Join our team

  • Lab Director

    Dr. Nicole Racine is a clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Racine received her PhD in Clinical-Developmental Psychology at York University and completed a residency in Clinical and Pediatric Child Psychology at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Her research program examines the impact of early childhood adversity on mental health and wellbeing, risk and resilience processes, and what prevention and intervention strategies break cycles of risk across generations. As a recognized leader in child adversity and mental health, she has received a number of national awards, including the 2021 New Researcher Award from the Canadian Psychological Association and a Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal. Dr. Racine has published more than 75 peer-reviewed papers in top journals in the field of pediatrics and mental health including, JAMA Pediatrics and the Lancet Psychiatry. Several of her research studies have been ranked in the top 5% of all published research in terms of their attention and reach. Her high impact work has been included in key policy documents on children’s mental health by the Royal Society of Canada and has informed bills put forward to the House of Commons. Dr. Racine sits on the board of trustees of Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada, a national organization using psychological science to inform programs to promote resilience in children and youth. Dr. Racine’s work has been featured in several prominent news outlets including CBC News, CTV News, and, the Globe and Mail. She regularly provides media interviews both nationally and internationally and writes editorials for the Conversation Canada where her work has received more than 175,000 views. As a practising child psychologist, Dr. Racine believes that innovation and novel solutions happen when science and practice connect.

Be a part of the early lab team. View opportunities below:

  • There are no current opportunities but please check back soon!

  • The Early Lab is accepting applications on a rolling basis for undergraduate students who are interested in gaining volunteer research experience in the field of children’s mental health. We are especially looking for students who are detail oriented, self-motivated, enthusiastic, and reliable. Most students commit between 6-8 hours per week. This experience allows students to gain exposure in the research enterprise, gain training in methodological techniques, and interface with other trainees interested in clinical and developmental psychology.

    For rolling applications, please email theearlylab@uottawa.ca with your:

    1. CV

    2. Unofficial transcript

    3. A cover letter detailing your previous experience and why you want to volunteer in the Early Lab. At the end of the cover letter, please include the days and times you would be available to volunteer.

    We review volunteer applications on a rolling basis and typically onboard new students at the beginning of the Fall and Summer terms.

  • Dr. Racine will not be taking Honours Thesis students for the 2024-2025 academic year.

  • Dr. Racine will be reviewing applications for a graduate student into the Clinical Psychology and the Experimental Program at the University of Ottawa for the Fall of 2025. Prospective students are encouraged to contact Dr. Racine and to review the requirements for admission. Dr. Racine supervises students wishing to pursue their studies in French or in English. The Early Lab is particularly interested in students with a strong understanding of community-based research, a demonstrated capacity for conducting collaborative research, strong critical thinking and communication skills, and a passion for child psychology. The Early Lab is an inclusive team environment committed to dignity and respect for individuals of all racial/ethnic backgrounds, religions, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ability. We welcome students with a willingness and openness to learn from others. Students are highly encouraged to submit scholarship applications for both provincial and federal funding opportunities in the fall of their graduate school applications.

  • We welcome postdoctoral research fellows who are interested in pursuing research and/or clinical training in the field of early child adversity and intervention. Prospective postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to contact Dr. Racine directly and to review the information provided by the University of Ottawa.

Meet Our Team

  • Anara is in her fourth year of her BA in Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Anara will be completing her honours thesis in Dr. Racine’s Early Lab. Her research interests include maternal-child mental health and cyberpsychology, particularly impression formation in computer-mediated communication. She hopes to complete graduate studies in clinical psychology.

  • Samantha graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2023 with a BA degree in Psychology. Sam has spent the two years exploring her research interests as a Research Coordinator in Dr. Racine’s Early Lab. Sam plans to pursue graduate school where she will explore her interests in clinical child psychology with a focus on attachment styles, child adversity, and child and family mental health.

