Our Team

Dr. Sherry Stewart

Sherry H. Stewart, Ph.D., is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Addictions and Mental Health and a professor in the Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, and Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University, as well as a licensed clinical psychologist in the province of Nova Scotia. Dr. Stewart is a recently inducted Fellow in the Royal Society of Canada. She is well known for her research on psychological factors contributing to alcohol abuse, pathological gambling, and the comorbidity of emotional and addictive disorders. Dr. Stewart is a member of the Scientific Advisory to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, and Graduate Program Coordinator of the MSc. in Psychiatry Research Program. Dr. Stewart founded the Centre for Addiction Research at Dalhousie (CARD), a virtual centre at Dalhousie fostering collaborations among faculty members conducting research on addiction, and is on the steering committee of the Quebec-Maritimes node of the CIHR-funded Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM). She is Co-Director of Research in the Department of Psychiatry, and co-directs the new MSc program in psychiatry research at Dalhousie. Dr. Stewart receives funding from several research agencies including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (NSHRF), the National Center for Responsible Gambling (NCRG), and the Manitoba Gambling Research Program (MGRP).

Dr. Neda Alizadeh, PhD, MSc, BSc (OT)

Dr. Neda Alizadeh, Ph.D., is a researcher in occupational therapy field, with a Ph.D in Health from Dalhousie University. She has over a decade of experience as a research team member and principal investigator, contributing significantly to projects spanning fatigue and neurological conditions, and interprofessional education. Research Interests Dr. Alizadeh is dedicated to creating and assessing novel health interventions tailored for people with chronic neurological conditions. She is particularly interested in interventional studies that aim to improve the participation and quality of life of those living with chronic neurological conditions. Dr. Alizadeh is also intrigued by the development and evaluation of cognitive neurorehabilitation interventions that have the potential to enhance the quality of life for these individuals.
Sample Awards: Dr. Alizadeh has received numerous awards for her contributions to the field of occupational therapy, including the LSVT Global Student Grants, Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship Program, and the George Turnbull Student Research Award for Parkinson’s Disease research.
Sample Publications: Alizadeh, N., Packer, T. L., Sturkenboom, I., Eskes, G., & Warner, G. (2022). Managing Fatigue in Parkinson’s Disease: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 89(1), 5-13 1.
Alizadeh, N., Packer, T., Chen, Y.-T., & Alnasery, Y. (2023). What We Know About Fatigue Self-Management Programs for People Living with Chronic Conditions: A Scoping Review. Patient Education and Counseling, 101(4), 585-593 2.
Packer, T. L., Fracini, A., Audulv, Å., Alizadeh, N., van Gaal, B. G., Warner, G., & Kephart, G. (2018). What we know about the purpose, theoretical nature, and content of occupational therapy interventions for adults with a neurological condition: A scoping review. Patient Education and Counseling, 101(4), 585-593

Dr. Sarah DeGrace

Dr. Sarah DeGrace earned her Ph.D. in Psychiatry Research from Dalhousie University; her primary research interests lie in the mental health and addictions field. Specifically, Dr. DeGrace is studies the automatic cognitive mechanisms which underlie problematic cannabis use behaviors among trauma-exposed individuals. She is particularly interested in conditioning and motivation processes that influence comorbid PTSD and Cannabis Use Disorder.
Sample Publications: DeGrace, S., Romero-Sanchiz, P., Barrett, S., Tibbo, P. G., Cosman, T., Atasoy, P., & Stewart, S. H. (2024). Posttraumatic stress symptoms moderate the relationship between chronic pain and adverse cannabis outcomes: A pilot study. Cannabis, advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.26828/cannabis/2024/000241
DeGrace, S., Barrett, S. P., Yakovenko, I., Tibbo, P. G., Romero-Sanchiz, P., Carleton, R. N., Snooks, T., Rudnick, A., & Stewart, S. H. (2024). Effects of trauma cue exposure and PTSD on affect and cannabis craving in cannabis users with trauma histories: Use of expressive writing as an online cue reactivity paradigm. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/07067437241255104
DeGrace, S., Romero-Sanchiz, P., Tibbo, P., Barrett, S., Arenella, P., Cosman, T., Atasoy, P., Cousijn, J., Wiers, R., Keough, M. T., Yakovenko, I., O'Connor, R., Wardell, J., Rudnick, A., Nicholas Carleton, R., Heber, A., & Stewart, S. H. (2023). Do trauma cue exposure and/or PTSD symptom severity intensify selective approach bias toward cannabis cues in regular cannabis users with trauma histories? Behaviour research and therapy, 169, 104387. Advance online publication. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2023.104387

Jennifer Swansburg

I returned to school, completing a BSc at Dalhousie University (2010). I started working with the Stewart lab in 2011 and have had the opportunity to work on and support a number of research projects involving Dr. Stewart’s lab members and collaborators. I am interested in the impact efficacious treatment can have on youth and adults suffering with mental health and addictions concerns.

