The Lab Team

Degrees:

2015, PhD in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Ryerson University
2010, MA in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Ryerson University
2007, BComm (Honours), minor in Psychology, McMaster University

Research Interests

Katie’s research interests included examining factors involved in the development, maintenance, and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. Her Master’s thesis compared the effects and mechanisms of two imaginal exposure approaches for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Katie’s doctoral dissertation investigated reactions to uncertainty in people with GAD using qualitative methods, and the modification of intolerance of uncertainty in people with GAD using behavioural exposure to uncertainty. Her next step was to complete a Clinical Psychology Post-doctoral Fellowship at Stanford University.

Selected Publications:

Fracalanza, K., Koerner, N., & Antony, M. M. (2014). Testing a procedural variant of written imaginal exposure for generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28, 559-569. 

Fracalanza, K., McCabe, R. E., Taylor, V. H., & Antony, M. M. (2014). The effect of comorbid major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder on cognitive behavioural therapy for social anxiety disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 162, 61-66.

Fracalanza, K., Koerner, N., Deschênes, S. S., & Dugas, M. J. (2014). Intolerance of uncertainty mediates the relation between generalized anxiety disorder symptoms and anger. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 43, 122-132.

Selected Conference Presentations:

Fracalanza, K., Mastorakos, T., Koerner, N., Agako, A., McShane, K., & Antony, M.M. (2014, March). Others are more certain and I don’t deserve this! An investigation of uncertainty as unfair and its connection to anger in generalized anxiety disorder. Poster presented at the meeting of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Chicago, IL.

Fracalanza, K., Koerner, N., McShane, K. E., & Antony, M. M. (2013, July). A qualitative investigation of reactions to uncertainty in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder. Oral presentation presented at the meeting of the World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Lima, Peru.

 Fracalanza, K., Koerner, N., & Antony, M. M. (2011, June). Using a behavioural approach test to evaluate the impact of imaginal exposure. Poster presented at the meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Toronto, ON.

Degrees:

MA in Cognitive Neuroscience, McGill University
BA (Honours) Psychology, Ryerson University
BSc (Honours) Science, University of Waterloo

Research Interests:

Abdel first began working at the CAP Lab as an undergraduate thesis student under the joint supervision of Dr. Naomi Koerner, Dr. Ben Dyson, and Dr. Margaret Moulson. His thesis project used Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) to examine interpretation biases in people with different levels of worry. He then continued working at the CAP lab as a research assistant to collect more data and finalize his thesis. His next step was to complete his graduate studies in Cognitive Neuroscience at McGill University.

Selected Conference Presentations:

Elshiekh, A., Dyson, B., Moulson, M., Kusec, A., & Koerner, N. (2014, July). Brain responses to semantic ambiguity in worry: An event-related potential (ERP) investigation. Poster presented at the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science annual meeting, Toronto, Canada.

Moulson, M., Elshiekh, A., & Sugden, N. (2013, April). Neural correlates of the other-race effect in adulthood: Effects of exposure. Poster presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society 20^th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, USA.

Moulson, M., Sugden, N., & Elshiekh, A. (2013, June). Do people look strange when they’re a stranger? Relations between social contact and the other-race effect in adults. Poster presented at the Canadian Psychological Association 74^th Annual Convention, Quebec City, Canada.

Current Position:
Psychologist, Halifax Community Mental Health Clinic

Degrees:
2016, PhD in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Ryerson University
2011, MA in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Ryerson University
2009, BA (Honours) in Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University

Research Interests:
Emma’s research interests were in investigating and understanding new treatment approaches that target transdiagnostic factors related to psychopathology. Her research examined anxiety sensitivity (AS) as a transdiagnostic factor. Her Master’s thesis examined computerized interpretation bias modification as a method of attenuating AS. Relatedly, Emma’s PhD dissertation included two studies to investigate the efficacy of brief interventions (interpretation bias modification and psychoeducation) aimed at reducing AS.

Selected Publications:
MacDonald, E.M., Koerner, N., Antony, M.M., Vickers, K., Mastorakos, T., & Kuo, J. (in press). Investigating the therapeutic potential of cognitive bias modification for high anxiety sensitivity. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry.

MacDonald, E. M., Pawluk, E. J., Koerner, N., & Goodwill, A., M. (2015). An examination of distress intolerance in undergraduate students high in symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 44, 74 – 84.

