Lab Alumni & Graduates

Laurie has supervised research and served as advisor for students at UBC, the University of South Carolina, and Texas A&M University. Students have gone on to great careers working with children, youth, and their families in a variety of settings. Former students and their degree areas, along with their thesis and/or dissertation title (when applicable) are listed below.

If you are a former advisee, supervisee,or student who has worked in our lab and we have not heard from you in while, catch us up on what you are doing!

University of British Columbia Graduates

Debbie Amaral. M.A., School Psychology 2005; Ph.D. School Psychology 2007.
Debbie is a registered psychologist, who works in private practice on the Sunshine Coast of as well as doing consulting and sessional teaching at school psychology UBC.

• Thesis Title: Parents Of Adolescents: The Relationship Of Parent Involvement And Parent Efficacy
• Doctoral Dissertation Title: The Role of Parents’ in the Education of their Adolescent

Adi Amir. M.Ed. DLAC 2006.
Adi completed a degree occupational therapy after spending time at home with her young children.

Nathan Anderson. M.Ed. School Psychology 2004.
Nathan is working at Capilano University as an Advisor for Disability Services and has two young children since his graduation.

Parbinder Bains. M.Ed. Special Education 2010.
Parbinder is working as a special educator in Surrey, BC.

Sara Duncanson-Pick. M.Ed. School Psychology 2005.
Sara is a School Psychologist in the West Vancouver School District and has two children.

Michaelyn Hoven. M.A. Early Childhood Education 2012.
Michaelyn is a kindergarten teacher in Surrey, BC and doing sessional teaching in ECED at UBC. She is a mom of three children and wife to Michael.

• Thesis Title: Investigating the relationship between perceived social support and parent self-efficacy in parents of preschool-aged children

Margaret Gauthier-David. M.Ed. School Psychology 2003.
Margaret is a doctoral student in the combined program in Education and Psychology at Dalhouse living in Halifax, NS with her husband and three children.

Daphne Gelbart. M.A. School Psychology 2006.
Daphne is a certified counselor working in private practice in Vancouver, BC.

• Thesis Title: Cognitive Abilities that Underlie Mathematics Achievement: A High Ability Perspective

Leah Gillespie. M.A. School Psychology 2010.
Leah is a school psychologist with the Catholic Independent School District Vancouver Archdiocese.

Maya Goldstein. M.A. Human Learning and Development 2010.
Maya is working as a consultant and continues to enjoy travel and outdoor adventures.

• Thesis Title: Play and Child Development in Punjabi Immigrant Children

Daniella Ioranni. M.Ed. School Psychology, 2012.
Daniella is a school psychologist in Delta, BC

Surita Jassel. M.A. Development Learning and Culture 2006.
Surita completed her Ph.D. in HDLC at UBC in 2011

• Thesis Title: Parent Adolescent Relationships Within the South-Asian Community

Paula Kavanagh. M.A. School Psychology 2006.
Paula is a School Psychologist in Nova Scotia.

• Thesis Title: Secondary Students’ Perspectives of Parent Involvement in School:Measuring Amount of Involvement and Level of Satisfaction

Nancy Kehler. M.Ed. School Psychology 2004.
Nancy is a school psychologist and enjoys her summers in Christina Lake.

Zuzana Kerr. M.A. School Psychology 2004.
Zuzana is completed a PhD in Special Education at UBC and is working in Winnipeg.

Michelle Kozey. M.A. School Psychology 2006.
Michelle is a PhD candidate in School Psychology at UBC. She completed her doctoral internship with the Illinois Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology. She is working at BC Children’s Hospital and completing her dissertation research. She lives in Vancouver with her husband Jack and son Nicholas.

• Thesis Title: The Use of the Woodcock-Johnson III with Preschool Age Children Born Prematurely, Woodcock-Munoz Foundation Research Award

Serge Lacroix. Ph.D. School Psychology 2008.
Serge is a registered psychologist and a tenure track Instructor with the School Psychology program at UBC.  In addition he is a consultant with Auguston Associates in Vancouver where he has developed a French language achievement test.

