:10.137/journal.pone.0127650.

Evraire, L. E., Ludmer, J. A., & Dozois, D. J. A. (2014). The influence of priming attachment
styles on excessive reassurance seeking and negative feedback seeking in depression. Journal of
Social and Clinical Psychology, 33, 295-318.

Selected Conference Presentations (note that Jaclyn’s former last name was Ludmer)

Jamieson, B., Ludmer, J. A., Gonzalez, A., Levitan, R., Kennedy, J., Villani, V., Masellis, M.,
Basile, V., & Atkinson, L. (2017, June). Maternal OXTR and DAT1 genotypes moderate
association between maternal history of care and maternal cortisol secretion in the context of
mother-infant separation. Poster presented at the Canadian Psychological Association
Convention, Toronto, Canada.

Ludmer, J. A., Jamieson, B., & Atkinson, L. (2017, May). When the past and the present
collide: The case of the D-dyad. Oral presentation for the Pederson Moran Goldberg Attachment
Conference. Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario.

Ludmer, J. A., Propp, L., & Andrade, B. F. (2017, April). Increasing parental efficacy and
satisfaction: Comparing group and individualized parent training for child conduct problems.
Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development, Austin, Texas.

Ludmer, J. A., Jamieson, B., Khoury, J., Villani, V., Gonzalez, A., & Atkinson, L. (2016, July).
The impact of the mother-infant relationship on infant stress physiology. Symposium
presentation at the International Association for Relationship Research, Toronto, Ontario.

Ludmer, J. A., Salsbury, D., Suarez, J., & Andrade, B. F. (2016, February). Factors that impact
the effectiveness of parent management training for parents with internalizing symptoms. Poster
presented at the Neurosciences and Mental Health Convention at the Hospital for Sick Children,
Toronto, Ontario.

Atkinson, L., Gonzalez, A., Khoury, J., Ludmer, J. A., Jamieson, B., Masellis, M., Basile, V., &
Levitan, R. (2015, September). Parenting and infant HPA function: Adaptation as physiological
flexibility. Invited symposium presentation at the International Society for
Psychoneuroendocrinology, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Ludmer, J. A., Levitan, R., Gonzalez, A., Kennedy, J., Masellis, M., Basile, V., Villani, V., &
Atkinson, L. (2015, May). Cumulative genetic susceptibility to environmental influences: DRD2,
DAT1, and COMT genotypes as moderators of the relation between maternal depressive
symptoms and infant cortisol reactivity. Poster presented at the Society of Biological Psychiatry
(SOBP) Convention, Toronto, Ontario.

Ludmer, J. A., Runions, K., & Atkinson, L. (2015, March). Infants with selective attention
biases at 6 months show disorganized attachment at 12 months. Poster presented at the Society
for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In progress
PhD Clinical Psychology, Ryerson University

Degrees
MA Clinical Psychology, Ryerson University

BA Psychology, University of Guelph

Research interests
Broadly, Arielle is interested in the influence of early parent child relationships on child
development, as well as predictors of parenting behaviour. She is particularity interested in the
continuity of maltreatment across generations, and its interaction with the various cognitive
processes. For her undergraduate thesis she looked at the effects of maternal emotional neglect
on subsequent child emotion regulation abilities. Her Master’s thesis examined the
influence of maternal executive functions on parenting sensitivity.

Research Support
2017-2018 Ontario Graduate Scholarship
2016-2017 Canada Graduate Scholarship Master’s Program

Conference Presentations
Dryer, A.I., Roberts, S.D., Westmacott, R., McDonald, K.P., & Williams, T. (2016, June). The
Impact of Early Brain Injury on Childhood Development: Defining Neurological, Cognitive, and
Mental Health Resilience. Poster presented at the American Academy of Clinical
Neuropsychology (AACN) Conference —Excellence in Clinical Practice, Chicago, Illinois.

Roberts, S.D., Coppens, A.M., Westmacott, R., Crosbie, J., Dryer, A. I., McDonald, K.P., Elik,
N. & Williams, T. (2016, June). ADHD post stroke: Impact on childhood development. Poster
presented at the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) Conference
—Excellence in Clinical Practice, Chicago, Illinois.