MacDonald, E. M., Koerner, N., & Antony, M. M. (2013). Modification of interpretive bias: Impact on anxiety sensitivity, information processing and response to induced bodily sensations. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 30, 860-871.

Selected Conference Presentations:

MacDonald, E. M., & Koerner, N. (2014, November). An investigation of the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty factors, worry, negative problem orientation, and cognitive avoidance. Poster presented at the meeting of the Association Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.

MacDonald, E. M., Fracalanza, K. A., & Koerner, N. (2013, November). Investigating emotion dysregulation in individuals with OCD compared to individuals with GAD and healthy control participants. Poster presented at the meeting of the Association Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Nashville, TN.

MacDonald, E. M., & Koerner, N. (2012, November). Intolerance of uncertainty and other types of distress intolerance as predictors of GAD. Poster presented at the meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, National Harbor, MD.

Degrees:
2016, PhD in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Ryerson University
2011, MA in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Ryerson University
2008, BA (Honours) in Psychology, University of Western Ontario

Research Interests:
Elizabeth’s research interests included investigations of cognitive-behavioural theories of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). For her dissertation, Elizabeth tested a theory of emotion dysregulation in GAD via two independent studies. First, she conducted an experiment to examine the extent to which people with GAD experience heightened emotional reactivity, based on their subjective and physiological response, compared to people with social anxiety disorder and people with no psychopathology. Second, she examined the emotional profiles of people with GAD compared to people with no psychopathology, by asking participants to conduct multiple, real-time assessments of their emotional experiences and level of worry on a smartphone throughout the day for one week. Her next step was to complete a Post-doctoral Fellowship in the Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Selected Publications:

Malivoire, B., Marcos, M., Pawluk, E.J.P., Tallon, K., Kusec, A., & Koerner, N. (in press). Negative urgency, intolerance of uncertainty and their unique associations with interpretation bias in individuals high in generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Malivoire, B., Stewart, K.E., Tallon, K., Ovanessian, M.M., Pawluk, E.J., & Koerner, N. (in press). Negative urgency and generalized anxiety disorder symptom severity: The role of self-reported cognitive processes. Personality and Individual Differences.

MacDonald, E. M., Pawluk, E. J., Koerner, N., & Goodwill, A., M. (2015). An examination of distress intolerance in undergraduate students high in symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 44, 74 – 84.

Pawluk, E. J., & Koerner, N. (2013). A preliminary investigation of impulsivity in generalized anxiety disorder. Personality and Individual Differences, 54, 732-737.

Selected Conference Presentations:
Pawluk, E. J., & Koerner, N. (2014, November). Possible triggers for negative urgency in people with GAD. Poster presented at the meeting of the Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.

Pawluk, E. J., MacDonald, E., & Koerner, N. (2013, November). Examining the dimensions of distress tolerance in the prediction of panic disorder. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies, Nashville, TX.

Pawluk, E. J., Koerner, N., & Antony, M. M. (2011, November). Impact of concreteness training on worry, intolerance of uncertainty, and problem solving. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, Toronto, ON.

Degrees:
2019, PhD in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Toronto Metropolitan  University
2014, MA in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Toronto Metropolitan University
2012, BA (Honours) in Psychology, McGill University

Research Interests:
Kathleen’s research interests are in the cognitive mechanisms that lead to the development and maintenance of pathological worry. In her Master’s thesis, she developed a model of the role of working memory in generalized anxiety disorder and tested the effects of worrying on working memory and information processing in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder. In her dissertation, Kathleen is examining the efficacy and mechanism of change of a worry postponement intervention in people with generalized anxiety disorder.

Selected Publications:
Malivoire, B., Marcos, M., Pawluk, E.J.P., Tallon, K., Kusec, A., & Koerner, N. (in press). Negative urgency, intolerance of uncertainty and their unique associations with interpretation bias in individuals high in generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Malivoire, B., Stewart, K.E., Tallon, K., Ovanessian, M.M., Pawluk, E.J., & Koerner, N. (in press). Negative urgency and generalized anxiety disorder symptom severity: The role of self-reported cognitive processes. Personality and Individual Differences.