• Dissertation Title: Bilingual Assessment of Cognitive Abilities in French and English

Vanessa Lapointe. Ph.D., School Psychology 2006.
Vanessa is a registered psychologist working in private practice as Director of  The Wishing Star: Lapointe Developmental Clinic in Surrey, BC.  She conducts workshops and does consulting across Canada. She lives in Surrey with her husband Jonathan and their two sons.

• Dissertation Title: Conceptualzing and Examining the Relationship Between Neighbourhoods and School Readiness for Kindergarten Children in British Columbia

Ellen Larcombe. M.A. Community Planning 2010.
Ellen is working in community planning at UBC

Dawna Lewis. M.Ed. School Psychology 2006.
Dawna is a School Psychologist in White Horse, Yukon Territories

Pauline Low. M.A. School Psychology 2005; Ph.D. School Psychology 2013
Pauline completed her doctoral internship with Child and Youth Mental Health. This year she is working at Douglas College and in Child and Youth Mental Health.

Carla Merkel Lehouhllier. M.A. School Psychology 2004; Ph.D. School Psychology, 2010.

Carla is a registered psychologist working as a psychologist with Child and Youth Mental Health in Abbottsford and the Wishing Star in Surrey, BC. She lives in Vancouver and enjoys traveling with her husband Darrell.  Baby Aimee recently joined their family.

• Thesis Title: Relationship Between Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Cognitive Abilities and Early Academic Abilities In Preschool Children.
• Dissertation Title: Parents’ Perspectives: Participating In The Final Feedback Conference Of Their Child’s Psychoeducational Assessment

Sabrina Moraes, Ph.D. School Psychology, 2009.
Sabrina is a registered psychologist working as a school psychologist with the Dufferin Peel Catholic School District, in Mississauga, ON

• Dissertation Title: Examining The Impact Of Parenting Practices And Early Child Care Experiences On Developmental Trajectories Of Prosocial Behaviour In Canadian Children: A Longitudinal Study Using The NLSCY.

Tanya Merx. M.A. School Psychology 2003.
Tanya is a school psychologist in British Columbia.

• Thesis Title: School Psychology Practice in British Columbia: Perceptions of Actual and Desired Practice

Allison Mitchell. M.A. School Psychology 2004.
Allison is a School Psychologist in Richmond, BC School District.  She recently had twin boys.

• Thesis Title: Investigating Social and Emotional School Readiness and Assessment: A Multiple Case Study Approach

Yvonne Mitchell. M.Ed. Educational Psychology 2006.
Yvonne is a kindergarten teacher with the Vancouver School Board.

Jillian Morgan. M.Ed. School Psychology 2004.
Jillian is a School Psychologist in the Vancouver School District and enjoys outdoor adventures with her husband Trevor and kids Erin and Tom.

Swiya Nath. M.A. Human Development, Learning, & Culture, 2011.
Swiya is completing a doctoral degree in the UK.

Juliana Negrieros, M.A. School Psychology 2010.
Juliana is a PhD candidate in school psychology at UBC working on her doctoral dissertation and completing her doctoral internship with Child and Youth Mental Health. She is also a school psychologist in Surrey, BC.

• Thesis Title: Children’s Perceptions Of Neighbourhood Safety

Jessica Parker, M.A. School Psychology 2010.
Jessica is a PhD student in school psychology at UBC.

• Thesis Title: Key Stakeholders Perceptions Of Neighborhood Factors That Promote Child Development.

Jillian Popovic, M.A. School Psychology 2008.
Jill is a school psychologist in Halton School District in Burlington, ON.

• Title: Examining The Relationship Between Parent And Teacher Ratings Of Kindergarten Students’ Behaviour Using A Strengths-Based Assessment Tool.