Thomas Snooks

I graduated from Mount Allison University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology. I recently completed my Master of Science in Psychiatry Research at Dalhousie and a Graduate Certificate in Mental Health & Addictions. I've been a facilitator for UniVenture/PreVenture since 2022, and I'm excited to be more involved in the project as a MAAC Lab Manager. In my free time, I am the club representative, a player for Halifax Rugby Football Club, and a member of the Nova Scotia senior men's rugby team.
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Pam Collins

I completed my undergraduate studies in May 1999 at Dalhousie University, receiving a first class honours degree in Psychology. Since graduation, I have been managing the Dalhousie Gambling Lab. I have had the privilege to be both a student and employee of Dr. Stewart's, and I love the variety and learning opportunities that my job affords me.

Renato Molina

Renato began his work in health research in Vancouver’s downtown east side back in 2018 whilst completing a dual degree at Simon Fraser University in the areas of biochemistry/molecular biology and human physiology. Renato’s diverse research experience has granted him a robust knowledge set of the research pipeline. It has motivated and inspired his involvement in community-based, participatory approaches to research, and made him a strong advocate for harm reduction and culturally relevant, inclusive research and clinical practices. In his free time, Renato enjoys reading, surfing, soccer, cooking, and chess.

Gillian Fuller

I completed my bachelor of science honour's degree with a major in psychology at MUN in 2023. In this degree, I wrote an undergraduate thesis that focused on the effects of cannabis use on suicidality in students with PTSD. I am so excited to be joining Dr. Stewart's lab as a research assistant where I will get the opportunity to work on projects related to my research interests! In my free time, I love playing and listening to music, exercising, and writing.

Tamar Gazit

I graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology from Dalhousie University. I am excited to join the MAAC Lab as I pursue a Master of Science in Psychiatry Research at Dalhousie University, co-supervised by Dr. Sherry Stewart and Dr. Patrick McGrath. My research interests centre on evaluating the effectiveness of exposure-based psychotherapies for treating post-traumatic stress disorder in adolescents. I am also interested in identifying the underlying mechanisms and predictors of change in psychotherapeutic interventions to enhance their efficacy and adaptability.
Awards: Department of Psychiatry Summer Studentship Award (2024).
Faculty of Science Dean’s Scholar (2024).
IWK Summer Studentship Award (2023). Queen’s University Excellence Scholarship (2019).
Publications: Gazit, T., Walker, S., McGrath, P. (2024). Psychological interventions for teenagers with posttraumatic stress disorder: A scoping review. Frontiers in Psychiatry. (In preparation).
Gallant, A., Barber, B., Doig, A., Pritchett, C., Hancock, K., Somerville, M., Gazit, T., McLaughlin, N., Lively, A., Devereaux, E., Flynn, C., Wells, J., Keeping, S., Currie, R., Curran, J. (2023). Factors influencing safe medication administration by nurses in acute care settings: A mixed methods systematic review protocol. Systematic Reviews. (Under review).
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Isabella Bossom

I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts Honours in Psychology at Carleton University in 2020 and with my Master of Arts in Experimental Psychology with a Social Psychology focus from Carleton University in 2022. During my Master’s degree my research focused on exploring factors that negatively influence eating disorder recovery as well as antecedents to overvaluing appearance and financial success in the self-concept. As an incoming PhD student in Clinical Psychology for Fall 2023 I plan to shift my focus to studying aspects of the recovery experience for people in the throes of substance based addictions.
Awards: • 2022-2023 SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship (declined)
• 2022 Carleton University Bill Jones Award
• 2021-2022 SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship – Masters
• 2021-2022 Ontario Graduate Scholarship (declined)
• 2020-2021 Ontario Graduate Scholarship

Publications: Bossom, I. R. L. & Tabri, N. (2022). No evidence that exposure to materialistic advertisements influence appearance overvaluation and financial success overvaluation in the self-concept. Collabra: Psychology, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.32642
Bossom, I. R. L. & Zelenski, J. M. (2022). The impact of trait introversion-extraversion and identity on state authenticity: Debating the benefits of extraversion. The Journal of Research in Personality, 97, 104308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2022.104208
Enouy, S., Desrochers, J. E., Bossom, I. R. L., Tabri, N. (2022). A p-curve analysis of the emotional Stroop effect among women with eating disorders. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23807

Colin Pridy

I am a first-year student in the Clinical Ph.D. program. I completed a degree in music and psychology at Dalhousie in the early 2000s, followed by graduate work in music composition at the University of British Columbia. Now back at Dalhousie, my Ph.D. research will be focused on examining the effects of listening to music on treatment strategies for high anxiety sensitivity, supervised by Margo Watt and Sherry Stewart.
Awards: 2016-2017 Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship
2016-2018 Izaak Walton Killam Predoctoral Scholarship
2016-2017 Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation Scotia Scholars Award
2016-2018 Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Graduate Scholarship
Publications: Pridy, C. B. (2005). “Funk Assimilation” from Three Kicks for Saxophone Quartet [Recorded by the UBC Saxophone Quartet]. On Nice Work If You Can Get It [CD]. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia School of Music.
Pridy, C. B., & Cogswell, F. (2002). “Cross-Grained Tree” from Five Expressions of a Nearby God: for mezzo-soprano and pianoforte. Musical score. Special Collections Archives (M2113.P75 2002). Harriet Irving Library, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton.