Tallon, K., Koerner, N., & Yang, L. (2016). Working memory in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Effects of verbal and image-based worry and relation to cognitive and emotional processes. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 7, 72-94. doi:10.5127/jep.045714

Koerner, N., Tallon, K., & Kusec, A. (2015). Maladaptive core beliefs and their relation to generalized anxiety disorder. Advanced online publication. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. doi:10.1080/16506073.2015.1042989

Selected Presentations:
Tallon, K., Stratton, N., Tulloch, T. G., Faaborg-Andersen, M., Kidwai, A., Vernon, J. R. G., O’Cleirigh, C., Antony, M. M., & Hart, T. A. (2016, October). The Effects of Integrative Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Social Anxiety on Symptoms of Social Anxiety, Depression, and Problematic Alcohol Use in Gay and Bisexual Men. Poster presented at the meeting of the Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, New York, NY.

Tallon K., Ovanessian, M. & Koerner, N. (2016, May). Imaging ability in Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Poster, Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies, Hamilton, ON.

Tallon, K., Carleton, N., Gavric, D., MacDonald, E., Milosevic, I., & Dozois, D. (June, 2015). Introduction and summary. In Kathleen Tallon (Chair), Advances in transdiagnostic approaches to understanding and treating psychopathology. Symposium, the Canadian Psychological Association Convention 2015, Ottawa, ON.

Degrees:

MA in School and Clinical Child Psychology, University of Toronto
2014, BA (Honours) in Psychology, York University

Research Interests:

Tessie’s research interests include investigations of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioural treatment and other effective ways of intervening with children and families exposed to trauma. Tessie also has an interest in understanding particular risk factors associated with pathological worry and generalized anxiety disorder. She is currently completing her Masters in School and Clinical Child Psychology at the University of Toronto.

Selected  Publications:

Cordeiro, K., Foroughe, M., & Mastorakos, T. (In press). Primary mental health care in the family health team setting: Tracking patient care from referral to outcome. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.

Selected Conference Presentations:

Mastorakos, T. & Koerner, N. (2015, June). The unique contribution of attachment style to generalized anxiety disorder. Poster presented to the meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Ottawa, ON.

Mastorakos, T., Bambrah, V., Konanur, S., Thornback, K., & Muller R.T. (2015, June). A community-based study of trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy: Parent-child discordance and patterns of relatedness as predictors of change. Poster presented to the meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Ottawa, ON.

Mastorakos, T., Cinamon, J., Konanur, S., & Muller, R.T. (2014, October). Parent emotional reaction and child anxiety in trauma-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy. Poster presented to the meeting of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, Long Beach, CA.

Degrees:
MA in Psychology (Social/Personality), Brock University
2015, BA (Honours) in Psychology, Ryerson University

Research Interests:
Elvira first began working at the CAP lab as a volunteer in 2012. Her research interests included understanding cognitive biases involved in pathological worry and examining predictors for excessive worry. Since then, Elvira maintained her involvement in the lab while broadening her research experiences: She was awarded two undergraduate student research awards by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Further, Elvira completed her undergraduate honours thesis with Dr. Becky Choma in the Social and Political Psychology lab at Ryerson University. She examined self-objectification (i.e., the habitual monitoring of one’s physical appearance) and its application to skin tone dissatisfaction and skin bleaching in ethnically diverse women. Elvira was Lab Manager at the CAP Lab from September 2015 to September 2016. In fall 2016, she started graduate studies in psychology at Brock University.

Selected Conference Presentations:
Prusaczyk, E., & Choma, B. L. (2015, July). Self-objectification, skin colour dissatisfaction, and skin bleaching: The palliative and legitimating effects of system justifying beliefs. Paper presented at the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (ISSID) Conference, London, ON, Canada.

Prusaczyk, E., & Choma, L. B. (2015, May). “Fair and Lovely:” Self-objectification, Skin Tone Surveillance, and Skin Bleaching. Talk presented at the Undergraduate Thesis Conference at Western University, London, ON.

Prusacyzk, E., Kusec, A., Pawluk, E., Woznica, A., Taillefer, S., & Koerner, N. (2016, May). Emotional intensity and valence of autobiographical memories in individuals with probable generalized anxiety disorder. Poster presented at the meeting of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.

Degrees:
2015, MT in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, University of Toronto
2013, BA (Honours) in Psychology, Ryerson University

Research Interests:
Carly first began working at the CAP Lab as a volunteer in 2011. In 2012, she received a scholarship to design her own research study, which tested the emotional and cognitive effects of abstract and concrete thinking in individuals with high levels of worry. Carly completed her undergraduate thesis under Dr. Koerner’s supervision, and investigated the effects of uncertainty on emotional, cognitive, and behavioural reactions to ambiguous situations and problem-solving abilities. After graduating from Ryerson, Carly pursued a Masters of Teaching and specialized in sexual health education. She was a research assistant in an HIV prevention lab and completed her Master’s thesis on best practices teaching sexual health education. Carly is continuing her work in sexual health education as a researcher and consultant for various educational organizations.