Lindsay Riesch, M.A. School Psychology 2007.
After working several years as a school psychologist in Prince Georges County Maryland, Lindsay completed a Ph.D. in School Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and along with her husband Rich is parent to daughter Elise.  She is currently doing a post-doc in Madison.

• Thesis Title: Influence of Family and Child Characteristics on the Outcomes of a
  Parent Rated Developmental Screening Instrument

Georgina Robinson. Ph.D. School Psychology 2005.
Georgina is the Director the Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders in British Columbia and is an Adjunct Professor with the School Psychology program at UBC.

• Dissertation Title: Predictors of Empowerment Among Parents of School-Age Children with Disabilities: The Role of Family-Centered Behavior;

Megan Rogers. M.Ed. School Psychology 2005.
Megan is a school psychologist in the North Vancouver, BC School District

Veronica Shim. M.Ed. School Psychology 2012.
Veronica is a school psychologist with the Catholic School District Vancouver Archdiocese.

Mary Stewart. M.A. Early Childhood Education, 2012.
Mary is working as an early childhood consultant and teaching in Edmonton, Alberta

• Thesis Title: Family centered practice in infant development programs in rural Northern British Columbia

Suretha Swart, Ph.D. School Psychology, 2012.
Suretha is the Program Coordinator for the UBC Internship Program

• Dissertation Title: A Grounded Theory Investigation Of Caregivers Experiences With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Sarah van Leeuwen, M.A. School Psychology, UBC, 2007.
Sarah is working as a school psychologist in Prince George, BC where she lives with her baby boy Reed.

• Thesis Title: Validation of the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment with a Kindergarten population.

Sandra Waddle. M.A. School Psychology – 2004.
Sandra is a school psychologist in the North Vancouver School District.

• Thesis Title: Children’s Experiences Starting Kindergarten

University of South Carolina Graduates

Lori Dudley. Ph.D. School Psychology – 2000.
Lori is working as a Pediatric Psychologist at Roanoke Children’s Hospital in Virginia.
Dissertation Title: A National Survey of Play Based Assessment Practices

Kim Driggers Hill. M.A. School Psychology 2002.
Kim went on to complete her Ph.D. in school psychology at USC and works as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina.

• Thesis Title: The Validity of Scales Measuring Parent Involvement

Miriam Grace, M.A. School Psychology 1998.
Miriam is a school psychologist in Port Saint Lucie, Florida living with her husband Steve and two children.

• Thesis Title: Validity of the Bilingual Verbal Abilities Test.

Tori Kearns. M.A. School Psychology 2000; Ph.D. School Psychology 2002.
Tori is a licensed psychologist on faculty at East Georgia College in Statesburo, Georgia

• Thesis Title: An Exploratory Study of Faculty and Student Perceptions of Multicultural Training;
• Dissertation Title: An Exploratory Study Of Faculty Student Perceptions Of Multicultural Training.

Susan League. M.A. School Psychology 1997; Ph.D. School Psychology 2000.
Susan is School Psychologist in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, NC and teaches adjunct at Central Piedmont Community College.

• Thesis Title: Father Perceptions of Disability in Young Children
• Dissertation Title: Joint Factor Analysis of the Woodcock-Johnson Third Edition Tests of Cognitive Abilities and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised;

Renee Lindsay. Ph.D. School Psychology 2003. Works as a psychologist in Boston, MA.

Cara Marker. M.A. School Psychology 1999; Ph.D. School Psychology 2002.
Cara is a licensed psychologist and owner of Daily Behavioral Health and Inner Health Ministries and Executive Director in Cleveland, Ohio where she lives with her son and husband.

• Thesis Title: Impact of Low Birth on Early Learning in Children with Chronic Health Conditions
• Dissertation Title: Parent, Educator and Physician Perspectives on the Educational Needs of African American Children with Sickle Cell Disease

Jonathan McCullough. M.A. School Psychology, 2002.
Jonathan completed his Ph.D. in School Psychology and works as a school psychologist in the Richmond Two School District, Columbia, SC.  He lives in Columbia with wife Gable and their two children.
• Thesis Title: The Relationship of CHC Abilities and Achievement in Young Children

Dylan McNamara. M.A. School Psychology, 1999; Ph.D. School Psychology 2001.
Dylan is the Director of School Psychology Services in Burlington, Vermont.  He continues to enjoy the outdoors and lives with his wife, son, and daughter in Vermont.

