Our Team

Principal Investigator

Dr. Nichole Fairbrother, PhD, RPsych

Director, Perinatal Anxiety Research Lab
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UBC

Nichole Fairbrother is the director of the Perinatal Anxiety Research Lab at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of British Columbia in 2002. She subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship in women’s reproductive health through the Child and Family Research Institute and the UBC Department of Health Care and Epidemiology. Dr. Fairbrother is currently a Clinical Associate Professor professor in the University of British Columbia’s Department of Psychiatry, and a member of the Women’s Health Research Institute at B.C. Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Fairbrother’s research is in the area of reproductive mental health with a focus on anxiety disorders that affect pregnant and postpartum women. Her research projects include a study of maternal thoughts of harm related to the newborn, a theoretical model of postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder, a pilot study of the prevalence of anxiety disorders among pregnant and postpartum women, and several surveys of reproductive-aged women’s knowledge and attitudes pertaining to reproduction, childbirth and infant feeding.

Please click here to view Dr. Fairbrother’s CV (updated Feb 2022).

Cora Keeney

Lab Manager

Meet Cora, our Lab Manager! Cora has a background in Health Psychology and Positive Health. Before joining the PAR Lab Cora worked in various research roles, gaining experience in topics ranging from public health to pharmacoepidemiology to positive psychology. When not at work, Cora volunteers for organizations around Vancouver and enjoys snowboarding and hiking.

Fanie Collardeau, MSc

Graduate Student

Fanie coordinates multiple projects in the lab. She joined the lab as an interviewer on the New Mothers’ Thoughts of Harm Study and has been working for the Perinatal Anxiety Lab for approximately four years. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Victoria under the supervision of Dr. Woodin. Her own research explores how the expression and emotion regulation of shame differs across cultural contexts.

Bryn Stagg

Graduate Student

Bryn is a graduate student in Women+ and Children’s Health Sciences at UBC. After completing her undergrad at the University of Calgary in Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology, she worked for a non-profit coordinating assistance programs for pregnant/postpartum people and new families facing adverse situations or crisis. This led to her advocacy for increased research, understanding and support in the field of perinatal mental health, specifically in vulnerable populations. She loves reading, a good DIY project and iced coffee year-round.

Salina Kung

FLEX Student

Meet Salina Kung, a fourth year UBC Medical Student and Research Assistant with the UBC PAR Lab. Her research interests are in improving maternity care and services for mothers. She is also actively involved in aquatics and student initiatives that advocate for the well-being of children, families, and older adults.

Kara Dalton, MPH

Research Assistant

Kara joined the lab as a volunteer working on the consensual non-monogamy project. Since graduating with her Honours BA in Bioethics and Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto and recently completing her Master of Public Health at Simon Fraser University, she aspires to expand public health promotion for perinatal mental disorders. Kara’s expertise in studying social determinants of health foregrounds her passion for person-centred health promotion projects and aims to highlight how individuals experience health disparities within aggregate-level data. In her free time, Kara is a dedicated yogi who loves outdoor sports and spending time in nature.

Stephanie Chow

Undergraduate Student

Stephanie is a Neuroscience student at UBC. She is interested in gaining a background in psychology research to implement research-based programs that improve well-being. At the PAR lab, she is currently helping with the lab website. Stephanie loves cats, rock climbing, and piano.

Ming Zhang

Undergraduate Student

Ming is studying neuroscience as an undergraduate student at UBC. She is looking forward to expanding her lab experiences in psychology and has a particular interest in anxiety-related studies. Ming loves anything art-related, and she is involved in content creations aimed at the general public for the PAR lab.

Gurmaan Gill

Undergraduate Student

Meet Gurmaan, our undergraduate Work Learn student! Gurmaan is a 4th year student studying Honours Cellular and Physiological Sciences at UBC. He is currently working on a scoping review of unpaid labour in parents and its associated mental health outcomes. When not in the lab, Gurmaan can probably be found in a boxing gym or working on his radio show.