Mind Pad Editorial Board, 2024-2025
Editor-in-Chief
The University of British Columbia
Email: pastchair.cpastudentsection@gmail.com
Melissa is a third-year PhD student in the School and Applied Child Psychology program at the University of British Columbia. She completed a Master of Arts from the University of British Columbia in 2022. Her master’s thesis investigated the relationship quality between elementary school teachers and female students on the autism spectrum. Her doctoral research aims to better understand intergenerational autism and the impact that having a parent on the autism spectrum can have on adolescents’ mental health, camouflaging behaviours, and autistic identity. As part of the student section, she serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Mindpad. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors, travelling, and looking for new comedy shows to watch.
Associate Editors
Ben Johnson (Brock University)
Ben Johnson is an MA student at Brock University in the Department of Child and Youth Studies, participating as a member of the Developmental Neuroscience Lab, Inclusive Education Research Lab, and Lifespan Development Research Institute. Ben received a BA in Psychology at Brock University. He has a variety of research interests, including literacy, neurodiversity/anti-ableism, open pedagogy, executive functions, and higher-order thinking. Ben is also interested in the ways in which research informs policy and practice, especially in the educational context.
Emma Giberson (University of New Brunswick)
Emma Giberson is a second-year PhD student in Clinical Psychology at the University of New Brunswick, where she also completed a Bachelor of Science and Master of Applied Psychology, Research, and Evaluation. Her research aims to increase access to evidence-based mental health interventions for individuals facing barriers to access (e.g., rural populations), specifically through investigating the use and efficacy of e-mental health interventions. Currently, her research is investigating predictors of intention to deliver e-therapy among mental health practitioners. In her spare time, Emma enjoys playing tennis, going biking, rock climbing, watching Harry Potter, and playing board games.
Spencer Arshinoff (York University)
Spencer is a first year PhD student at York University, in the Historical, Theoretical, and Critical Studies of Psychology program, where he completed his MA. Prior to this, he completed his BSc in the Honours Integrated Science program at McMaster University, with a concentration in Psychology, Neuroscience, & Behaviour. His previous research interests include the history of statistical methods in psychology, the spread of mis/dis-information, and language in autism spectrum disorder.
Ratanak Ly (Unversity of Prince Edward Island)
Ratanak is a Doctoral Clinical Psychology student at the University of Prince Edward Island. He completed a master’s thesis at Adler Graduate Professional School (Toronto, Ontario), which explored the relationship between individual and community belonging and well-being in an LGBTQ+ chorus community. His doctoral dissertation examines the different facets of experiences of belonging in racialized LGBTQ+ individuals.
Yuzhi(Stanford) Yang (University of New Brunswick)
Stanford is a second-year M.A. student in the Experimental Psychology program at the University of New Brunswick. He completed a B.A.(Hons.) in Psychology at the University of New Brunswick. His research interests are in the health impacts of religion, psychology of religion, social psychology, and mental health policies. He specializes in big data analytics using public statistics. Beyond psychology, he also served as a Data Analyst for the Housing, Mobilization, Engagement, and Resilience Lab at the University of New Brunswick, where he performed quantitative analyses for various Tri-Council funded research projects addressing housing and health inequalities in Canada. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, cooking, and watching movies with his cat.
Reviewers
Alonzo Lee-Abbey (Carleton University)
Aylar Gurbanova (McGill University)
Britney Hammell (Laurentian University)
Corinne Nicol (University of Waterloo)
Cortney Burnham (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Daniela Pasqualini (University of Waterloo)
Emily Earle (University of New Brunswick)
Holden Norrie (University of Regina)
Jordan Pumphrey (Carleton University)
Katy Tempel (Douglas College)
Kayla Kirby (University of Regina)
Khushi Rana (University of Waterloo)
Kimberly Taylor (University of Calgary)
Luisa Depta (City University)
Maeve Slattery (Vancouver Island University)
Malcolm Disbrowe (University of Manitoba)
Matea Gerbeza (University of Regina)
Melissa van Dijk-Allen (University of Waterloo)
Natasha Taylor (University of Regina)
Pierre-Olivier Couture (Dalhousie University)
Samia Sadia Barat (University of Waterloo)
Skade Fernando (McMaster University)
Snimer Nagi (University of Ottawa )
Taylor Anthony (Trent University)
Taylor Grace Joan Anthony (Memorial University)
Vashti E. Kamassah (University of Toronto)
Veronika Fendler-Janssen (Brock University)
Historical Contributors
Rana Pishva (Founder)
I believe that students should be proactive in their education, and ultimately, MindPad is about creating learning opportunities. In proposing the project, I wanted to create a platform where psychology students could sharpen their writing skills, experience the editing and publication process, and learn to critically review articles. I wanted MindPad to be a safe and enriching environment where students could grow professionally. The CPA head office was exceptionally supportive of the project, and MindPad was born with the help of my colleagues, Karen Cohen, Brenden Sommerhalder, and Tyler Stacey-Holmes (just to name a few). I was excited to witness students’ enthusiasm to write or edit for MindPad. As the Editor-in-Chief, I met interesting people, learned about the editing process, and gained confidence in my professional skills.
I encourage students to seek and create opportunities to grow as professionals,
Kindly,
Rana Pishva