Sam Demyen
Honours Student
Sam is completing her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with honours under the supervision of Drs. Jill Price and Heather Hadjistavropoulos. Her thesis will explore self-guided transdiagnostic internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) tailored to public safety personnel. Sam’s main research interests include evidence-based psychological treatments for anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress.
Benjamin Katz BSc
Research Assistant
Benjamin graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with Great Distinction at the University of Regina in April 2023. During his bachelors, he was awarded 2 NSERC USRAs and worked as a research assistant for Dr. Kaila Bruer; topics such as child memory and truthfulness as well as adult executive functioning were explored. He has been a volunteer Medical First Responder (MFR) for 7 years, where he provides primary medical and emergency care at public events like Rider games. Benjamin hopes to go to medical school and is interested in orthopedic surgery with regards to sports medicine. Being fully bilingual, his role within the PSPNET team will focus on working with the Quebec team and as a translator, as well as working with the other research assistants on data and client management.
Christina Chaisson B.A. (Hons)
Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator
Christina has held many roles at the University of Regina including Project Coordinator, Director of Community Programs at URPride, Residence Life Coordinator, Tutor/Mentor and Office Administrator. She holds a BA (Honours) in Arts with a minor in French and Francophone Intercultural Studies and has a personal interest in psychology and wellbeing. Christina is supporting CIPSRT through her role as a Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for PSPNET.
Jill Price PhD
Research Associate
Dr. Jill Price is an Experimental and Applied Psychologist and Sessional Member at the University of Regina. She completed her undergraduate (honours), M.A., and Ph.D. in Experimental and Applied Psychology at the University of Regina with a focus on statistics and cognitive development. Dr. Price also completed a four-year Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) under supervision of Dr. R Nicholas Carleton. Her research focused on the mental health resources available to public safety personnel in Canada. This fellowship led to the development of the website PSP Mental Health as well as several publications and conference presentations. She is currently a Research Associate at CIPSRT evaluating the Public Safety Personnel Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (PSPNET) for public safety personnel and their families in Canada.
Caeleigh Landry M.Sc.
PhD Student, Clinical Psychology
Caeleigh received a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology in 2019 and a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology in 2022, both from the University of Regina. Her master’s thesis, under the supervision of Drs. Nicholas Carleton and Heather Hadjistavropoulos, focused on the efficacy of internet-delivered mindfulness-based protocols for Public Safety Personnel. Caeleigh is in the process of completing her doctoral studies in clinical psychology at the University of Regina. For her doctoral dissertation, she is conducting a factorial study to examine the impact of different resource presentations and differing levels of ICBT course structure on outcomes in ICBT for public safety personnel. Caeleigh’s primary field of interest is the prevention and treatment of mental disorder symptoms in public safety personnel.
Hugh McCall M.A.
PhD Student, Clinical Psychology
Hugh received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the University of Regina. For his master’s thesis, under the supervision of Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos, Hugh conducted a meta-analysis of unguided Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) interventions for depression and anxiety and a meta-regression to determine whether persuasive design elements predict treatment efficacy. Hugh is currently continuing his studies in clinical psychology at the doctoral level, also at the University of Regina and under the supervision of Dr. Hadjistavropoulos. For his doctoral dissertation, he is conducting a randomized trial to examine the impact of discussion forums on outcomes in ICBT for public safety personnel. Hugh’s primary research interests include the use of ICBT for treating depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress among public safety personnel and the role of persuasive design in ICBT.
Peace Dukuye BSc (Hons)
Research Assistant
Peace completed her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology at the University of Regina in 2021. Her Honours thesis examined the relationship between mental health factors and belief in true vs fake COVID-19 news headlines. Peace’s primary research interests includes the use of evidence-based psychological interventions, which includes ICBT in the treatment of depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. Her role within the PSPNET team will focus on supporting the research team through data and client management.
Abby Phillips B.A. (Hons)
Research Assistant
Abby completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology at the University of Regina in 2021. Her Honours thesis examined perceived harm of digital dating abuse among University of Regina students. She has worked with Inclusion Saskatchewan (INSK) and Recognizing Resilience and Understanding Need (RRUN) as a research assistant previously. Abby’s primary research interests include PTSD, dating abuse, and disability. Her role within the PSPNET team will focus on supporting the research team through data and client management.
Luke Schneider PhD
Clinical Research Associate
Dr. Luke Schneider is a Registered Psychologist with the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology and the College of Psychologists of Ontario. He completed his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Regina (2013 and 2019, respectively) with a focus on implementing and evaluating Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy programs in Canada. Clinically, Dr. Schneider completed his predoctoral residency with the Nova Scotia Health Authority where he provided assessment and treatment services to adults specializing in mood, anxiety, trauma, and complicated health presentations. Dr. Schneider also recently completed a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton where he gained specialized experience in the assessment and treatment of individuals with a variety of anxiety disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder. Dr. Schneider has presented his research work at national and international conferences and has published in several peer-reviewed journals. He is a past recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship, which has led to international research collaborations in the field of Internet-delivered therapy. Overall, Dr. Schneider strives to synthesize his clinical and research experience to provide the highest quality care to clients.
Melissa Scheltgen MSW
Clinical Research Associate
Melissa is a Registered Social Worker with the Alberta College of Social Workers, Ontario College of Social Workers and Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers. Melissa received her Masters of Social Work degree through Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has worked as a Social Worker in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta. For over 20 years, Melissa has supported individuals and groups at the municipal, provincial, federal and national level develop and access resources for improved quality of life, understand and address mental health stigma and support individuals to heal from traumas using an empowering, mindful based approach. Melissa has worked in public safety and is a strong ally and advocate for first responders and their families.