Lab personnel

Natalie Phillips, PhD.

Lab Director/Principal Investigator

I am a Professor in the Department of Psychology and a member of the Centre for Research in Human Development and the Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music. I completed my doctorate in clinical psychology at Dalhousie University in 1996 and joined the Concordia faculty in the same year. I have been the Director of Clinical Training in the Clinical Psychology Graduate Program at Concordia and teach in the area of human and clinical neuropsychology. I am a licensed clinical neuropsychologist and have a small private practice in which I offer services in clinical neuropsychology. 

I lead two nationally-funded research laboratories, one at the Loyola Campus of Concordia University and the other in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, in the Jewish General Hospital/McGill University, where I examine the neuropsychology of healthy aging and Alzheimer Disease. My current research interests include:

• interactions between sensory processing and cognitive function and their relevance to cognitive assessment, brain structure, dementia, and quality of life;
• EEG/ERP measures of speech and language processing in bilinguals;
• and the interaction between language processing, working memory, and executive control.

I am one of the principal developers of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a brief cognitive screening instrument used around the world for the assessment of mild cognitive impairment.

I am one of the neuropsychologists for the COMPASS-ND study in the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging. and I am founding leader of CCNA Team 17, which examines issues of sensory decline on cognitive function in person with dementia.

Eden Mancor

Research Coordinator

I have completed a B.Sc. in Psychology, specialized in Behavioural Neuroscience at Concordia University. As an undergraduate student in the Phillips Lab, I investigated the sex differences in memory in mild cognitive impairment and the theory of Cognitive Reserve. I am now the coordinator of the lab, as well as a research assistant where I am expanding on my research on Cognitive Reserve in individuals with or at risk for Alzheimer’s Disease. Outside of the lab, I love to be outdoors exploring the national parks around Montreal either hiking or skiing. I speak English, French, and German. 

Sana Rehan

After I received my B.A. in Psychology and Sociology at Dalhousie University, I moved to Montréal to pursue graduate studies in Clinical Psychology at Concordia University under the supervision of Dr. Phillips. My research interests include cognitive aging and understanding at-risk factors for cognitive decline. For my Master's thesis, I explored the relationship between visual impairment and cortical atrophy in groups with cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's dementia, using data from the Canadian Consortium of Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA). For my Ph.D. dissertation, I will investigate whether (and to what extent) psychosocial factors mediate the relationship between sensory loss and cognitive decline in older adults with (or at risk for) dementia. 

Kristina Coulter

I completed my B.Sc. in Psychology (Behavioural Neuroscience option) at Concordia University. During my undergraduate degree, I completed an Honours thesis in Dr. Phillips’ lab, in which I examined speech error processing in bilinguals. I subsequently worked as a research assistant on various projects in the lab and then completed one year in the MA program before obtaining accelerated admission to the PhD program. For my PhD dissertation, I am studying the relationship between bilingualism and cognitive reserve in aging and Alzheimer’s disease. I am using structural and functional neuroimaging data from the Consortium for the Early Identification of Alzheimer’s Disease – Quebec (CIMA-Q) and data from the Comprehensive Assessment of Neurodegeneration and Dementia (COMPASS-ND) study of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) to examine the association between variables related to bilingual language experience and structural/functional brain changes in cognitively healthy older adults and older adults with, or at risk for, Alzheimer’s dementia.

Nicole Grant

I completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Victoria and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology at Concordia University. Under the supervision of Dr. Phillips, I am currently completing my PhD in Clinical Psychology at Concordia University. My research uses functional MRI to investigate the relationships between hearing loss and brain connectivity in adults with and at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Outside of the lab I enjoy running and spending time outside.

Tristin Best

I completed my BSc in Psychology with the Behavioural Neuroscience option at Concordia University, where I completed an Honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Natalie Philips. Following the completion of my undergraduate degree, I worked for a year as the research coordinator for Dr. Natalie Phillips and the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) Team 17. I then pursued an MSc at McGill University in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience program under the supervision of Dr. Simon Ducharme and Dr. Mallar Chakravarty, where I examined the associations between alterations in brain structure and psychiatric symptom profiles in genetic variants of frontotemporal dementia. I returned to Concordia University in Fall 2022 to pursue graduate studies in Psychology (Research and Clinical Training Option) under the supervision of Dr. Natalie Phillips, where I will be examining the interplay between sensory changes, cognition, and brain structure in neurodegenerative disorders.

I speak English and French, and I’m in the process of learning Spanish. Outside the lab, you can find me riding my bike or taking long walks with my dog, Mitsou. 

Katrina Sollazzo

My name is Katrina and I am in my final semester of my Honours Psychology undergraduate degree. I completed my Honours thesis on serial position effects in Alzheimer’s dementia risk states, and am now continuing research in AD risk states through semantic and phonetic fluency. In my spare time I like to cook, and take care of my garden and plants. I speak English and French, but am looking forward to my Intro to Italian course!

Kalista Sedimedes

I am a fourth-year BA Psychology student at Concordia University currently completing my Honours thesis. My project centers around assessing gaze behaviour (i.e., where individuals focus their attention on a screen) in a speech perception in noise task, across various conditions and modalities, in a sample of bilingual adults. I speak three languages: English, French, and Greek.

Alex Lamasuta

I am currently finishing my fourth year of undergraduate studies with a Specialization in Psychology. I have been an undergraduate volunteer in the lab since January 2021 and am now undertaking my undergraduate thesis under the supervision of Dr. Natalie Phillips. The project focuses on the self-perceived impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on COMPASS participants. It involves baseline data along with the COVID Impact Scale to investigate whether those who were vulnerable to depression and anxiety had their symptoms exemplified as a function of the pandemic. With an interest in developmental and evolutionary psychology, I intend to follow my B.A. with graduate studies after a year of pursuing experience in teaching.

Logane Gnassi

I am currently pursuing a B.A. in Psychology at Concordia University. Having the privilege of working in long-term care hospitals since 2019, I have developed a profound passion for both dementia and caregiving. In addition to being intrigued by cognitive decline, I am enthralled by the behavioural disturbances, perturbation in language fluency, and lived realities that folks with neurocognitive disorders experience. I will be completing my Honours thesis during the 2022-2023 academic year under the supervision of Dr. Natalie Phillips. Following my undergraduate degree, I plan to pursue graduate studies in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in gerontology. Outside of the lab, you can find me playing video games, pruning my bonsai trees, and running around with my dog Suki!