Selected Presentations:
Basian, C. (2015, May). Unpacking Ontario’s 2015 sexual health education curricula. Oral presentation delivered at Professional Development Seminars, Mississauga, ON, Canada.

Basian, C., & Finnessy, P. (2015, April). Best practices and obstacles teaching sexual health education at the high school level. Oral presentation delivered at the Physical and Health Education Canada National Conference, Banff, AB, Canada.

Basian, C., & Koerner, N. (2013, June). Priming beliefs about uncertainty: Effects on interpretations of ambiguous situations. Poster presented at the Ontario Undergraduate Psychology Thesis Conference, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Kusec, A., Mastorakos, T., Fracalanza, K., Basian, C., & Koerner, N. (2014, June). Experiences of expected and unexpected uncertainty in individuals with and without generalized anxiety disorder. Poster presented at the Canadian Psychological Association Conference, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Degrees in Progress:
PhD in Psychology (Clinical Stream), York University

Degrees:
MA in Psychology (Clinical Stream), York University
BA (Honours) in Psychology, Ryerson University

Research Interests:
Keisha was a research assistant in the CAP Lab during the summer of 2016. Her research interests included understanding clinical anxiety and the underlying cognitions that maintain these disorders. Her duties involved testing and managing data for current lab studies. During the 2016-2017 academic year, Keisha completed her Undergraduate Honours Thesis under the supervision of Dr. Naomi Koerner. She is currently completing her graduate studies in clinical psychology at York University; she is interested in studying the role of mood disorders within populations that experience eating disorders.

Degrees:

2022, PhD in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Toronto Metropolitan University
2018, MA in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Toronto Metropolitan University
2015, BSc in Psychology, McGill University

Research Interests:
Katie’s master’s thesis examined the effects of an attentional control training procedure in people who suffer from pathological worry. Her PhD dissertation examined intolerance of uncertainty in people high in worry. Broadly, Katie is interested in the mechanisms and pathways through which anxiety disorders are maintained and treated.

Selected Publications:
Malivoire, B. L., Stewart, K. E., Tallon, K., Ovanessian, M., Pawluk, E. J., & Koerner, N. (2018). (Accepted, March 2018). Negative urgency and generalized anxiety disorder symptom severity: The role of self-reported cognitive processes. Journal of Personality and Individual Differences.

Lenton-Brym, A.P., Stewart, K.E., Coyne, A.E., Westra, H.A., Constantino, M.J., & Antony, M.M. (2019). Can self-report measures of readiness for change and treatment ambivalence predict outcomes in cognitive-behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder? Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 33, 301-319.

Krause, K.L., Stewart, K.E., Cassin, S.E., & Antony, M.M. (2018). Clinical perfectionism, dissatisfaction with standards, and raising the bar: Validation of the Response to Goal Achievement Scale. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 32, 241-262.

Stewart, K. E., & Antony, M. M. (in press). Trait anxiety. In V. Zeigler-Hill & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of personality and individual differences. New York, NY: Springer.

Selected Presentations: 
Stewart, K., Malivoire, B. L., Ovanessian, M., Koerner, N., & Pawluk, E. J. (November, 2019). Emotion dysregulation and negative urgency in generalized anxiety disorder. Poster accepted to the 53nd annual meeting of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Atlanta, GA.

Stewart, K. E., Sack, L., Antony, M. M., & Koerner, N. (2019, July). The impact of the attention training technique on attention control and worry in excessive worriers. Open paper presented at the World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, Berlin, Germany.

Stewart, K. E., Sack, L., & Koerner, N. (2019, July). The relationship between negative urgency and attention processes in people high in generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. Poster presented at the World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, Berlin, Germany.

Szabo, J., Stewart, K. S., Sack, L., Kusec, A., Marcos, M., & Koerner, N. (2019, May). Negative urgency as a moderator in the relationship between paranoia and social anxiety. Poster presented at the 9th annual Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies Convention, Montreal, QC.

Malivoire, B. L., Stewart, K. E., & Koerner, N. (2019, May). Relations between positive urgency and threatening appraisals of positive scenarios in GAD. Poster presented at the 9th annual meeting of the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies, Montreal, Quebec.

Stewart, K. E., Malivoire, B., & Koerner, N. (2018, November). Age-related differences in cognitive variables in generalized anxiety disorder. Poster presented at the 52nd annual meeting of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Washington, DC.

