CORE TEAM

Our Director

**Dr. Lesley Lutes,** Ph.D

Professor
Director of Clinical Training
Psychology Department
Office: ASC 203
University of British Columbia Okanagan
3187 University Way, Kelowna, BC
Canada V1V 1V7
Phone: 250.807.8128
Email: llutes@ubc.ca

Dr. Lesley Lutes is a Professor of Psychology, and Director of Clinical Training, at the University of British Columbia - on the Okanagan Campus. Dr. Lutes is a registered psychologist whose area of research is in behavioral medicine: developing innovative behavioral treatment interventions focused on lifestyle behavioral change, mental health and well-being, and integrated primary care. Dr. Lutes received her honours undergraduate degree from Concordia University in Quebec, her Masters in Health and Exercise Science from Wake Forest University in North Carolina, her PhD in clinical psychology from Virginia Tech in Virginia, and completed her pre-doctoral residency in behavioral medicine at the University of Florida. Dr. Lutes has held faculty positions in Florida, Arizona, and North Carolina.

Dr. Lutes has received over $7 million in grant funding to date, published over 80 peer reviewed papers, and completed over 100 national and international presentations to date. In addition to her research, she currently is the Director of Public Advocacy for the BC Psychological Association and just completed her term as President of the Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs (CCPPP). Since coming back to BC in 2015 where she was born and raised, she has been passionate about helping change healthcare law and policy, and integrating behavioral medicine into primary care networks in order to improve the mental and physical health and well-being of individuals, while also improving physician wellness and decreasing healthcare costs.

Dr. Lutes is affiliated with the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention.

For more information about Dr. Lutes please visit her faculty page at https://psyo.ok.ubc.ca/faculty/lutes.html

Faculty Associates

**Dr. Derrick Wirtz**, PhD

Associate Professor of Teaching
Director, Psychological Science Graduate Programs
Psychology Department
Office: ART 336
University of British Columbia Okanagan
3187 University Way, Kelowna, BC
Canada V1V 1V7
Phone: 250.807.8276
Email: derrick.wirtz@ubc.ca

Derrick Wirtz is the Associate Professor of Teaching and Director of the Ph.D. program in Psychological Science at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, BC. Dr. Wirtz’s research focuses on the science and application of subjective well-being, as well as cross-cultural psychology and concepts of the good life. He has published nearly 30 peer-reviewed articles and chapters on these topics. Dr. Wirtz has also been recognized for his innovation in pedagogy. He has received nearly $100,000 in grants to explore effective and innovative teaching, is a Curricular Innovation Award recipient at UBC, and previously a recipient of the Distinguished Professor for Teaching Award and the Scholar-Teacher Award at East Carolina University.

For more information about Dr. Wirtz please follow this link to his faculty page https://psyo.ok.ubc.ca/faculty/wirtz.html

**Dr. Maya Libben,** PhD

Associate Professor
Psychology Department
Office: ASC 284
University of British Columbia Okanagan
3187 University Way, Kelowna, BC
Canada V1V 1V7
Phone: 250.807.9026
Email: maya.libben@ubc.ca

Dr. Maya Libben is an Associate Professor of Psychology and the lead investigator of the Psychopathology, Lifespand and Neuropsychology (PLAN) Lab at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan. She is also a registered clinical psychologist (#2167) with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia. Prior to her position at UBCO, Dr. Libben completed a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at McGill University, and a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. She is a Livingston fellow and has been honoured with a number of awards including the Adam Corneel Award and a NARSAD Young Investigator Award.

Dr. Libben is trained as both a clinical psychologist and a neuropsychologist; her research interests similarly fall into these two domains. With respect to neuropsychology, Dr. Libben is interested in functional outcome following stroke, the development of new assessment measures for hemispatial neglect and psychological treatment for mild traumatic brain injury. With respect to clinical psychology, Dr. Libben is interested in the role of cognitive bias in psychopathology. Specifically, her recent research has focused on the development of cognitive bias modification techniques for clinical and sub-clinical eating disordered populations. Dr. Libben’s research has been supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation. In addition to her research, Dr. Libben is a practicing clinical psychologist, providing psychotherapeutic and neuropsychological assessment services to members of the community.