  • Deenah is in her third year of the Honours Bachelor of Arts program in psychology at the University of Ottawa. She works as a research assistant in the lab and has an interest in child psychology. Deenah aims to develop her research skills and to pursue further education in the field of psychology at the end of her bachelor's degree

  • Snimer is a first year M.A. Candidate in the Counselling Psychology program at the University of Ottawa. She will be completing her Master’s Thesis under the supervision of Dr. Maria Rogers in the Rogers Child Mental Health Lab where she will investigate the scope, impact, correlates, and causes of school absenteeism among children and youth with ADHD in Canadian elementary and high schools. Snimer holds an Honours B.Sc. in Psychology from the University of Ottawa. Her research interests include child and youth mental health, cross-cultural psychology, developmental psychology, school psychology, and health psychology. As a future psychotherapist, Snimer hopes to work with adolescents and emerging adults. Snimer joined the Early Lab in January 2023 as a Research Assistant.

  • Hannah is a second year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Ottawa, where she is a member of the Early Lab and is under the supervision of Dr. Racine. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Arts in Experimental Psychology from Brock University, an Honours Diploma in Child and Youth Counselling from Humber College. Hannah’s research focuses on the impact of maternal trauma on child development, parenting, attachment, and adverse childhood experiences.

  • Kafui is a graduate student in the clinical psychology program at the University of Ottawa. Kafui has been among the few Black women practicing counselling and psychotherapy for the past 15 years. She has contributed to community mental health as a Registered Psychotherapist, Family Therapist, Trauma Consultant, and Founding Chair of the Black Psychology Section of the Canadian Psychological Association. She has provided training, supervision, and consultation in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy to diverse populations, including Indigenous peoples in the Arctic Region. Kafui completed her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Trinity Western University in British Columbia. She later furthered her interests in Community Mental Health in Queensland, Australia. Kafui helps children, youth and families who have suffered from traumatic experiences. She also worked as a consulting clinician for the Children’s Aid Society in Ottawa. Kafui has worked with diverse children and youth in schools, communities, and governmental organizations. She previously worked with the Miramichi School District in New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Community College, the Ministry of Children and Development in British Columbia, and the Stehiyaq Healing and Wellness Village in British Columbia for Indigenous youth struggling with addictions. Kafui has worked effectively with Black, Indigenous and Racialized families, promoting resiliency. Her Master’s thesis focused on the program implementation research of an evidence-based anxiety management program for children in a school district. She is currently pursuing her doctoral research in child maltreatment, trauma, and youth engagement with her research supervisor, Dr. Nicole Racine. Kafui is married with three teenage children. Besides the joy she finds working with children and families, Kafui enjoys cooking, baking, singing, and volunteering in her parish community.

  • Lamia Firasta is a Research Assistant with the Early Lab. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science in mental health studies at the University of Toronto. She completed her honors thesis with Dr. Sabiston, which explored the relationship between body image and social media behaviors. She has previously worked with children as a psychometrist to detect mental health diagnoses. Currently, she is the Community-based Researcher at Mothercraft’s Breaking the Cycle for the Early Relationships project. She is keen about community-based work and implementation science and hopes to pursue a career dedicated to working to improve quality of life of marginalized women and youth. She has a passion for improving mental health literacy and works outside of research as a mental health advocate, writer and workshop facilitator. In her free time, she enjoys going to the gym, writing poetry, and playing with her pug.

  • Michel-Lloyd is completing an Honours BA in psychology at the University of Ottawa. Michel also graduated from uOttawa with an Honours BHSc in health sciences in 2024, and plans to utilize his knowledge of health sciences to provide a unique perspective to the Early Lab. He is particularly interested in promoting mental wellbeing amongst the youth of historically marginalized communities. Michel intends to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology upon completion of his second bachelor’s degree. 

  • Cynthia is a bilingual (FR/EN) Red River Métis citizen in her first year of the MA/PhD Clinical Psychology program at the University of Ottawa. She completed her BA Honours degree in Psychology at the University of Manitoba, where she examined the effects of maternal depression on a mother's use of child-directed speech. Following this, Cynthia worked as a research coordinator with the Hearts and Minds Lab in Winnipeg, Manitoba, investigating the benefits of eHealth programming for supporting parental mental health and parenting practices. Under the supervision of Dr. Nicole Racine, Cynthia aims to support families living with adversity by investigating the protective factors that mitigate the transmission of intergenerational trauma, ultimately to better inform parenting programs for at-risk families. 

Interested in learning more?