• Thesis Title: Validity of the Family Perceptions of Rating Scale
• Dissertation Title: Adventure-Based Counseling with Elementary Age Boys with Behavior Disorders

Amanda Nickerson. Ph.D. School Psychology 2002.
Amanda is an Associate Professor at the University at Buffalo-SUNY and Director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention.  She lives outside Buffalo with her husband Brian and sons Ethan and Alex.

Kathryn North. Ph.D. School Psychology 2004.
Kat works for the 3-C Social Development Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Cheryl Fields Sadd. Ph.D. School Psychology – 2003.
Cheryl is a School Psychologist in Marietta Georgia Schools and spending time with her husband Greg and their 4 children.

• Dissertation Title: Foreign Language Learning Disabilities in Post Secondary Students

Wendy Waithe Simmons. MA. School Psychology 1998; Ph.D. School Psychology 2001.
Wendy is a psychologist and researcher in New Haven, CT where she lives with her husband Reginald and two children.

• Thesis Title: School Psychology in the Caribbean: Literature 1990 to 1998
• Dissertation Title: Trust and Parent Involvement for African American Families

Terri Teague Hodges. M.A. School Psychology 1997; Ph.D. School Psychology 1999.
Terri is a School Psychologist in Fairfax County Virginia Schools.  She lives in Virginia with her husband Patrick.

• Thesis Title: African American Perceptions of Disability in Preschool Age Children
• Dissertation Title: Joint Factor Analysis of the Woodcock-Johnson Third Edition Tests of Cognitive Abilities and the Differential Abilities Scales;

Jennifer Tillman. M.A. School Psychology 1997; Ph.D. School Psychology 1999.
Jennifer is a school psychologist and lives in Columbia, SC.

• Thesis Title: African American Parent Experiences with the Education of the
  Elementary Age Child with Special Needs
• Dissertation Title: Implementation of Transition Plans for Secondary Students with Special Needs

Mary Beth Tusing. Ph.D. School Psychology 1998.
MB worked as a school psychologist in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  She lives in Eau-Claire with her husband Scott, two girls, and golden retriever.

• Dissertation Title: Joint Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Woodcock-Johnson- Revised and the Differential Abilities Scale

Kelli Rubin-Good. M.A. School Psychology 1996; Ph.D. School Psychology 2001.
Kellie is a School Psychologist in Virginia Beach, Virginia

• Thesis Title: Parent Self-Efficacy in Parents of Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• Dissertation Title: Parent Self Efficacy of Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities and Behavior Disorders

Stephanie Williams. M.A. School Psychology 1998.
Stephanie completed her PhD in School Psychology at USC, works as a school psychologist and lives in South Carolina with her husband David and their three children.

• Thesis Title: Parent Characteristics of Children with ADHD

Texas A&M University Graduates

Aitza Galarza. Ph.D. School Psychology 1995.
Aitza is a school psychologist in Wilmington, North Carolina.

• Dissertation Title: A Qualitative Study of Mexican American Parent Involvement in the Education of Their Elementary Age Children

Kim Riggs. Ph.D. Special Education 1994.

• Dissertation Title: Parent Involvement in Special Education Decision Making

Bernadette Rivera. Ph.D. School Psychology 1995.
Bernadette is a Professor at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez

• Title: Parent Perceptions of Child Development Among Low-Socioeconomic Status
  Mexican American Families

Kristen Towne. Ph.D. School Psychology 1995.
Kristen is a school psychologist in Cypress-Fairbanks Texas.

• Dissertation Title: Teacher Experiences with Parent Involvement in Elementary School