Our Team

Dr. Jennifer Khoury (she/her) – Lab Director & Principal Investigator

In 2021, Dr. Khoury began her position as an Assistant Professor and Tier II Canada Research Chair in Interdisciplinary Studies in Neuroscience, in the Department of Psychology at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU). She also holds an adjunct appointment in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University.

Dr. Khoury’s research program adopts an interdisciplinary and multi-method approach to understand how early life stress impacts the brain and behaviour of parents and children. She is particularly interested in studying the impact of neurobiological stress and emotion regulation on child development, including child mental health outcomes, beginning in pregnancy and spanning to later childhood.

Dr. Khoury’s research program is funded by the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Research Nova Scotia (RNS), the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and MSVU internal grants.

Email: Jennifer.khoury@msvu.ca

MSVU Faculty Profile

Rahne Forbes (she/her) - Assistant Lab Manager

Rahne is a recent graduate from Dalhousie University, holding a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience (Honours), minoring in Biology. She completed her Honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Khoury where she examined prenatal and postpartum maternal stress and its impact on child sleep as well as marital conflict as a potential moderator of this relationship.

Rahne plans to pursue a career in medicine as a post graduate and enjoys running, spinning, hiking, and playing with her puppy in her free time!

Email: rahne.forbes4@msvu.ca

Shireen Gill (she/her)- Research Coordinator

Shireen holds a Bachelor of Medical Sciences from Western University and a Master of Science in Global Health from McMaster University. In the lab, she coordinates the COVID-19 study, Emotional Regulation study, and Adolescent Stress study. Her interest in developmental research stems from its critical impact on lifelong physical and mental health, with the potential to inform future treatments and improve quality of life. Outside of work, she’s an avid BTS fan (ARMY) and loves to workout and read!

Graduate Students

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Lauren Giles (she/her)-PhD Student & Research Coordinator

Lauren is a PhD student in the Experimental Psychology program at Dalhousie University. Her dissertation projects aim to explore resilience-related predictors of postpartum depression. Lauren’s primary role at the DPRC is the coordination of the Maternal Childhood Experiences and Perinatal Health study.

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Mackenna Pattison (she/her)-MA/PhD Student

Mackenna is a clinical psychology MA/PhD student at Dalhousie University under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Khoury and Dr. Tara Perrot. She completed her Honours BA in psychology at the University of Ottawa. In her spare time, Mackenna enjoys reading, spending time outside, and doing yoga! Mackenna is really looking forward to getting started as a new grad student in the lab this year and learning more about developmental research!

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Esther Puiras- Graduate Student

Esther recently completed her MSc in Experimental Psychology at Dalhousie University, co-supervised by Dr. Jennifer Khoury and Dr. Tara Perrot. She is currently a research coordinator in the early psychosis unit at the NSHA, where she helps facilitate projects aimed at improving patient quality of life. In her free time, Esther enjoys working out, listening to podcasts, and desperately learning to cook.

Isaac Cormier (he/him)- Research Assistant

Isaac completed his BSc (Honours) in Psychology at Saint Mary’s University (2019) and works as a Research Psychometrist in the Neuropsychology Department at Nova Scotia Health. He began volunteering with the DPRC in Spring 2025, where he is assisting with the Emotional Regulation and Stress in Adolescence studies. Isaac also contributes to projects in other research labs focused on forensic psychology and neuropsychology and plans to pursue graduate training in clinical psychology. Outside of research, he coaches the debate team at Citadel High School and enjoys curling during the winter months

Research Assistants

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Bronwyn Inness (she/her)-Research Assistant

Bronwyn is a first year MSc Psychiatry Research student at Dalhousie University. She completed her BSc Honours in Psychology at Mount Allison University. Bronwyn volunteers in the DPRC lab, working mainly on the Maternal Childhood Experiences and Perinatal Health study. She loves working with kids and is interested in learning about development. At Dalhousie, Bronwyn is investigating the effects of parental smartphone use on childhood socioemotional wellbeing.

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Mobina Ali (she/her)-Research Assistant

Mobina recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Dalhousie University, where she majored in psychology and minored in biology. During her studies, she conducted an independent research project on second language acquisition at the Neurocognitive Imaging Lab. This summer, she joined the DPRC as a research assistant, contributing to the RNS study, which investigates the impact of maternal childhood experiences on perinatal biopsychosocial risk and resilience, as well as the Emotion Regulation study. In her free time, she enjoys painting, pottery, exploring new cafes, and bike rides with friends.

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Emma Myra (she/her)-Research Assistant

Emma is a 4th year BSc Psychology student minoring in applied statistics and neuroscience at Mount Saint Vincent University. Emma is applying to complete her honours thesis in 2025-2026. Emma is involved in student life on campus, also marking for statistics and tutoring introductory psychology courses. In her free time, Emma enjoys spending time with her dogs and family.