Dryer, A.I., Pagavathsing, J., Hastings, R. P., Weiss, J. A., Lunsky, L. (2016, April). Self-
Compassion and Psychological Outcomes in Parents of Adults with Intellectual and Other
Developmental Disabilities. Poster presented at Ontario Association on Developmental
Disabilities, Research Special Interest Group (RSIG) Reseach Day, London, Ontario.

Pagavsthsing, J., Dryer, A.I., Lunsky, L. (2016, April). Group Interventions for Parents of
Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: Group Interest and Participation.
Poster presented at Ontario Association on Developmental Disabilities, Research Special Interest
Group (RSIG) Reseach Day, London, Ontario.

Dryer, A. I., Bailey, H. N, (2015, April). The Effects of Maternal Emotional Neglect on
Subsequent Emotion Regulation Abilities. Poster presented at the Ontario Psychology
Undergraduate Thesis Conference, London, Ontario.

Bailey, H. N., Dryer, A. I., Pederson, D. R., Moran, G., & Bento, S, (2015, March). Emotional
Neglect in Infancy Predicts Children’s Understanding of Emotions and their Resolution. Poster presented at the Bicentennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Degrees in Progress:

PhD in Psychology (Clinical Stream)

Research Interests:

Alex completed her Master of Science at Queen’s University in Developmental Psychology. Her
Master’s research in the Adolescent Dynamics and Bullying Laboratories examined individual
differences in emotional processes (e.g., emotion recognition, emotion regulation) among
children and adolescents who are chronically victimized by their peers. At present, her doctoral
dissertation in the Biopsychosocial Laboratory is investigating the influence of familial factors,
such as parenting practices and attitudes, parent mental health, and parent emotion regulation, on children’s abilities and strategies used to regulate their emotions. She has also completed work in the Child Self-Regulation Laboratory, conducting research on a transdiagnostic group treatment for adolescents with learning disabilities and mental health problems (Integra Mindfulness Martial Arts).

Clinical Interests:

Alex is currently completing a practicum at the ROCK: Reach Out Centre for Kids. She has
worked in the past at St. Michael’s Hospital Department of Community Medicine (Clinical
Psychology Training Clinic) and the Integra Child Development Institute. Her clinical
experiences across these sites include comprehensive assessment (e.g., psychodiagnostic,
psychoeducational, and socioemotional) of children and adolescents as well as intervention (e.g., cognitive behavioural therapy, attachment-based therapies) with youth, parents, and families.

Research Support:


2016 – 2019 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship ($105, 000 over 3 years)

2016-Institute for Stress and Well-Being Harry Rosen Research Grant ($2, 250)

2015 Canada Graduate Internship Research Program Mitacs-Accelerate Research Internship, co-PI Karen Milligan, Ph.D. ($30, 000)

2013 – 2014 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada Graduate Scholarship ($17, 500)

Publications:

Milligan, K., Irwin, A., Cox, M., Wolfe-Miscio, M., Mintz, L., Woon, S., Gage, M., & Phillips,
M. (2016). Mindfulness enhances use of secondary control strategies in high school
students at risk for mental health challenges. Mindfulness, 7(1), 219-227. doi:
10.1007/s12671-015- 0466-8

Irwin, A., Li, J., Craig, W. M., & Hollenstein, T. (2016). The role of shame in peer victimization
and mental health outcomes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1-26. doi:
10.1177/0886260516672937

Selected Presentations:

Irwin, A., Besharat, N., McKeough, T., & Milligan, K. (2017, November). Self-monitoring
moderates the impact of mindfulness on attributional change in youth with learning and mental
health challenges. Poster presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), San Diego, CA.

Irwin, A., Haydicky, J., Meixner, T., Wiener, J., Phillips, M., & Milligan, K. (2015, November).
More treatment is not always better: A longitudinal examination of the impact of mindfulness
treatment on executive functions in youth with learning disabilities. Poster presented at the
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), Chicago, IL.

Meixner, T., Irwin, A., Wolfe-Miscio, M., Hamilton, L., Cox, M., Woon, S., Gage, M., Mintz,
L., & Milligan, K. (2015, October). Integra mindfulness martial arts: Recommendations for
implementation in a school setting. Poster presented at the Ontario Psychological Association
(OPA). Toronto, Canada.

Irwin, A., Li, J., Craig, W., & Hollenstein, T. (2015, August). The role of shame in chronic peer
victimization and mental health outcomes. Poster session presented at the American
Psychological Association (APA). Toronto, Canada.

