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Department of Psychology
Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
University of British Columbia Okanagan
1147 Research Road
Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7
Canada

Email: psychology.okanagan@ubc.ca
Please direct all general inquires to the above email address.

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Learn more about current psychology graduate students and alumni.

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Linda Allan | Associate Professor Emerita | Psychology | linda.allan@ubc.ca

Research Interests: Ageist attitudes and beliefs in different populations; the mitigation of ageist attitudes and behaviour; ageist treatment of the elderly; cognitive ageing; a cross sectional comparison of adults’ and university undergraduates’ attitudes and knowledge about elderly persons.

Courses & Teaching: Human development from a lifespan perspective including child, adolescence, adulthood and aging.

Graduate student supervisor. Not accepting graduate students, will consider students for undergraduate research courses.

Research Interests: Human sexuality; forensics; student-driven research program based on Directed Studies and Honours work

Courses & Teaching: Psychological Aspects of Human Sexuality I & II [PSYO 353 & 354]; Intro to Data Analysis [PSYO 271]

Erwin Concepcion | Adjunct Professor | Psychology | erwin.concepcion@ubc.ca

Paul G Davies | Professor | Psychology | paul.g.davies@ubc.ca | FIP326

Graduate student supervisor. Considering graduate students (Psych Science stream) for September 2023 intake.

Research Interests: Intergroup relations; stereotypes; prejudice; discrimination; diverse forms of social identity threat; perceived stereotypicality; levels of prejudice and discrimination that target stigmatized individuals.

Courses & Teaching: Introductory psychology; social psychology; intergroup relations.

Jessica Driscoll | Lecturer | Psychology | jessica.driscoll@ubc.ca

Lindsay Farrell | Adjunct Professor | Psychology | lindsay.farrell@ubc.ca

Research Interests: Dr. Farrell’s research interests focus on Indigenous wellness, cannabis & harm reduction, and collaborative culturally attuned psychedelic-assisted therapy models supporting health and wellness of Indigenous Peoples.

Taryn Fay-McClymont | Adjunct Professor | Psychology | taryn.faymcclymont@ubc.ca

Research Interests: Neuropsychological outcomes of neurological disorders in children and adolescents.

Research Interests: Interface between visual and haptic perception; comprehension and production of haptic pictures by the blind; health and adjustment; perceptual, cognitive, and social aspects of blindness.

Courses & Teaching: Introductory psychology; visual perception; non-visual perception; psychology of touch; evolutionary psychology of aggression and the blind movement.

Graduate student supervisor. Will consider grad students applicants who are an excellent fit for my research program.

Research Interests: Creativity; concepts, especially how they combine and adapt to new contexts; origins of modern cognition; cultural evolution; computer models of the above. I'm not currently accepting graduate students; however, please don't hesitate to contact me if you are exceptionally knowledgeable about and interested in my group's research program.

Courses & Teaching: Psychology of creativity and humour; evolution of human cognition.

Linda Hatt | Associate Professor Emerita | Psychology | linda.hatt@ubc.ca

Research Interests: Health psychology; pain management; experimental analysis of behavior.

Courses & Teaching: Health psychology; personality.

Jennifer Hinnell | Postdoctoral Fellow, Gesture and Language Development Lab

Graduate student supervisor. Considering graduate students (both streams) for 2023-24.

Research Interests: Health psychology; social relationships; stress and coping; adjustment to chronic illness/chronic pain; psychology of technology; digital communication and wellbeing.

Courses & Teaching: Introduction to psychology; health psychology.

Lauren Human | Associate Professor | Psychology | lauren.human@ubc.ca | ART 323

Graduate student supervisor. Considering graduate students (both streams) for 2023-2024.

Research Interests: Interpersonal impressions; accuracy and bias; well-being; social relationships.