Malivoire, B., Stewart, K. E., Tallon, K., Ovanessian, M., & Koerner, N. (2018, November). Negative urgency and generalized anxiety disorder symptoms: The influence of self-reported cognitive processes. Poster presented at the 52nd annual meeting of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Washington, DC.

Stewart, K. E., Lenton-Brym, A. P., Coyne, A. E., Westra, H. A., Constantino, M. J., & Antony, M. M. (2017, November). Treatment ambivalence and change motivation as predictors of worry and symptom severity outcomes in psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder. Poster presented at the 51st meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, San Diego, CA.

Lenton-Brym, A. P., Stewart, K. E., Coyne, A. E., Westra, H. A., Constantino, M. J., & Antony, M. M. (2017, November). Assessing the Role of Baseline Treatment Ambivalence in Psychotherapy for Individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Poster presented at the 51st meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, San Diego, CA.

Degrees:
BA (Honours) in Psychology, Ryerson University

Research Interests:
Charlotte worked at the CAP lab as a research assistant during the summer of 2016. She was interested in the etiology and development of anxiety disorders, including understanding the cognitive processes involved in maintaining pathological worry. In the 2016-2017 academic year, Charlotte completed her Undergraduate Honours Thesis under the supervision of Dr. Naomi Koerner.  She then worked as Lab Manager of the Young Adult and Alcohol Research Lab at Concordia University under the supervision of Dr. Roisin O’Connor. Charlotte was involved in research on the etiology of young adult heavy and problem alcohol use, in particular, the positive and negative reinforcement pathways that lead to problematic drinking. She plans to work in this lab and gain some research experience before pursuing graduate studies in clinical psychology.

Degrees: 
BA (Honours) in Psychology, Ryerson University.

Research Interests:
Natalie was a volunteer research assistant in the CAP Lab. Her research interests included understanding the cognitive processes and trans-diagnostic factors involved in maintaining anxiety and mood-related disorders. In fall 2016, Natalie completed her Undergraduate Honours Thesis with Dr. Karen Milligan; she investigated the impact of Mindfulness Marital Arts Therapy on attention in a clinical sample of youth. Natalie plans to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology.

Degrees:
2014, BA (Honours) in Psychology, University of Ottawa

Research Interests:
Diana was a volunteer research assistant at the CAP lab. Her research interests were in exploring the cognitive processes involved in the development and maintenance of mood and anxiety disorders. Diana completed her undergraduate honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Ashbaugh. For her thesis project, she investigated the phenomenology of traumatic memories. She was also interested in cognitive and behavioural treatments for various psychological disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder. Diana plans to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology.

Selected Conference Presentation:
Jin, D. & Ashbaugh, A. (2014, March). Phenomenology of Trauma Memories: Revision of Memory Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ-R). Talk presented at the Undergraduate Thesis Conference at University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON.

Shreya started working as Lab Manager of the CAP Lab in July 2016. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. Shreya has worked in various research labs at Ryerson and UofT, with specializations in social psychology, personality psychology, health psychology, and clinical psychology. For her undergraduate thesis, she examined how greater levels of personal growth initiative and goal integration facilitated sustained well-being outcomes. Shreya hopes to develop her research interests and pursue graduate school in clinical psychology.

Selected Conference Presentations:
Jagtap, S.S. (2016, May). Growth Orientation, Goal Organization, and Well-Being. Poster presented at the Ontario Undergraduate Thesis Conference, Toronto, ON.

Jagtap, S.S., Crangle, C.J., Hare, C., & Hart, T.L. (2016, May). The effects of anxiety, depression, and relationship quality on physical health among MS patients. Poster to be presented at the Canadian Association for Cognitive Behavioral Therapies Annual Conference, Hamilton, ON.

Jagtap, S.S., Inbar, Y. (2016, May). The Effects of Monetary Incentive on State Authenticity and Subjective Likeability in Dyadic Interactions. Poster will be presented at the Annual Convention for the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.

Degrees:
2016, MSc in Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University.
2014, BA in Psychology, Ryerson University.