Li, J., Irwin, A., Craig, W., & Hollenstein, T. (2015, June). The role of shame in chronic peer
victimization in children. Poster session presented at the Canadian Psychological Association
(CPA). Ottawa, Canada.

Meixner, T., Irwin, A., Wolfe-Miscio, M., Hamilton, L., Cox, M., Woon, S., Gage, M., Mintz,
L.,& Milligan, K. (2015, June). Integra mindfulness martial arts: An exploration of themes
for implementation in a school setting. Poster session presented at the Canadian
Psychological Association (CPA). Ottawa, Canada.

Li, J., Irwin, A., Craig, W. M., & Hollenstein, T. (2015, April). Predicting chronic peer
victimization and mental health symptoms in early adolescents: The mediating role of shame.
Poster presented at the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA). Baltimore, MD.

Irwin, A., Li, J., Craig, W., & Hollenstein, T. (2015, March). Understanding the relationship
between peer victimization and psychosocial functioning: The role of shame in peer
victimization. Poster symposium presented at the Society for Research in Child Development
(SRCD). Philadelphia, PA.

Irwin, A., Lanteigne, D., Craig, W., & Hollenstein, T. (2015, March). Emotion recognition in
youth victimized by their peers. Poster session presented at the Society for Research in Child
Development (SRCD). Philadelphia, PA.

Irwin, A., Lanteigne, D., Craig, W., & Hollenstein, T. (2014, May). Emotion recognition in
adolescents victimized by their peers. Poster session presented at Development 2014: A
Canadian Conference on Developmental Psychology. Ottawa, Canada.

Degree in progress:

PhD Clinical Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University

Research interests:

Gabby’s research interests involve parental emotion socialization, children’s emotion regulation and expressivity, and the development of internalizing problems (e.g., depression). She is particularly interested in parental socialization of positive affect—how parents influence their children’s expression and regulation of positive emotions. For her master’s thesis, Gabby investigated the transmission of depressive symptoms from mothers to children, focusing on maternal socialization of positive affect as a mechanism of transmission.

Research support:

2023–2027   SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship, $80,000 over 48 months

2020–2021  Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master’s (CGS-M) Award, $17,500

Presentations:

Waters, T. E. A., Gu, Y., Zhu, V., Jamieson, B., Lim, D., Schmitt, G. A., & Atkinson, L. (2023, March 23–25). Attachment expectations moderate links between social support and adjustment during the transition to motherhood[Paper presentation]. SRCD 2023 Biennial Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.

McCarthy, M., Paré-Ruel, M.-P., & Schmitt, G. A. (2022, June 15–16). Meta-analysis: Aggression subtypes and stress biomarkers [Poster presentation]. Development 2022, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

McCarthy, M., Paré-Ruel, M.-P., & Schmitt, G. A. (2021, May 26–27). Aggression and stress dysregulation in youth: A prospective meta-analysis [Poster presentation]. Association for Psychological Science 2021 Virtual Convention, Washington, DC, United States.

Schmitt, G. A., Dickson, D. J., Stack, D. M., & Serbin, L. A. (2020, July 6–August 28). Maternal responses to positive affect predict immediate and long-term changes in child expressivity [Poster presentation]. 81st Canadian Psychological Association Annual National Convention, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Schmitt, G. A., Dickson, D. J., & Stack, D. M. (2020, May 29). Maternal responses to children’s positive affect: The immediate processes of emotion socialization [Oral presentation]. FRQSC Emotional Competence Research Team Symposium, Montréal, Québec, Canada. 

Schmitt, G. A., Dickson, D. J., & Stack, D. M. (2020, February 8). Maternal responses to positive affect predict immediate and long-term changes in child expressivity [Poster presentation]. Centre for Research in Human Development (CRDH) Annual Conference, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Schmitt, G. A., Dickson, D. J., & Stack, D. M. (2019, April 12). Children’s emotional expressions following maternal validation and invalidation of positive emotions [Oral presentation]. FRQSC Emotional Competence Research Team Symposium, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Schmitt, G. A., Dickson, D. J., & Stack, D. M. (2019, April 5). Children’s emotional expressions following maternal validation and invalidation of positive affect: Associations with self-esteem [Oral presentation]. Psychology Undergraduate Research Exposition, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.