Faculty & Staff
DIRECTOR
Dr. Sarah Dermody
(she/her)
LAB MANAGER
Theo Quinn
(he/they)
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
Dr. Erin Courtice
(she/her)
Dr. Dermody is the Director of the Clinical Addictions Research and Equity (CARE) Lab and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is trained in the fields of clinical and health psychology, and her research specializes in addiction and social justice. She has received grants from the National Institutes of Health and Canadian Institute of Health Research. She is also a member of the Society for Research in Nicotine and Tobacco and Research Society on Alcoholism.
Theo is a white, able-bodied, transmasculine, queer, and neurodivergent person. In 2022, he graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University with distinction, earning a BA in Psychology and a minor in both Disability Studies and Criminology. They are passionate about community connections and care, and their research interests are heavily centered around trans healthcare, gender minority stress, intersectionality, and community-based practices.
Dr. Courtice is a postdoctoral research associate working with the CARE Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University. She received her PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Ottawa in 2023, where she also worked as a Part-Time Professor. Broadly, Dr. Courtice’s research examines how people’s interpersonal experiences shape and are shaped by technology. Driven by her commitment to social justice, Dr. Courtice also conducts research that centres 2SLGBTQ+ experiences in various contexts.
Students & Volunteer Research Assistants
PhD STUDENT
Alexandra Uhrig
(she/her)
PhD STUDENT
Stephanie Penta
(she/her)
MASTERS STUDENT
Anurada Amarasekera
(she/they)
Alexandra Uhrig is a third year PhD student in Clinical Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), where she also completed her MA. For her master’s thesis, Alexandra examined heavy drinking, alcohol-related consequences, and peer norms regarding alcohol use in transgender young adults. Her research interests include substance use in marginalized individuals, community-based research, and examining factors that buffer the risk of experiencing substance-use related harms in youth and young adults.
Stephanie Penta is a first-year PhD student in Clinical Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). In 2019, Stephanie completed her BSc in Honours Psychology at the University of Waterloo. In 2024, she completed her MA in Clinical Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University. Stephanie’s research interests include exploring risk and protective factors for substance use and addiction and evaluating related treatments.
Anurada Amarasekera is a second year Masters student in Clinical Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University. In 2022, Anurada completed her BA in Honours Psychology at Simon Fraser University. Their research interests include using community-based participatory action research (CBPR) to better understand substance use disparities endured by multiple minoritized populations, in particular, 2SLGBTQ+ South Asian young adults.
MASTERS STUDENT
Stephanie Posa
(she/her)
HONORS THESIS STUDENT
Mojdeh Jankouk
(she/her)
HONORS THESIS STUDENT
Lilly Werner
(she/her)
Stephanie Posa is a first-year MA student in Clinical Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). In 2018 Stephanie completed her BSc in Honours Psychology at the University of Toronto. In 2021, she completed a MSc in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Toronto. Stephanie’s research interests include nicotine addiction, as well as smoking and vaping cessation. She is also interested in utilizing qualitative arts-based methodologies.
Mojdeh Jankouk is a fourth-year undergraduate psychology student at Toronto Metropolitan University. For her URO project, Mojdeh examined the healthcare experiences of transgender and gender-diverse adults, with a focus on intersectionality. She is currently working on her thesis project in the CARE Lab, examining how sleep relates to mental health outcomes among LGBTQIA+ people relative to non-LGBTQIA+ people. She intends to pursue a graduate degree in Clinical Psychology.
Lilly Werner is an undergraduate psychology student from Toronto Metropolitan University, pursuing her Honors Thesis at the CARE Lab. She is particularly interested in research focusing on the mental health of LGBTQ+ individuals. In the long term, Lilly aspires to complete her graduate studies to provide greater support for the LGBTQ+ community.
HONORS THESIS STUDENT
Lucas Calcano
(he/him)
HONORS THESIS STUDENT
Andrew Klar
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Argo Basembe
(they/them)
Lucas Calcano is a psychology undergraduate at Toronto Metropolitan University pursuing a minor in biology. He is completing an undergraduate honours thesis at the CARE Lab, with his research interests involving nicotine use in relation to mental health, especially in LGBTQ+ communities. Looking forward, Lucas intends to complete graduate studies in Clinical Psychology.
Andrew Klar is a returning student in the final year of his Honours Psychology undergraduate degree at TMU. He previously studied Philosophy and English Literature at the University of King’s College in Halifax. His current research involves understanding intra-use behavioural effects of alcohol. Andrew is a runner and loves being in nature whenever possible. He plans to pursue an M.A. in Clinical Psychology.
Argo Basembe is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology (Hons) with a planned LGBTQ2S+ Studies minor. They are pursuing their Honours Thesis in Dr. Jason Deska’s Lab (SPIRAL). They have joined the CARE Lab to gain research experience with qualitative methods when working with trans and gender-non-conforming populations. Argo strives to continue facilitating and participating in critical research frameworks centered around the social-structural experiences of marginalized people and hopes to pursue graduate studies.
Undergraduate Volunteer
Hala Sukhon
(she/her)
Hala Sukhon is a third-year Psychology student at Toronto Metropolitan University, also pursuing a Certificate in Human Resources Management. She has over 1,000 hours of research experience and a strong interest in clinical psychology, mental health, and community-based research. Hala is passionate about studying the intersection of addiction, identity, and well-being, and hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the future. Outside of academics, she enjoys exploring Toronto’s food scene, traveling, and connecting with her community.