Research Interests:
Andrea began volunteering in the CAP Lab in January 2011 and transitioned to the role of Lab Manager from October 2013 to August 2014. She has also volunteered with Dr. Margaret Moulson in the Brain and Early Experiences Lab from May 2012 to August 2014. Her research interests included identifying and developing treatments for cognitive biases present in mental health disorders for those with and without an acquired brain injury. Andrea was further interested in understanding how both internal and external aspects of motivation facilitate engagement in rehabilitation following brain injury. Her Master’s degree evaluated the psychometric properties of two measures of motivation designed specifically for acquired brain injury. Her Master’s research was fully funded by the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Scholarship in Rehabilitation-related Research for Graduate Students with Disabilities. In October 2017, she started her PhD at the University of Cambridge in the UK as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, a full-coverage scholarship awarded to approximately 1.5% of applicants.

Selected Publications:
Kusec, A., Tallon, K., & Koerner, N. (2016). Intolerance of uncertainty, causal uncertainty,causal importance, self-concept clarity and their relations to generalized anxiety disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 45(4), 307 – 323.

Koerner, N., Mejia, T., & Kusec, A. (2017). What’s in a name? Intolerance of uncertainty, other uncertainty-relevant constructs, and their differential relations to worry and
generalized anxiety disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 46(2), 141 – 161.

Kusec, A., DeMatteo, C., Velikonja, D., & Harris, J.E. (under review). What’s your motivation? Measures of motivation and engagement after acquired brain injury. Rehabilitation Psychology.

Selected Presentations and Published Abstracts:
Kusec, A., Panday, J., Froese, A., Albright, H., & Harris, J.E. (2016). Perceptions of
motivation: Identifying barriers and facilitators to engagement in acquired brain injury
rehabilitation. Brain Injury, 30(5 – 6), 625.

Kusec, A., Froese, A., Albright, H., & Harris, J.E. (2016, May). The importance of the client
perspective in understanding motivation after brain injury. Paper presented at the
meeting of the McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences Research Plenary,
Hamilton, ON.

Kusec, A., & Koerner, N. (2014, June). The relations of self-oriented, other-oriented, and
socially-prescribed perfectionism to generalized anxiety disorder. Poster presented at the
meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Vancouver, BC.

Contact:
bmalivoire@ryerson.ca

Degrees:

2020, PhD in Psychology (Clinical Psychology Stream), Toronto Metropolitan University

2017, MA in Psychology (Clinical Psychology Stream), Toronto Metropolitan University

2015, BSc double major in Biology and Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University

Research Interests:
Bailee’s research aims to understand cognitive, affective, and interpersonal mechanisms underpinning chronic worry to refine cognitive-behavioural models of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Her research also tests the efficacy of short-term interventions for GAD that target these mechanisms. Current research projects in people high in chronic worry and/or GAD symptoms include understanding the nature of imagery use and the relation with worry-related processes; investigating cognitive correlates of dysfunctional interpersonal styles; and examining positive emotion regulation and the association with GAD symptoms. For her dissertation she is investigating using imagery to enhance the efficacy of cognitive bias modification to more effectively target information processing biases and worry in individuals high in GAD symptoms.

Research Support:
2020: Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)’s Student Research and Knowledge Dissemination Grant
2019-2022: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award (CGS-D)
2018: Ontario Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral Award
2016: Ontario Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral Award
2015: CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship

Selected Publications:
Malivoire, B.L. (2020). Exploring DBT Skills Training as a Treatment Avenue for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 

Malivoire, B.L., Kuo, J.R., & Antony, M.M. (2019). An examination of emotion dysregulation in maladaptive perfectionism. Clinical Psychology Review, 71, 39-50.

Malivoire, B.L., Stewart, K.E., Tallon, K., Ovanessian, M., Pawluk, E.J., & Koerner, N. (2019). Negative urgency and generalized anxiety disorder symptom severity: The role of self-reported cognitive processes. Journal of Personality and Individual Differences, 145(15), 58-63.

Malivoire, B.L., Marcos, M., Pawluk, E.J., Tallon, K., Kusec, A., & Koerner, N. (2019). Look before you leap: The role of negative urgency in appraisals of ambiguous and unambiguous scenarios in individuals high in generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 48(3), 217-240.

Malivoire, B.L., Girard, A., Patel, P., & Monson, C.M. (2018). Functional connectivity of hippocampal subregions in PTSD: Relations with symptoms. BMC Psychiatry, 18(129), 1-9.

Malivoire, B.L., Hare, C.J., & Hart, T.L. (2018).  The indirect effect of rumination on the relationship between psychological symptoms and perceived cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis. Rehabilitation Psychology, 63(2), 286-294.

