People in the Lab
Lab Director: Andrea Howard
Follow me on BlueSky @drandreahoward.bsky.social
Andrea earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Science at the University of Alberta in 2010. She then worked as a Postdoctoral Scholar and Research Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In July, 2013 she joined the Department of Psychology at Carleton University as a Developmental and Quantitative Psychologist. Her research focuses on mental health and health-related behavioural development through adolescence and the transition to adulthood, including alcohol and other substance use, ADHD, and social media.
Click here to view Andrea’s Carleton faculty profile
Click here to view Andrea’s CV (January 2025)
Contact Andrea: andrea.howard@carleton.ca
Graduate Students:
Yulia Gmiro
Ph.D. student, January 2025-present
My name is Yulia. I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees here, at Carleton University, where I applied Self-Determination Theory to investigate the role of mindfulness in goal attainment and the role of basic psychological needs in the relation between social media use and mental health. Currently, I am a PhD student researching mental health implications of social media use in adolescents and emerging adults. I am passionate about learning the intricacies of health-promoting behaviours to help people (and myself) to actively take care of their mental state. In the context of the primarily negative discussions surrounding the psychological impact of social media use in the media today, I am most driven to unveil what drives younger users toward social media and how they can manage their environments and behaviours online for most optimal health. Outside of academia, I like to spend my time knitting, reading historical fiction, and enjoying nature.
Korina Kaye Taguba
M.A. student, September 2023-present
My name is Korina Taguba and I received my bachelor’s degree in Psychology at York University. My research interests are broadly related to the determinants and consequences of substance use among adolescents and young adults. Specifically, I am interested in examining the risk and protective factors related to substance use and how it affects developmental trajectories. I am also interested in exploring misconceptions regarding substance use and how it affects the development of stigma among people who develop substance use disorders.
Alysha Stoakes
M.A. student, September 2024-present
My name is Alysha Stoakes and I received my undergraduate degree in Psychology at York University and am currently in the first year of my masters at Carleton. My research interests include transdiagnostic factors that underly the comorbidity between substance use disorders and other externalizing and internalizing disorders. My proposed research for my MA thesis examines cannabis use as a coping method for emotional dysregulation in adults with ADHD.
Lab Alumni:
Former Graduate Students
Sean Alexander (Ph.D., August 2023) Now Senior Research Associate, University of Calgary
Megan Lamb (Postdoctoral Fellow, 2021-2023) Now at IWK Health, Halifax
Abby Bradley (M.A., April 2023) Now Research Associate, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Kendra Carnrite (M.A., August 2022) Now at Statistics Canada
Leigh Dunn (M.A., August 2020) Now at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Psy.D. program in Clinical Psychology
Erin Macdonald (M.A., August 2019) Clinical Ph.D. Graduate, McGill University; now at Lifemark Health Group
Tyler Pritchard (M.A., August 2017) Clinical Ph.D. Graduate, University of Guelph; now Faculty member, Memorial University of Newfoundland (Grenfell).
Noelle Strickland (M.A., August 2016) Clinical Ph.D. Graduate, Dalhousie University; now at MacGillivray Psychologists, Halifax NS.
Former Honours Thesis Students
Aislinn Bornais (Honours thesis student, 2023-2024) Fall 2024: Assistant Psychometrist, Borovay Psychological Services
Gia Lalsingh (Honours thesis student, 2023-2024) Fall 2024: M.Sc. Student, Applied Psychology and Economic Behaviour, University of Bath
Abby Wilson (Honours thesis student, 2023-2024)
Syed Jafar Hasan (Honours thesis student, 2022-2023)
Amy Heaslip (Honours thesis student, 2022-2023) Current: HR Recruitment Intern, Royal Canadian Mint
Zoe Meloff (Honours thesis student, 2022-2023)
Millie McNeill-McKinnell (Honours thesis student, 2021-2022)
Priscilla Panton (Honours thesis student, 2021-2022) Fall 2024: MSW Student, University of Windsor
Sydney Bota (Honours thesis student, 2020-2021) M.A. (Western University, 2023); Current: Registered Psychotherapist
Abby Bradley (Honours thesis student, 2020-2021) M.A. (Carleton, 2023); See former graduate students (above)
Tyler Kydd (Honours thesis student, 2020-2021) Fall 2022: M.A. Student, Carleton University Psychology
Julianne Dumont (Honours thesis student, 2018-2019) Current: Clinical Intern, Jewish General Hospital. Ph.D. candidate, Concordia University Clinical Psychology
Andy Ma (Honours thesis student, 2018-2019) M.Ed (UBC, 2021); Current: Project Coordinator, University of British Columbia
Justin Somerville (Honours thesis student, 2018-2019)
Emily Low (Honours thesis student, 2017-2018) Fall 2018: B.Ed. Student, University of Ottawa Teacher Education Program
Christie Maclaren (Honours thesis student, 2017-2018) Fall 2018: MD Student, Queen’s University School of Medicine
Emily Beaudoin (Honours thesis student, 2015-2016) Current: Child in Mind Psychological Services; Ph.D. candidate, McGill University School Psychology
Kelsey Marshall (Honours thesis student, 2015-2016) M.Ed. (UOttawa, 2019); Current: Registered Psychotherapist, Centre for Cognitive Therapy
Ruth Mussar (Honours thesis student, 2015-2016) M.A. (Carleton, 2019)
Casandra Boushey (Honours thesis student, 2014-2015) M.Sc. (Queen’s, 2017); Current: Occupational Therapist, Queensway-Carleton Hospital; M.H.A. Resident, Perley Health
Alana Spadaccini (Honours thesis student, 2014-2015) M.Ed. (UOttawa, 2017); Current: Ottawa Lifestyle and Nutrition Coach
Kimberly Parsons (Honours thesis student, 2013-2014) Current: Marketing Manager, Conference Board of Canada