Dr. Maria A. Rogers

Canada Research Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health and Well-Being
Dr. Maria A. Rogers is an Associate Professor 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.
For instance, as more children are missing school than ever before in the wake of the
COVID-19 pandemic, Rogers and her research team are studying the links between
chronic absenteeism in children and teens and its associations with family mental
health, youth learning and emotional development.
Additionally, with support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, her team is
following a Canada-wide sample of children and families affected by ADHD in order to
understand the impact of the pandemic on this population over the coming years.
A practicing clinical psychologist, Rogers specializes in supporting Indigenous
children and youth in their school and learning endeavours.
A member of the NuntatuKavut community of southern Labrador, 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.