Selected Conference Presentations:
Malivoire, B.L., & Koerner, N. (2019, May 3-4). Have no fear: An investigation of the relationship between maladaptive beliefs and fear of emotion in GAD [Poster presentation]. Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies 9th Annual Meeting, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Malivoire, B. L., Stewart, K. E., & Koerner, N. (2019, May 3-4). Relations between positive urgency and threatening appraisals of positive scenarios in GAD [Poster presentation]. Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies 9th Annual Meeting, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Malivoire, B. L., Stewart, K. E., Tallon, K., Ovanessian, M., Schonbach, M., Jagtap, S., Pawluk, E., & Koerner, N. (2018, November 15-18). Negative urgency and generalized anxiety disorder symptoms: The role of self-reported cognitive processes [Poster presentation]. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 52nd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, United States.

Malivoire, B.L., Jagtap, S., & Koerner, N. (2018, June 26-30). Emotion dysregulation in GAD: The relation with problem solving orientation [Poster presentation]. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) National Convention hosted at the International Congress of Applied Psychology (ICAP) 29th Annual Meeting, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Malivoire, B.L., Koerner, N., Prusaczyk, E., & Jagtap, S. (2017, June 8-10). Word choice in written exposure for generalized anxiety disorder reflects emotional and cognitive processes [Oral Presentation]. Canadian Psychological Association National Convention 78th Annual Meeting, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Malivoire, B.L., Mutschler, C., Thomas, E.J., Kidwai, A., Zeifman, R., & Horner, K. (2017, June 8-10). An interdisciplinary model of mental health care and the use of technology [Poster presentation]. Canadian Psychological Association National Convention 78th Annual Meeting, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Degree in Progress:
MA in Psychology (Clinical Stream), Ryerson University

Degrees:
2017, BA (Honours) in Psychology, University of Waterloo
2012, BA (Honours) in English and History, University of Toronto

Research Interests:
Judit is interested in how cognitive processes like reasoning and maladaptive beliefs induce and maintain symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. She also maintains broad interests in neuropsychological themes as they pertain to anxiety disorders. Her undergraduate research background concerned the role of reasoning processes in the development and maintenance of obsessions in obsessive-compulsive disorder as well as the impact of mindsets and goal setting in social anxiety.

Selected Conference Presentations:
Michaelis, M., Barber, K. C., Szabo, J., Obdeyn, L., & Moscovitch, D.A. (2017, June) Generate closeness or make a good impression? The impact of interpersonal mindsets on self-focused attention and social outcomes in high vs. low socially anxious participants. Poster accepted for presentation at the 78th annual Canadian Psychological Association Convention, Toronto, ON.

Barber, K. C., Michaelis, M.A.M., Szabo, J., & Moscovitch, D.A. (2017, May) Restoring the pleasure in social interaction: the role of interpersonal goals and mindsets in social anxiety. Poster accepted for presentation at the 7th annual Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies Convention, Ottawa, ON.

Armstrong, R., Liang, L. H., Brown. D. J., Szabo, J., Hanig, S., & Pillai, T. (2015, May). Righting a wrong: Stabbing a voodoo doll following supervisor mistreatment restores your sense of justice. Poster presented at the Southern Ontario Behavioural Decision Research Conference, Toronto, ON.

Liang, L. H., Brown. D. J., Armstrong, R., Szabo, J., Hanig, S., & Pillai, T. (2015, April). Righting a wrong: Does deviance restore justice following abusive supervision? Poster presented at the University of Waterloo Graduate Psychology Discovery Conference, Waterloo, ON.

Maya started volunteering in the CAP Lab as a Research Assistant in August 2017; since January 2018 she began working as a part-time Research Assistant in the lab. Maya graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelors of Mathematics majoring in both Actuarial Science and Statistics. During her undergraduate degree she worked as a Research Co-op Student in a Bioinformatics lab investigating paediatric cancer. Since graduating, Maya has become interested in Clinical Psychology and excited by the duality of working with people and performing research. She is currently taking a certificate in Psychology with the hopes of applying to graduate school in Clinical Psychology.

Selected Publications:
Schonbach M., Danesh A., Bruce J., Woodburn T., Davidsen T., Hermida L., Gesuwan P., Guidry-Auvil J., Hampton O., Wheeler D., Gastier-Foster J., Smith M., Gerhard D., Maris J., Reynolds P., Pugh T. Fidelity of subclonal representation in human neuroblastoma-derived cell line and patient-derived xenograft models: A report from the NCI-TARGET project. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015; 75(15 Suppl): Abstract nr 484. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-484

Zhu, Y., Schonbach, M., Coffman, D. L., Williams, J. S. (2015, March). Variable Selection for Propensity Score Estimation via Balancing Covariates [Letter to the editor]. Epidemiology, 26(2), p e14–e15. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000237

Degrees in Progress:
MA in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, University of Guelph.