Nick Murray

I completed my BSc (Hons) in Psychology and Philosophy in 2022, and my MSc in Psychiatry Research in 2024, both at Dalhousie University. My research interests are primarily in anxiety, attention, trauma, and motives for problematic behaviour. I’m excited to be apart of the MAAC Lab to pursue my PhD in Clinical Psychology!

Awards: 2024 Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship. 2024 Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine MSc Research Excellence Award. 2023-2024 Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine Graduate Studentship, provided by the DeWolfe Research Fund. 2022 NSERC Undergraduate Summer Research Award. 2021 Dalhousie Student Engagement Award. 2018 Steele Auto Group Richard Conrad Scholarship
Publications: Klein, R.M., Ishigami, Y., & Murray, N.E. (2023). Slippage of the attentional beam when searching in space and in time. Cognition, 241; Murray, N.E., Drake, R.S., & Klein, R.M. (2022). Is Gaze-Cuing More Like Endogenous or Exogenous Orienting? Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 77(4), 262-270.
Manuscripts in preparation: Murray, N.E., Marin-Dragu, S., Cormier, M., Sheikh, S., Mamani, G.M., Li, S., Muzamil, M., Bagnell, A., Sherry, S.B., Orji, R., Stewart, S.H., & Meier, S.M. (2024). Investigating Associations of Social Media Use Motives and Mental Well-Being in Adolescents Not Receiving Mental Health Treatment. [Manuscript in preparation]. Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University.

Eli Otis

I am the first year of the Clinical Psychology program. I completed my B.A. in Psychology at the University of British Columbia, where I wrote my undergraduate thesis on effort exertion in pursuit of rewards in bipolar and hypomanic individuals under the supervision of Dr. Luke Clark at the UBC Centre for Gambling Research. I have also worked as a research assistant with Dr. Lena Quilty at The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health investigating personality differences across the spectrum of gambling involvement. I am interested in the role played by personality and cognitive distortions in the etiology and maintenance of addictive disorders such as Gambling Disorder, as well as identifying the factors that contribute to high comorbidity between anxiety disorders and addictive disorders.
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Andy Kim

I completed my BA (hons) in Psychology at the University of British Columbia (2020). My research focuses on personality, social, and cognitive factors associated with substance (e.g., alcohol, cannabis) and behavioural (e.g., gambling) addictions and their comorbid psychopathologies (e.g., depression, anxiety). I began attending Dalhousie University (2021) to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology under the co-supervision of Dr. Sherry Stewart and Dr. Simon Sherry. I am eager to continue working on the clinical psychology of addiction. If you are interested in collaboration, feel free to reach out!

Awards: 2022-2023 Canada Graduate Scholarship, Master's (SSHRC)
2021-2022 Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship - Master's.
2021-2022 Maritime Spor Support Unit Award - Master's
Publications: Kim, A. J., Sherry, S. B., Nealis, L.J., Mushquash, A., Lee-Baggley, D., & Stewart, S. H. (2022). Do symptoms of depression and anxiety contribute to heavy episodic drinking? A 3-wave longitudinal study of adult community members. Addictive Behaviors, 130, 107295.
Kim, A. J., Sherry, S. B., Shannon, T., Kehayes, I.-L., & Stewart, S. H. (2021). A matter of perspective: The convergent and incremental validity of informant-reported drinking motives. Drug and Alcohol Review.

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Mikaela Ethier

I am a recent graduate from Carleton University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Neuroscience and Mental Health and a minor in Psychology. Throughout my Honours Thesis, I studied early life stress and its associations with mental health in adulthood under the supervision of Dr. Robyn McQuaid. I have spent the last year working as a Clinical Research Assistant examining concussions at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and I am very excited to pursue the Master of Science in Psychiatry Research at Dalhousie University this fall under the co-supervision of Dr. Sherry Stewart and Dr. Sean Barrett. My research interests include stress, trauma, substance use disorders, cannabis, and mood disorders.
Awards: 2023-2024 Canada Graduate Scholarship, Masters (CIHR)
2023-2025 Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship, Masters
2022 Faculty of Science University Medal
2022 Undergraduate Poster Award, University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Institute Research Conference
2020 NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award
2019 Dean’s Summer Research Award