Courses & Teaching: Self and social perception

Courses & Teaching: Introduction to psychology; personality; special topics: psychology of motivation; special topics: anxiety, fear, and uncertainty in intergroup relations; psychological theories of teaching and learning; leads the PSYO 490 Honours Seminar class.

Kimberley Kaseweter | Postdoctoral Fellow | Psychology | kkaseweter@alumni.ubc.ca

Research Interests: Pain; prosocial behaviour; affect perception; e-health; bias; gender; race; empathy; psychopathy; statistical analysis

Sarah Kraeutner | Assistant Professor | Psychology | sarah.kraeutner@ubc.ca | ASC 204

Graduate student supervisor. Considering graduate students (Psych Science stream) for September 2023 intake.

Courses & Teaching: PSYO 311, Memory

Marvin Krank | Professor | Psychology | marvin.krank@ubc.ca | 250.807.8773

Graduate student supervisor. Not considering graduate students for 2022-23.

Research Interests: Development of substance abuse in adolescence; vulnerabilities related to social learning; cognitive models that differentiate implicit (unconscious) from explicit memories; relative role of automatic associations versus executive control; social experiences, dispositions, memories, and thoughts that predict transitions to substance use and to substance abuse.

Courses & Teaching: Learning; psychometrics and test evaluation; addiction; questionnaire development.

Amanda Krehel | Receptionist/assistant, Interprofessional Clinic | Psychology | a.krehel@ubc.ca

Kimberly Kreklewetz | Lecturer | Psychology | kimberly.kreklewetz@ubc.ca

Courses & Teaching: Personality Theory and Individual Differences; Program Evaluation. Dr. Kreklewetz is the lead psychologist for the UBC-Okanagan's free Walk-in Well-Being Clinic and supervises clinical psychology graduate students in this practicum experience. She also supervises the Adult Forensic Assessment practicum.

Graduate student supervisor. Considering graduate students (both streams) for 2023-24.

Research Interests: Clinical cognitive neuroscience; stroke; hemispatial neglect; traumatic brain injury; neuropsychological assessment; cognitive bias; eating disorders; body image; bilingualism; eye-tracking.

Courses & Teaching: Introductory psychology; psychopathology; clinical intervention; multiculturalism and clinical supervision.

Graduate student supervisor. Considering graduate students (Psych Science stream) for September 2023-24 intake.

Research Interests: Adolescent emotional development; parent-adolescent relationships; interpersonal emotion dynamics; internalizing symptoms; externalizing symptoms.

Courses & Teaching: Adolescent development; development in family contexts.

Graduate student supervisor. Considering graduate students (Clinical stream) for 2023-24.

Research Interests: Clinical Health Psychology; innovative cognitive and behavioural change programs aimed at improving physical and emotional well-being and happiness; Integrated primary care; Weight management

Courses & Teaching: Residency/Internship Preparation

Cynthia Mathieson | Professor Emeritus | Psychology | cynthia.mathieson@ubc.ca

Research Interests: Narrative and thematic analysis; barriers to health care; identity theory.

Courses & Teaching: Community psychology; history of psychology.

Harry Miller | Psychology | harry.miller@ubc.ca

Graduate student supervisor. Not accepting graduate students this year.

Research Interests: Assessment of memory with traumatic brain injury; peripheral vascular disease and cognition; emotional function post stroke; effects of alcohol use on recovery from brain injury.

Courses & Teaching: Neuroscience of cognition; southern medical program.

Spencer Murch | Adjunct Professor | Psychology | spencer@psych.ubc.ca

Graduate student supervisor. Considering graduate students (both streams) for 2023-24.

Research Interests: Bilingual first language learning; second language learning; gestures

Graduate student supervisor. Considering graduate students (in the Psych Science stream) for 2023-24.

Research Interests: Statistics; normal and abnormal personality; especially psychometrics, factor analysis, item response theory, dimensional models of personality and psychopathology, software for statistical procedures.

Courses & Teaching: Advanced statistics; research methods; interpersonal behaviour and psychopathology.

