Past Members
Ambili Kariaparambil-Rajan
Bachelor of Homeopathy Medicine and Surgery, MPH, MHSc
Ambili completed her MHSc with specialization in Epidemiology at the BRANCHES Lab, supervised by Dr. Anna Koné Péfoyo and co-supervised by Dr. Deborah Scharf. Her project examined the impacts of major depressive disorder and its management on the survival of cancer patients with or without other comorbidities. It was a population-based retrospective cohort study conducted in Ontario. Ambili previously completed a Bachelor’s in Homoeopathy Medicine and Surgery from University of Kerala, India, and a Master’s in Public Health from University of Minnesota, USA. She also worked for Dr. Scharf on drafting a continuous quality improvement plan and evaluation report for the Thunder Bay and Kenora Situation Tables. Ambili enjoys long walks, reading, and learning new things.
Umme Saika Kabir
MBBS, MPH
MHSc Student
Umme is a second-year Master of Health Sciences student with a concentration in Epidemiology. Her supervisor is Dr. Anna Koné. Umme completed her undergraduate degree in Medicine from Dhaka Medical College, Bangladesh. She also completed a Master of Public Health from Independent University, Bangladesh. In her home country, Umme worked in various government and non-government organizations in the field of patient management and public health. She is now working with Dr. Anna Koné on our Cancer Care Experience Study. Umme's master's thesis is aimed at looking at the impact of arthritis and multimorbidity on the development of depression in cancer patients and on their health care utilization using provincial health administrative data.
Jessie Lund
PhD (Clinical Psychology)
Research Coordinator
Jessie holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Lakehead University and was supervised by Dr. Christopher Mushquash. Her research interests include pre & postnatal adversity, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance use, and executive functions. In the BRANCHES Lab, Jessie primarily conducted qualitative interviews for the Injured Workers Study. Jessie enjoys hiking, reading, and hot yoga in her free time.
Jaye Walker
Specialized HBSc Psychology/Computer Science Student
Jaye is a computer science and psychology graduate. For her undergraduate thesis, Jaye worked on an analysis of injured workers qualitative data, looking at primary causes of injuries, and mental health related issues. Jaye's undergraduate thesis was supervised by Dr. Deborah Scharf. Jaye is a data analyst and software engineer working for St. Joseph’s Care Group designing web applications, databases, and providing decision support to assist with Mental Health Service facilitation.
Brooklyn Ranta
Specialized HBA Psychology, MD Student (NOSM)
Brooklyn conducted her 4th year psychology thesis under the supervision of Dr.Scharf. Brooklyn is passionate about mental health and also worked with Dr. Elaine Toombs in projects focusing on adverse childhood experiences and mental wellness resources for Indigenous communities. She hopes to continue her research involvement and future studies in psychology, focusing on addiction, mental illness, and community representation. Outside of the lab she is an avid reader, and also served on the LUSU Board of Directors for 2021-2022.
Crystal Hardy
MHSc
Research Coordinator
Maryam Einshouka
Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, MHSc
Maryam completed Lakehead's Master's of Health Sciences program (MHSc) with an Epidemiology specialization, under the supervision of Dr. Vicki Kristman and Dr. Deborah Scharf. Maryam's thesis was a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) evaluating two Motivational Interviewing teaching styles to nursing students. Maryam also worked as a research assistant at EPID@Work (Enhancing the Prevention of Injury & Disability at Work), where she worked on an Indigenous workplaces development project. Her primary area of interest in research is mental health and awareness. Maryam is originally from Egypt where she received her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from Cairo University, and has been in Canada for 6 years. When she is not studying or working, she is a mom of two, but also likes painting and hiking.
Talia Strickland
Specialized HBA Psychology