Dr. Christie Burtonjoined the Schachar team in 2012 as a post-doctoral fellow and is presently a Research Associate. She received her Ph.D. in psychology and neuroscience from the University of Toronto in 2012. Her previous research focused on characterizing and understanding neurobiology of behaviours relevant to drug addiction (e.g. impulsivity) in adolescents under the supervision of Dr. Paul Fletcher. Currently, she is studying the genomic underpinnings of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in collaboration with the Schachar team and Dr. Paul Arnold at the University of Calgary. Projects include the community-based Spit for Science and collaborations with the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) ADHD and OCD working groups. Dr. Burton is also the Outreach Coordinator for the PGC ADHD and OCD working groups.
Dr. Annie Dupuis, PhD
Dr. Annie Dupuis joined the Schachar Lab in 2010. She completed her PhD in biostatistics at the University of Toronto in November 2001, and pursued her post-doctoral training under the supervision of Dr. Mary Corey at SickKids working in cystic fibrosis research. She is an adjunct professor in the biostatistics department at the University of Toronto. She has developed expertise in attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, autism spectrum disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, and learning disabilities. She has extensive experience in the analysis of large databases, questionnaire design and validation, longitudinal data analysis, survival analysis, the development of diagnostic rules and measurement norms, latent class analysis, and graphical methods.
Dr. Mathieu Lemire, PhD
Dr. Mathieu Lemire joined the team in September 2018. He completed a PhD in Mathematics in 2000 and has been working in the field of genetics and genomics as a data scientist since then. Coming from the field of cancer genomics, he has experience managing and analyzing large-scale genetic and epigenetic datasets (terabyte-size; big data). He wrote and made publicly available a number of software to help analyze and make sense of large amounts of genetic, expression and epigenetic data derived from thousands of patients, generated using a vast array of technologies including next-generation sequencing. He wrote and co-authored over 75 publications over the course of his career, covering a vast spectrum of topics, diseases and dataset types.
Dr. Talisa Silzer, PhD Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Joined the team in 2020 PhD: University of North Texas Health Science Center
Dr. Talisa Silzer joined the lab in 2020 as a post-doctoral research fellow. She received both her MS and PhD from the University of North Texas Health Science Center under the supervision of Dr. Nicole Phillips. Her previous works have investigated the genetic underpinnings of age-related neurodegenerative disease phenotypes including mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as other related comorbidities. She has experience generating and analyzing a variety of different data types including SNP, methylation and whole genome/transcriptome data. Talisa hopes to utilize her computational skill-set to explore the etiological role of genetics in childhood neurodevelopmental disorders.
Avalon Henry, MA
Avalon Henryjoined the Schachar Lab in 2015 as a Clinical Research Project Assistant working on the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorders (POND) Network project and is now a Clinical Research Project Manager for the Spit for Science project. She received her MA in Psychology from Pace University in New York City where she studied young children’s social skills, inhibition and pretend play throughout the developmental stages under the supervision of Dr. Thalia Goldstein and Dr. Lisa Rosenthal. She moved to Toronto and completed training with the Canadian Association for Play Therapy and began practicing as a Play Therapist. Avalon has a passion for working with and helping children as a researcher and as a therapist.
Janet Shan, MSc
Janet Shan joined the Schachar Lab in 2009 after completing her M.Sc. in statistics from the University of Guelph. She originally moved to Canada in 2001 and in 2006 she completed her bachelor’s degree in statistics from the University of Guelph. After that she returned to her home town of Shanghai and worked at Shanghai Loudon Marketing Consultant Co., Ltd. as a data analyst. During that period, she collected, analyzed and summarized data through SAS, generating statistical and analytical reports and presentations. She then returned to Canada to pursue her graduate studies. As a data research analyst, she is responsible for maintaining, organizing and analyzing the Ontario Science Centre and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) clinic database and transforming data into actionable and useful information. She prepares descriptive statistics and collaborates with the principal investigators and the senior biostatisticians to develop in-depth statistical analysis. She also enjoys assisting in the supervision of undergraduate and graduate students in statistical analysis.
Olivia Tischler, MPH, MSW, RSW Social Worker
Joined the team in 2019 MPH: Columbia University MSW: Columbia School of Social Work
Olivia Tischler is a registered social worker and former teacher who is passionate about supporting mental health needs, particularly for individuals who have experienced, or are experiencing, the death of someone in their life. She has worked at Camp Oochigeas on the in-hospital team, with children and families affected by life threatening illness. In addition, she has worked with the Victim Services program at Bellevue Hospital in NYC working with individuals who have experienced trauma. Outside of her work at Sick Kids, Olivia works as a grief counsellor, providing a safe, therapeutic space for people to find a voice for their grief. Olivia holds a Masters of Public Health and Masters of Social Work from Columbia University.
