Arlene MacDougall

Director and Principal Investigator

Dr. Arlene MacDougall is an accomplished psychiatrist, researcher, educator and academic health care leader. She has led the development of transformative systems initiatives for mental health both locally and globally. She has authored over 40 publications and has been recognized as a global Young Physician Leader by the InterAcademy Partnership.

Renee Hunt

Research Coordinator

Renee is passionate and accomplished researcher whose focuses on general health and well-being, with an emphasis on mental health related to positive psychological practices and patterns of interpersonal behaviour. She was most recently a Mitacs Elevate Program Postdoctoral Fellow, Western University and graduated with her PhD in Social Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier.

Melissa Taylor-Gates

Innovation & Evaluation Manager

Melissa believes foremost in empathy and compassion for those in the world around us. Her work centralizes around power inequality and authentic communication. She strive to foster safe spaces where people can learn from and care for each other in a holistic way. Outside her work, she is a storyteller, archer, tea-lover, feminist, writer, and gamer.

Lily Yosieph

Research Assistant

Lily is currently an EDI evaluator and adult liaison to the Youth Mental Health and Addictions Council (YMHAC), which she previously co-facilitated with Alec Cook. Lily admires the transdisciplinary approach to solving complex mental health system challenges within the MINDS lab; outside of work, she enjoys catching up on quality time with friends and family.

Alec Cook

Youth Research Assistant

​​Alec is a undergraduate student at Western University, completing an honours specialization in psychology. Alec has been a part of MINDS since 2018, starting as a co-op student in his senior year of high school. He is currently leading the studying Youth-Centred Practice project. Alec is also a facilitator of the Youth Mental Health and Addictions Council (YMHAC).

IYLAH NEVES

Youth Research Assistant

Iylah is an undergraduate student at King’s University pursuing an Honors double major in Psychology and Sexuality Studies. They joined MINDS in 2019 to work on the Safe Storytelling Toolkit, and now also lead the Mental Wellness Profile and Queer in the Classroom initiatives. Outside of work, they are passionate about volunteering, writing, and advocacy.

Richard Booth

Researcher

​​Richard Booth is an associate professor at the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing (Western University) and a clinician researcher with an active research program exploring health informatics, human-technical relationships, and psychiatric-mental health nursing. Richard is an avid angler and will find any excuse use his charcoal barbeque in the rain, snow, or sun.

Kelly Anderson

RESEARCHER

​Kelly Anderson is a Canada Research Chair in Public Mental Health Research, and an Associate Professor in the Departments of Epi-demiology & Biostatistics and Psychiatry. Her research program is focused on risk and protective factors for population mental health, and access to mental health care. Kelly enjoys reading and building Lego with her kids.

ABE OUDSHOORN

Researcher

Abe is Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and the Arthur Labatt Family Chair in Nursing Leadership in Health Equity. Abe is passionate about using research for system change to ensure those experiencing health and social challenges are adequately supported and stably housed. Abe enjoys swimming, biking, running and spending time with his family outdoors.

DAPHNE VARGHESE

Daphne is a PhD candidate from the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa. Her doctoral research is on social innovation in higher education, especially with regards to the influence of philanthropic foundations on social innovation initiatives in Canadian universities. She has been involved in research that maps the leadership practices of social innovators as well as examining the progression and influence of social innovation initiatives within the context of Canadian universities.

JENNIFER SILCOX

Jennifer is a research associate with MINDS London and an assistant professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies at King’s University College at Western University. Her main areas of research include social inequality, youth mental health, and youth crime and legislation in Canada. She graduated with a PhD in Sociology, with a specialized focus in criminology, from Western University. In her personal time, she enjoys volunteering with wildlife rescue and rehabilitation and spending time with family and friends.