Our Team

Tai-Lin graduated from UBC Okanagan in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science Major in Psychology and Minor in Biology. She is currently working as a research coordinator in the SLUMBER Lab. Tai-Lin hopes to pursue graduate studies in psychology.

tailin.michon@ubc.ca

Dr. Jelena Komanchuk completed a PhD in Nursing at the University of Calgary in 2023. As a pediatric nurse, Dr. Komanchuk observed greater health (such as depression) and developmental struggles for children who experienced maltreatment (like abuse and neglect) compared to other children. These observations encouraged her to enter graduate school so she could develop the skills and knowledge to create and evaluate supportive interventions for families who report experiencing adversity. Dr. Komanchuk’s postdoctoral research is focused on understanding and supporting sleep health for foster and kinship families through meaningful community engagement and mixed methods research. Following her postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Komanchuk aims to develop a leading-edge research lab focused on supporting the health of children in foster and kinship care.

jelena.komanchuk@ubc.ca

Mahtab Matin completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Midwifery in Iran. She is currently a Ph.D. student of Nursing at the University of British Columbia Okanagan supervised by Dr. Elizabeth Keys. She is interested in sleep science and increasing the health of child-bearing families. During her qualification, she mainly worked on biotic supplementation effects on human health. Mahtab’s doctoral work will focus on an interdisciplinary research project that combines a nursing and midwifery perspective with knowledge about microbiome and neuroscience to discover new ideas about how families of newborns can be supported in their health and wellbeing. Her research will integrate disciplinary knowledge from nursing, medicine, and behavioral health sciences to help advance and disseminate research informed by the lived experiences of infants and their caregivers.

matinma@student.ubc.ca

Samira Kheirdariyar is a dedicated researcher and healthcare professional pursuing her Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies with a focus on Global Health at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus. Her current research, supervised by Dr. Elizabeth Keys, explores fathers’ preferences for digital support in transitioning from the NICU to home. With a background in midwifery from Tehran University of Medical Science, Samira brings a wealth of experience in parent-child interactions, infant sleep problems, and infertility issues.  Samira’s diverse experience includes roles as a Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Consultant, Midwife Consultant, and Nurse-Midwife. An accomplished presenter and emerging scholar, she has contributed to book chapters and participated in various academic competitions. In our lab, she focuses on the crucial role of fathers in neonatal intensive care unit.

Niki Soroush-Asghari is currently a fourth year nursing student at UBCO and plans to become a Registered Nurse in 2024. She is a currently an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Elizabeth Keys and is a part of Dr. Keys’ SLUMBER Lab group. Niki’s research interests surround childhood sleeping patterns and how they manifest through one’s adulthood. She is excited to begin her research journey here at UBCO! In the future, Niki hopes to continue her graduate studies in nursing so she can continue doing research and so that one day she can teach nursing theory courses as well.

nikis890@mail.ubc.ca

Quevie’s passion lies on increasing the accessibility of medical resources and public knowledge. She is interested on how technology can narrow the gap of knowledge translation barriers and obtain the services individuals need. Quevie pursues to be well-rounded in her experiences and is currently working / volunteering in multiple fields, such as research, rehabilitation, and community mental health.

queviereinz@gmail.com

Kayleigh Boogaart is a fourth year psychology student at UBCO. She is interested on learning about the impacts of sleep on children’s cognitive and psychosocial development. After graduation Kayleigh hopes to pursue graduate studies in psychology.