Taha Arshad, BSc
Taha Arshad is a Clinical Research Project Coordinator in the Schachar Crosbie lab, and has been a part of the lab since September 2020. Taha graduated from McMaster University in 2018, with a Bachelor of Science + specialization in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour. Taha’s research experiences have taken him all over the place, including forensic psychology, neuropsychology, substance use disorders, mood disorders, cognition, as well as diabetes research. Taha is very excited and grateful to be working with such a strong team of individuals!
Amanda Gamache, HBSc
Amanda Gamache is the Clinical Research Project Coordinator for Spit for Science 2 at the Schachar-Crosbie Lab. Since she graduated with her HBSc as a specialist in mental health from the University of Toronto, she has continued to work in mental health and neuroscience research. She has previous experience managing an infant neuroimaging lab as well as working with a variety of protocols within the infant and pediatric population. As a research professional, she has eight years’ experience working in a variety of research institutes and continues to enjoy mobilizing research teams to actualize research endeavours.
Sabah Shaikh, MPH Clinical Research Project Coordinator
Sabah Shaikh joined the Schachar Crosbie Lab in 2021 as a Clinical Research Project Coordinator. Before joining the lab, Sabah completed her Master in Public Health Epidemiology from NYU, where she investigated how attachment and identity affirmation interact with minority stressors and physiological markers among young sexual minority men. Before NYU, Sabah worked as a Clinical Trials Manager, where she and her team investigated the efficacy of omega-3 formulation on cardiovascular disease risk factors. As an avid proponent for mental health and wellness, Sabah aspires to continue, and contribute to, pediatric mental health and neuroscience research in the future.
Aarti Doshi, BA, BCom Candidate
Aarti Doshi joined the team in June 2019 as a Clinical Research Project Assistant. She graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, minor in Neuroscience and Mental Health. During the final year of her undergraduate degree, Aarti worked as a Mental Health Research Assistant for Dr. Kathleen Pajer’s lab at the CHEO Research Institute, assisting with neuropsychiatric clinical research that focused on adolescent girls with suicidality and/or self-harm behaviours. She later held the position of a Data Quality Clerk within the CHEO Research Institute. After the completion of her Bachelor of Commerce in Healthcare Management, Aarti aspires to complete a master and a doctoral degree in the field of clinical psychology.
Jana Radosavljevic, BSc
Jana Radosavljevic joined the Schachar + Crosbie Lab in June 2019 as a Junior Research Assistant working on “Spit for Science 2”. She graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree where she specialized in Neuroscience, majored in Psychology and minored in Biology. Throughout her undergraduate degree, Jana has been involved in numerous research labs involving research in personality and interpersonal perception as well as neuroepigenetic modifications involved in psychostimulants and reward. In her final year of undergraduate studies, she completed an honours thesis using a randomized control trial to investigate the efficacy of a novel mindfulness intervention in an undergraduate student population. She is excited to work with clinical populations in the Schachar + Crosbie lab and learn about neurodevelopmental research. Jana aspires to become a Clinician-Scientist as a Clinical Psychologist or Psychiatrist, and work in biomarker research involving mood and psychotic disorders.
Navi Dhaliwal, BSc Clinical Research Project Assistant
Joined the team in 2019 BSc: University of Waterloo
Navi Dhaliwal joined the Schachar + Crosbie lab as a Junior Research Assistant on Spit for Science 2. She graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Science in Honours Psychology with Co-Op with a minor in Biology. Throughout her undergrad she has been curious about Executive Function development in children, leading her through a directed studies project looking at the interventions available to children with executive dysfunction, and a thesis project examining the role of executive dysfunction and children’s mental health. She has been involved in numerous labs – starting in the Memory, Attention, and Cognition Lab, later joining the Gambling Research Lab and the Child and Adolescent Neuropsychology Lab. Navi aspires to take part in the exploration of the role of genetics in neuropsychiatric disorders and to continue to work with children with neurodevelopmental concerns – especially continuing her involvement with intervention programs.
Danielle Grant, BMSc
Danielle Grant is a Clinical Research Project Assistant with the Schachar Crosbie Lab. She received her Bachelor of Medical Science degree from Western University, with a focus in Physiology and Medical Sciences, and a post-degree major in Psychology. She joined the lab in 2019 as a volunteer, and is excited to be part of the Mega Team research staff as of September 2020. Danielle has a great passion for working with children and a keen interest in rehabilitation methods for behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders. She looks forward to learning and contributing more in this area, and she is grateful to be part of such a dedicated team!
Sarah Flores
Sarah Flores joined Psychiatry Research as a RI Administrative Assistant on November 19, 2020. She is no stranger to executive assistance and administrative services having played the role for more than 15 years. Her work experience comes from various industries including telecommunications, banking, finance, and healthcare. She is a Journalism graduate and a former real estate agent (residential) for two years. Sarah loves being creative and has tried her hands in interior decorating. She loves to travel, make friends and work side-by-side with people who are passionate, focused and inspired.
Current Volunteers
Vipusha Srikandarajah
Laiba Rizwan
Gayathiry Thayapararasa
Spit for Science Team Senior Research Assistants/ Junior Research Assistants