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Laura Eisner-Research Assistant

Laura completed her BSc Psychology (Honours) with a minor in Biology at Dalhousie University in 2023. She currently works as a research assistant with Nova Scotia Health Authority, and as a Child and Youth Care Worker with a non-profit organization supporting at-risk youth. Laura has been supporting DPRC in several of their projects since Spring 2024 in her free time. She plans to pursue graduate studies in Psychology to continue exploring her research interest of understanding how early life stressors impact cognitive and socioemotional development.

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Olivia Patterson-Research Assistant

Olivia is an honours student at Mount Saint Vincent University supervised by Dr. Daniel Séguin and a research assistant at the DPRC. Her thesis is examining whether experiences of parentification and aspects of personality such as conscientiousness can predict resilience in adulthood. Her research interests include clinical psychology, the impact of early life experiences on development, intergenerational trauma, addiction and risk-taking behaviours, and typical versus atypical development. In her spare time, Olivia enjoys painting, spending time outdoors, and helping others in need (whether human or animal)!

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Ethan Kelloway-Research Assistant

Ethan is a third-year undergraduate at Mount Saint Vincent University. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology and minoring in Family Studies. Ethan is hoping to pursue a master's in clinical psychology in which he can focus his work with family and children at a community-based level. In his spare time, Ethan loves to go for walks and explore nature, as well as play and listen to music.

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Jansyn Fraser-Research Assistant

Jansyn is a 4th year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology at Mount Saint Vincent University. Jansyn plans to complete her honours certificate after graduation. Jansyn is interested in developmental psychology and hopes to work with children one day. In her free time Jansyn enjoys reading, writing, and film.

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Jackie Bradbury (she/they)-Research Assistant

Jackie is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Mount Saint Vincent University and is working towards graduate studies. Jackie has worked as a support worker in various non-profit organizations providing mental health support, access to community resources and crisis response. Jackie is working on building upon her research skills developed during her first undergraduate degree in biology from Acadia University, and the skills she is currently developing at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her research interests include childhood development, resilience and protective factors. In their free time, Jackie enjoys spending time with her cats and exploring nature.

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Maxwell Seward-Research Assistant

Max is a first-year student in the MSc Psychiatry Research program at Dalhousie. He completed his Honours BSc in Psychology with a minor in neuroscience at MSVU (2023). His Master's thesis will explore MRI and EEG-based biomarkers of treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Max's primary area of interest is neuroimaging, and in the lab, he facilitates EEG recording sessions for the emotion regulation study. Beyond academics, Max enjoys rock climbing, sailing, and running.

Michelle - Summer Intern & Undergraduate Honours Student

Michelle is a 4th year honours student at Mount Saint Vincent University, supervised by Dr. Khoury. For her thesis, she hopes to explore relationships between perinatal mental health, biological stress markers, and maternal-infant attachment. This summer, she was awarded the CN student research internship, and works as a research assistant in the DPRC to facilitate RNS, ER, and SAS sessions, as well as process hair and saliva samples in the wet lab. Outside of the lab, she enjoys dancing on the MSVU dance team and spending time with friends.

Mollie (she/her) - Research Assistant

Mollie is in her third year of the BA Psychology program at MSVU, minoring in French and planning to Honour in Psychology next year. Mollie has been a marker for Introductory Psychology and Research Methods and is currently doing supplemental instruction for Intro Psych. She has been with the DPRC since May 2025 and is happily involved with all four ongoing research studies in the lab, in addition to taking the lead as first author on the most recent ‘paper-in-a-day’ initiative. She is also involved in Dr. Birt’s research lab, with whom she has recently completed a directed study, and over the past two years has been a virtual research assistant for Dr. Roy-Charland in the Laboratoire Psychologie Cognitive at the Université de Moncton. Outside of university, Mollie is beginning to build her therapy skills in a local psychology practice, facilitating therapy groups for youth with ADHD, ASD, and Social Anxiety Disorder, as well as working as a peer mentor. She has also enjoyed volunteering as a classroom assistant in the French Immersion elementary school system. After graduation, Mollie plans to pursue doctoral graduate studies, focused on child clinical psychology. In her spare time, Mollie works as a yoga/pilates/fitness instructor and has extensive professional training in classical ballet, having graduated from both of the Alberta Ballet School’s Professional Programs.

Lucie (she/her)- Summer Intern & Undergraduate Honours Student

Lucie is currently in her second year of study at Dalhousie University! She is pursuing a Bachelor of Management with a minor in Psychology. At the DPRC, she recently started as a research assistant and is excited to learn more about research and developmental studies. In her free time, Lucie loves to play rugby, bake, crochet and go on canoe trips!

Lab Alumni