Graduate student supervisor. Not considering graduate students in fall 2023.

Research Interests: Lifespan neuropsychology; prematurity; hemispatial neglect; stroke; psychosocial impacts of adverse experiences including grief, loss, and substance use among children, youth, and families.

Courses & Teaching: Lifespan development; child development; developmental psychopathology

Meredith Reynolds | Adjunct Professor | Psychology | meredith.reynolds@ubc.ca

Research Interests: Non-neurological factors that contribute to post-concussive syndrome; novel neuropsychological test development; threats to the validity of neuropsychological tests

Barbara Rutherford | Professor Emeritus | Psychology | barbara.rutherford@ubc.ca

Research Interests: Communication between the hemispheres of the brain during reading in people with and without a reading disability such as dyslexia; developmental trends in hemispheric specialization for reading.

Courses & Teaching: Memory; cognitive processes.

Matthew Shay | Postdoctoral Fellow | Psychology | matthew.shay@ubc.ca

Research Interests: Executive Functioning Assessment and Rehabilitation

Courses & Teaching: Practicum Supervisor

Alison Spadafora | Adjunct Professor | Psychology | alison.spadafora@interiorhealth.ca

Courses & Teaching: Adolescent mental health; psychological assessment.

Graduate student supervisor. Considering co-supervising students in 2023-24, both streams.

Research Interests: Rural mental health; barriers to accessing mental health services by adults 50 years and older in rural communities; media and mental health-related stigma; role of media in combating stigmatizing attitudes about mental health disorders and suicide.

Courses & Teaching: Mental health disorders; pop culture and mental health; use of psychological tests and assessments.

Graduate student supervisor. Considering graduate students (both streams) for 2023-24.

Research Interests: Deception; lie detection; nonverbal behaviour; psychopathy; power and influence; leadership

Megan Udala | Adjunct Professor | Psychology | megan.udala@ubc.ca

Graduate student supervisor. May accept student in Fall 2023, both streams, Clinical and Psych. Science.

Research Interests: Cannabis use - medical and non-medical; substance use; hallucinogens; harm reduction; personality disorder; partner violence; aggression; third-stream/mindfulness behavior therapies; drug policy.

Courses & Teaching: Drugs and behavior; psychotherapy.

Susan J. Wells | Professor Emerita | Psychology, Social Work | susan.wells@ubc.ca | 250.807.8163

Research Interests: Investigates the possible causes of overrepresentation of African American children in the United States’ out-of-home care; re-entry into out-of-home care after reunification with family; stability of out-of-home care placements; explores child welfare case types to identify characteristics that more closely represent the complexity of cases seen in the field.

Courses & Teaching: Child welfare services and policy; program evaluation; research methods.

Jocelyn Wentland | Adjunct Professor | Psychology | jocelyn.wentland@ubc.ca

Courses & Teaching: Interpersonal relationships; adolescence; human sexual behaviour; introductory psychology; social psychology.

Christopher Wilson | Adjunct Professor | Psychology | christopher.wilson@ubc.ca

Courses & Teaching: Psychological assessment.

Graduate student supervisor. Not accepting graduate students this year.

Research Interests: Subjective well-being; happiness; the “good life”; cross-cultural differences in emotion; flourishing & thriving; positive emotions; interventions to increase well-being.

Courses & Teaching: Introduction to psychology; introduction to research methods and design; positive psychology; social bases of behavior.

Graduate student supervisor. Considering graduate students in both streams (Clinical and Psych. Science) for 2023.

Research Interests: Psychopathy; violent offending; deception detection; computer-mediated communication; assessment and treatment of forensic populations; memory and psychiatric issues primarily within a legal context.

Courses & Teaching: Psychopathy; criminal behaviour; deception detection.

Research Interests: Neuroanatomy; neuromodulation; student performance; equity in academia

Courses & Teaching: Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Data Analysis, Learning, Equity in Research and Clinical Practice

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