Degrees:
BA (Honours) in Psychology, Ryerson University

Research Interests:
Leah is a research assistant. Her duties involve recruitment and data collection for current studies in the lab. Leah completed her undergraduate thesis under the supervision of Dr. Milligan. Her thesis examined the relative contributions of inattention and impulsivity in maladaptive emotional regulation amongst adolescents with learning disabilities and co-occurring mental health issues. Leah plans to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology.

Selected Presentations:
Sugden, N. A., Marquis, A. R., Divakaran K., Sack, L., Max, A., Gobin, K., Bernstein, A., & Moulson, M. C. (2017, June). They all look the same to me: Age, race and gender all influence adults’ failure to notice an identity change in a real-life interaction. Poster presented at the Canadian Psychological Association 77th Annual Convention, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Speaker. Sack, L., Milligan., K. (2018, May). The Relative Contribution of Inattention and Impulsivity to Positive Illusory Bias in Youth with Learning Disabilities and Mental Health Issues. Poster presented at the AOPTUC. Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Speaker. Sack, L., Scratch, S., Hunt, A. (2018). The Effect of Active Rehabilitation on the Psychological Well-Being of Adolescents with Post-Concussion Symptoms. Poster and paper presented at the Ward Summer Student Research Day at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Degrees completed:
BA (Honours) in Psychology, Ryerson University.

Research Interests:
Montana is the CAP Lab manager. She completed her BA (Honours) in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology at Ryerson University. As an undergraduate Psychology major, Montana has gained a solid foundation of study specific to research and practice and has volunteered in various research labs/clinics. Montana completed her undergraduate thesis under the supervision of Dr. Koerner and a psychologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Her thesis centered on the impact of family involvement in treatment for patients with severe, treatment-refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), uniquely studied from the patient perspective. Montana hopes to pursue graduate-level studies in psychology.

Selected Publications: 
Sugden, N. A., Vascotto, M., & Moulson, M. (May 2016). Put on a happy face: Developmental changes in infants’ exposure to facial expressions of emotion from 3 to 6 months. Paper presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Selected Presentations:
Vascotto, M. (March 2018). The association between stress and immunosuppression among caregivers of patients with dementia. Poster presented at the Annual Arteries Undergraduate Research Conference, Toronto, ON.

Vascotto, M., Taube-Schiff, M., & Koerner, N. (May 2018). What is the impact of family involvement during treatment within a residential treatment program for obsessive-compulsive disorder? Paper presented at the Ontario Psychology Undergraduate Thesis Conference, Toronto, ON.

Vascotto, M., Taube-Schiff, M., Koerner, N., Cushing, S., & Richter, P. (June 2018). What is the impact of family involvement during treatment within a residential treatment program for obsessive-compulsive disorder? Paper presented at the 44th Harvey Stancer Research Day, Toronto, ON.

Mehak, A., Ruhig, M., Vascotto, M., & Taube-Schiff, M. (November 2016). Indicators of change in a naturalistic day hospital setting. Poster presented at the 78^th Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Degree in Progress:
BSc (Honours) in Psychology, York University

Degrees Completed:
2017, BA (Combined Honours) in Philosophy and Applied Mathematics, Dalhousie University

Research Interests:
Danika was a volunteered in the CAP Lab from 2019-2020. Her duties included recruitment and data collection for current studies in the lab. Her research interests include how personality and cognitive processes play a role in psychopathology. Danika plans on pursuing graduate studies in clinical psychology.

Degrees in Progress:
B.A. in Psychology, Ryerson University

Research Interests:
David was one of Dr. Koerner’s Undergraduate Thesis students for 2019-2020. His thesis focused on variabilities in problem-solving effectiveness among chronic worriers. Prior to his involvement in the Cognition and Psychopathology (CAP) Lab David spent a year as a Research Assistant with Ryerson’s Biopsychosocial Development (BPSD) Lab, where he played an active role in the lab’s recruitment efforts and day-to-day activities. David plans to continue his studies as a Graduate student in Clinical Psychology. His career aspirations include practising psychotherapy, with a focus on Mood & Anxiety Disorders.