Publications: Abstracts:
Ethier-Gagnon, M., Daneshmend, A., Jarkas, D., McQuaid, R., Department of Neuroscience Carleton University, & The Royal Institute of Mental Health Research. (2022). Influence of Type- and Timing-Specific Trauma Exposures on Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety. Conference Proceedings: Brain Health Research Day, 12(S1), 8.
Manuscripts in Preparation:
Ethier-Gagnon, M., Lithopolous, A., Curran, D., Thompson, A., Silverberg, N., Cancelliere, C., Fischer, L., Tator, C., Welch-West, P., Marshall, S., Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, & Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. (2023). A Systematic Review of Intervention Characteristics that Facilitate Return-to-Work in adults with concussion.
Ethier-Gagnon, M., Daneshmend, A., Jarkas, D., McQuaid, R., Department of Neuroscience Carleton University, & The Royal Institute of Mental Health Research. (2022). Deconstructing Trauma Experiences in University Students: Understanding the Association of Trauma Type and Timing on Mental Health Symptomatologies.

Daniel Basso

I first joined the MAAC lab in 2021 as a summer student. Since then, I have completed a P3000 project, 2 other summer studentships, and my psychology honours thesis within the lab. This fall, I will be continuing in the lab as a Master's student in psychiatry research under the joint supervision of Dr. Sherry Stewart and Dr. Jillian Filliter. My research will focus primarily on substance use in autistic individuals.

Awards: Killam Predoctoral Scholarship Level 1 (Master's) - 2023-2025 Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship (Master's) - 2023-2025 Canada Graduate Scholarship (Master's - SSHRC) - 2023-2024 NSERC USRA - 2023 Frances L. Stewart Memorial Prize - 2022-2023 Dalhousie FoS USRA - 2022 Dr. Lilyan E. White Prize in Psychology - 2021-2022 Faye Sobey USRA - 2021

Publications: Basso, N. L., Lambe, L. J., Kim, A. J., Rodriguez, L. M., Deacon, H., Nogueira-Arjona, R., Sherry, S. B., Abbass, A., & Stewart, S. H. (2023). Effects of mandatory homeschooling during COVID-19 on conflict in romantic couples. Journal of Family Psychology, 37(2), 275–281. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0001052

Basso, N. L., Kim, A. J., Lambe, L. J., Sherry, S. B., Deacon S. H., Rodriguez, L.M., Nogueria-Ariona, R., Abbass, A., & Stewart, S. H., Gender Moderates Homeschooling’s Impact on Parental Conflict During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Brief Report submitted to the Journal of Marriage and Family (under review).

Sam Hawkins

I am a fourth-year student at Dalhousie University conducting an honours project in the MAAC lab on gambling-specific cyberloafing's (gambling while at work) relationship with work outcomes. I've been volunteering in the MAAC lab since the Fall of 2023 and worked in the lab as a summer student last summer, with my summer studentship transitioning into my honors project this fall. Besides my honors project, I have also worked on a project investigating perfectionism's relationship with maladaptive academic outcomes. Overall, I am interested in examining what predicts individuals' functioning at school or work, and I am grateful that the MAAC lab has given me an opportunity to pursue this interest.

Awards: 2024 WIL (Work Integrated Learning) Digital Summer Studentship 2022/23 Dr. Lilyan E. White Prize in Psychology 2021/22 Dr. W.K. Honig Prize in Psychology

Trillium Whitewolf

I am entering my fourth year at Dalhousie, working towards completing a BSc in Psychology. I began volunteering with the MAAC Lab in January 2023 and have since gone on to complete an independent research project during the 2023/2024 academic year and work as a summer research student during the summers of 2023 and 2024. I am very excited to have the opportunity to continue with the MAAC lab for my honours project. I find so many different aspects of psychology intriguing. I am particularly enjoying expanding my understanding of personality, interpersonal relationships, and addiction. I hope to pursue a career in clinical or counselling psychology, and I am very grateful for the incredible learning experiences that the MAAC Lab is providing me.

Awards: 2023 Faye Sobey Undergraduate Research Award,
2021/2022 Dr. W.K Honig Prize in Psychology,
2021 Dalhousie University Chancellor’s Scholarship

Suika Fujiwara

I’m going into my fourth year in psychology, BA program at Dalhousie University. I joined the MAAC lab in the fall of 2023 and am very happy to be a part of it. I am interested in mood disorders and anxiety; especially how they develop and affect those who suffer from it and others around them. Studying about the roles that interpersonal relationships play in these disorders is very interesting as well. Recently, I started to become more interested in anxiety sensitivity and its relationship with alcohol use as I am researching on it. I aim to become a clinical psychologist so I can’t wait to work on my honours project with great people in the lab and acquire relevant and valuable skills.