Principal Investigator

Dr. Christine Ou

Dr. Christine Ou received her Bachelor’s in Nursing at the University of Calgary in 2005, Master’s in Science of Nursing in 2011 and PhD in Nursing at the University of British Columbia in 2021. She was supported by a UBC 4-Year Fellowship and Public Scholar Initiative Award. She is currently an assistant professor at the School of Nursing at the University of Victoria and a Board Director for Pacific Post Partum Support Society.

Dr. Ou is interested in how parenting couples adjust to the birth of a baby, the development of interventions that optimize parenting mental health, as well as the role of alloparents (non-parents who engage in childcare) in supporting families. She is also invested in advancing clinical and community support for perinatal mental health in Canada.

Doctoral Student

Kathryn Corby

Kathryn Corby completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in psychology at the University of Windsor in 2009 and a Masters of Science in Nursing in 2017. Her clinical background is in mental health and community health nursing. Kathryn is a Canadian Certified Nurse Educator (CCNE) and a sessional instructor at the University of Windsor. She sits on the Board of Directors at Connections Early Years Family Centre in Windsor, Ontario. Kathryn is a current PhD student at the University of Victoria where she is supervised by Dr. Christine Ou. 

Kathryn’s research interest is in transitions to motherhood. In particular, she is interested in breastfeeding promotion and postpartum mood disorders. Her masters research utilized multiple linear regression to determine predictors of breastfeeding self-efficacy in the prenatal period. Her doctoral research will examine the associations between breastfeeding intent, breastfeeding outcomes and postpartum mental health utilizing survival analysis techniques through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Doctoral Student

Mary Jasmine George

Mary Jasmine George completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing from Annamalai University in India, specializing in obstetrical and gynecological nursing.  For her master’s research, Jasmine used an experimental design to assess the effect of antenatal preparation on primigravida mothers for coping with labour pain. Jasmine also has experience teaching maternity nursing to undergraduate nursing students. She is currently a Ph.D. student in the School of Nursing at the University of Victoria, where she is supervised by Dr. Christine Ou.

Jasmine has a strong clinical background in primary health care serving Indigenous populations in rural and northern communities. Jasmine’s research interests broadly focus on Indigenous maternal health. Her doctoral work will focus on the experiences of northern nurses with regard to providing anti-racist, culturally safe maternity care to Indigenous mothers and families. She is currently a nurse coordinator for the Prenatal Program in Fort Albany First Nations in Ontario

Study Coordinator

Caryn Dooner

Caryn Dooner is the coordinator for the Nighttime Parenting Study. Caryn worked as a Registered Nurse in Adult ICU in Victoria, BC through the pandemic and recently became a Medical Student at Queen’s University. Her love for public health started when she was completing her Master’s in Science at the University of Western Ontario. She worked with social programs through the Boy’s & Girl’s Clubs of Canada and saw what a huge impact these supports can have on families and communities.

Caryn previously worked with the University of British Columbia EQUIP group doing research on equity-focused interventions in healthcare, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the British Columbia Center for Disease Control Foundation for Public Health in the hopes of strengthening the health of our communities. In her spare time she enjoys running and hiking with her dog, Ghost.

Research Assistant

Guanyu Chen

UBC PhD Candidate

Guanyu Chen is a PhD candidate in the Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology program at the Faculty of Education in the University of British Columbia. He has completed extensive training in latent variable modeling using (Mplus and lavaan), generalized linear mixed models (lme4, nlme, and HLM), Bayesian modeling (Stan and JAGS), item response theory (mirt), and qualitative data analysis.

His research interests are in computational psychometrics, with a focus on applying machine learning methods to response process data in educational and psychological measurement. Guanyu is currently conducting growth mixture modeling using the Pregnancy during the Pandemic dataset to examine parental distress in the Parent-Child Lab. In his free time, Guanyu enjoys hiking and seeking out challenging new experiences.

Research Assistant

Michaela Henry-Dansereau

Masters Student Nurse Practitioner Program

Michaela Henry-Dansereau completed her undergraduate degree through the Northern Baccalaureate Nursing Program at the University of Northern British Columbia in 2015.  After working clinically as a Registered Nurse for 8 years, she is currently a Nurse Practitioner student at the University of Victoria. Michaela is currently involved with the Nighttime Parenting study in the Parent Child Lab.

Michaela’s research interests include gender equity, racism, and how the social determinants of health intersect to impact the health and wellbeing of individuals and families. Michaela is also interested in the factors that influence health behaviors and decision-making, and exploring ways to support healthy lifestyle choices and engage in chronic disease prevention within the social and economic realities that people live.

Research assistant

Melissa Suzuki

Melissa Suzuki completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Trinity Western University in 2007 and a Master of Science in Nursing in 2013. For her master’s research, she used historical analysis in exploring the experiences of nurse Josephine Kilburn. Kilburn led a child guidance clinic, providing mental hygiene services to children in British Columbia in the early 20th century. Melissa is a current PhD student in the School of Nursing at Trinity Western University.

Melissa’s personal background includes experiences of loved one’s mental illness and substance use. Her clinical background is inpatient child and adolescent mental health and substance use, both as a frontline nurse and clinical nurse educator. Her personal and professional background fuel her desire to improve child and adolescent mental health services in British Columbia. In her free time, she enjoys running with her family.

Research Assistant

Hana Kim

Hana is an undergraduate biology student at the University of Victoria. Hana became a research assistant in the Parent-Child Lab after completing a directed studies course with Dr. Christine Ou. Hana is a 2023-4 Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award (JCURA) student being supervised by Dr. Ou. She aspires to work in healthcare in the future. In her free time, Hana enjoys volunteering and activism.

Past Lab Members

Jessy Sidhu

Past JCURA Students

Kelsey Booth

Volunteering in the Lab

The Parent-Child Lab will accept Lab Volunteer applications from excellent undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in perinatal health and research. The time commitment for a volunteer position is approximately 2-3 hours per week for 1 semester. To apply, please email us at [email protected] with your:

1. Current Resume/CV
2. Cover letter describing your learning goals, why you would like to volunteer in the lab, and the type of research, project, or work you’d like to engage with.