Dr. Nicole Alberts is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Behavioural Health Intervention in the Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal. Dr. Alberts has established herself as an expert in chronic pain and childhood cancer survivorship as well as in the development and testing of digital health interventions targeting pain and psychological outcomes among medical populations. She has been recognized through a variety of awards and honours including the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO) Early Career Award, the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Career Development Award, and the Editor’s Choice award in the journal PAIN for her topical review on chronic pain in survivors of childhood cancer, in which she proposed a developmental model of pain across the cancer trajectory. To date, she has received 6 research grants as a principal investigator (e.g., Canadian Institutes of Health Research) and her scholarly work has resulted in 51 publications, 3 book chapters, 11 invited talks, and over 25 conference presentations.
Dr. Alberts’ program of research aims to improve behavioural health and psychological outcomes among individuals across the lifespan – with an emphasis on those diagnosed with catastrophic and chronic illnesses, including childhood cancer. In doing so, she seeks to better characterize pain in these populations, and to identify biopsychosocial risk factors for the development of pain. She also leverages digital health approaches to answer key research questions and to develop and test innovative interventions targeting pain and psychological outcomes.

Dr. Brandon Findlay completed his BSc at Simon Fraser University, followed by a PhD at the University of Manitoba with Dr. Frank Schweizer and an Alberta Innovates Health Solutions postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta with Dr. John Vederas. He started his independent career at Concordia University in 2015, and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, with a cross-appointment to the Department of Biology. His work focuses on the intersection of bacteria and complex small molecules, including both the discovery and development of novel antibiotics and the evolution of antibiotic resistance.

Dr. Claudine Gauthier is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at Concordia University. Her research uses quantitative magnetic resonance imaging to understand the heart-brain axis in aging and vascular diseases. Dr. Gauthier completed her Ph.D. investigating cerebral physiology in healthy aging using quantitative fMRI under the supervision of Richard Hoge at the University of Montreal. After her Ph.D., Dr. Gauthier completed a postdoctoral position in Neurophysics and Neurology at the Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, under the supervision of Drs. Robert Turner and Arno Villringer. Dr. Gauthier joined Concordia University as an Assistant Professor in 2014. In addition to her position at Concordia, Dr. Gauthier is also a researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute, where she holds the Michal and Renata Hornstein Chair in Cardiovascular Imaging. Her work is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Funds for Innovation and the Québec Bio-Imaging Network.

The fundamental undercurrent of my research is to understand how cognitive brain regions interact with sensory regions to create predictive representations of the environment and, in parallel, to determine how these representations are utilized to guide behavior. I have several separate lines of research which all attempt to approach this question from different perspectives. Most recently, I have been focusing on how models of stimulus relationships can be learned, such as through the formation of abstract cognitive maps, and how these models can be manipulated during maladaptive states, such as during substance use. I use optogenetics, in vivo electrophysiology, and calcium imaging techniques within well-designed behaviors, along with computational models, as my primary toolset.

Golshad is a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering at Concordia University. The overall focus of her research is on protein-based drugs and drug delivery systems. She uses biomolecular simulations to explore the structure and dynamic behaviour of proteins and peptides involved in health and disease. Her current research project focuses on protein targets for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among the elderly.

Dr. Hebblethwaite's research centres around the complexities and nuances of the experience of leisure for marginalized groups, including older people, first time mothers, and persons living with disabilities. More specifically, her research explores the social and political systems and institutions that shape, facilitate, and hinder inclusion, specifically in the contexts of family relationships, digital technologies, social policy, and interage relations. Taking a critical and community-engaged approach, her work disrupts traditional narratives and discourses, challenges ageist assumptions, and encourages a more intersectional approach to understanding the impact that leisure has on wellbeing.

Meghan Joy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University. Their research interests include the politics of population aging, theories and practice of progressive politics and policy in cities, and the socio-political role of the nonprofit sector. These topics are combined in Meghan’s research, which examines the development and implementation of the Age-friendly City program in Canadian cities.

Dr. Kakinami obtained her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Rochester and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University. She has been a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Concordia University since 2014 where she is currently an Associate Professor and Associate Chair. Her research focuses on understanding the relationship between lifestyle factors, adiposity, and chronic diseases. A central component of her work is on validating methodologies and tools used in obesity research.

Matheus is a PhD student in the Individualized Program at Concordia University, specializing in Applied Human Sciences, Communication and Psychology. Holding a BSc in Psychology and an MSc in Clinical Psychology and Culture, his academic and professional journey is dedicated to bridging the gap between psychological practice and human rights. Currently, he is funded as a researcher under the MITACS Globalink Fellowship in collaboration with GAP-VIES. His current work focuses on developing innovative social technologies tailored to the unique needs of immigrants and racialized communities living with HIV.

Alex is a PhD Candidate in Biological and Biomedical Engineering at McGill University working at the intersection of biology with nanotechnology. The overall focus of his research is to understand nanoscale phenomena within biological systems. His current research project focuses on the development of combinatorial nanodrug regimens for use in cancer immunotherapy.

Dr. Natalie Phillips is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, Concordia University, and holds the Concordia University Research Chair (Tier 1) in Sensory-Cognitive Health in Aging and Dementia. She is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist and teaches in the area of human clinical neuropsychology.

Dr. Phillips studies the neuropsychology of healthy aging and Alzheimer disease. She examines the relationship between our senses, our cognitive abilities, and language processing in older adults, including those who are bilingual. Dr. Phillips is one of the principal developers of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a cognitive screening instrument used globally for the assessment of mild cognitive impairment. She is the Associate Scientific Director of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA, http://ccna-ccnv.ca/en/), which is Canada’s national research consortium on dementia. She is the founding leader of the CCNA Sensory-Cognitive Research Team, and is the Chair of the ISTAART Sensory Health and Cognition Professional Interest Area.

Yiming Xiao is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science and Software Engineering, a Concordia University Research Chair in Intuitive and Intelligent Surgical Technologies, member of the Applied AI Institute and the School of Health at Concordia, and a FRQS Junior 1 Research Scholar. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at McGill University in 2016. Soon after, he joined the PERFORM Centre as a PERFORM Postdoctoral Fellow. From 2018-2020, he was a CIHR and BrainsCAN Postdoctoral Fellow at the Robarts Research Institute of Western University. His research focuses on AI-facilitated neuroimage processing and analysis, image-based biomarker, and computer-assisted interventions.

Dr. Laurel Young is the Music Therapy Graduate Programs Coordinator and an Associate Professor at Concordia University. She has over 29 years of diverse clinical, research, and advocacy experience, with a focus on aging, dementia, and end-of-life care. She’s authored multiple publications and presented in local, national, and international forums. She is a research member of Concordia’s School of Health, Concordia’s Arts in Health Research Collective (AHRC), Réseau québécois de recherche en soins palliatifs et de fin de vie, (RQSPAL), and the Centre for Research and Expertise in Social Gerontology (CREGÉS). She currently serves as the Associate Director of engAGE: Concordia’s Centre for Research on Aging.