Dr. Maria A. Rogers

Canada Research Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health and Well-Being

Dr. Maria A. Rogers is an Associate Professor and holds the Canada Research Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health and Well-Being in the Department of Psychology.

Her research endeavors to understand how relationships impact the educational and emotional development of children and youth, with the goal of helping nurture their success at school and beyond.

By combining two important areas of study for children and youth — mental health and education — and examining the relationships at the centre of children’s lives — teacher-student, parent-child and even teacher-parent relationships — Rogers hopes to develop solutions to encourage more supportive and nurturing relationships for at-risk children.

One current area of Dr. Rogers’ research involves the study of chronic absenteeism among Canadian children and youth. More children are missing school than ever before in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Rogers and her colleagues from the Canadian School Attendance Partnership are studying the links between chronic absenteeism and its associations with family mental health, youth learning and emotional development.

With support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Rogers and her team recently followed a Canada-wide sample of children and families affected by ADHD over four time points. This research points to the marked impact of the pandemic on this population over the coming years.

A clinical psychologist, Rogers practices at the Child, Adolescent, Family Centre of Ottawa. Outside of this work, she specializes in supporting Indigenous children and youth in their school and learning endeavours. She works with families and educators, both on reserve and in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, bringing a culturally sensitive approach to her sessions with young clients.