For more information about Dr. Libben please follow this link to her faculty page https://psych.ok.ubc.ca/about/contact/maya-libben/

**Dr. Susan Holtzman,** PhD

Associate Professor
Psychology Department
Office: ASC 283
University of British Columbia Okanagan
3187 University Way, Kelowna, BC
Canada V1V 1V7
Phone: 250.807.8730
Email: susan.holtzman@ubc.ca

Dr. Susan Holtzman is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus where she leads the Health Psychology Lab. Dr. Holtzman is also a registered psychologist and offers clinical training in the psychological assessment and treatment of chronic pain. Broadly speaking, Dr. Holtzman’s research aims to understand the pathways through which social relationships contribute to better health and wellbeing. She is particularly interested in harnessing the power of digitally-mediated communication (e.g., texting, social media, mHealth apps) to improve access to social support for young adults, and those living with chronic health conditions, such as chronic pain.

She has published over 40 research articles and her work has been cited in the academic literature over 3800 times. She regularly shares her findings at top national and international conferences and has been featured in popular media outlets, such as CBC news and Time magazine. Her research is team-based and involves close collaboration with health care providers, local non-profit agencies, and eHealth industry partners. Dr. Holtzman’s program of research has been supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Michael Smith Foundation of British Columbia, and the National Institutes of Health.

For more information about Dr. Holtzman please follow this link to her faculty page: https://psych.ok.ubc.ca/about/contact/susan-holtzman/

**Dr. Zach Walsh,** PhD

Professor
Psychology Department
Office: ASC 206
University of British Columbia Okanagan
3187 University Way, Kelowna, BC
Canada V1V 1V7
Phone: 250.807.9373
Email: zachary.walsh@ubc.ca

Zach Walsh, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, a Research Affiliate with the BC Centre on Substance Use, and a Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, where he directs the Therapeutic, Recreational, and Problematic Substance Use lab and the Problematic Substance Use clinic. Zach has published and presented widely on topics related to harm reduction, substance use, cannabis, mental health and psychotherapy; his academic publications have received more than 3500 citations and he has provided invited consultation and testimony to diverse groups including the Canadian Senate, Canadian House of Commons, the Supreme Courts of British Columbia and Ontario, the Uruguayan Department of Health and others. His research has been profiled in the New York Times, The Times of India and High Times and is supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and others.

For more information about Dr. Walsh please follow this link to his faculty page https://psych.ok.ubc.ca/about/contact/zach-walsh/

Graduate Students

Aidan O’Callahan, BA (Hons.)

Aidan is a first year Master of Arts student in the Clinical Psychology program under the supervision of Dr. Lesley Lutes. Aidan hopes to work as a Clinical Psychologist in rural communities and plans on teaching at the university level. His passion for policy work and preventative strategies will certainly lead to some exciting collaborations down the road.

Anne Tseu, MA

Anne is a PhD student in the Clinical Psychology gradate program under the supervision of Dr. Wirtz. She is interested in cross-cultural research, acculturation, immigration, well-being, and happiness.

Chloe Briggs, MA

Chloe is a PhD candidate in the Clinical Psychology program under the supervision of Dr. Derrick Wirtz. She is in her final year of her clinical training and is currently completing her clinical residency at the Edmonton Consortium Clinical Psychology Program. Chloe's research broadly includes all things positive psychology, including understanding the mechanisms that either promote or subjective and psychological well-being. Chloe is in the process of writing her dissertation, which focuses on ways in which individuals engage with social media and what it does for their well-being. Chloe is passionate about preventative mental health, and aspires to work in a primary care setting where mental health concerns are be addressed early on.

Alex Fountaine, BSc (Hons.)

Alex is a first year Master of Arts student in the Clinical Psychology program under the supervision of Dr. Lutes.

Emily Bissonnette, BA (Hons.)

Emily is a second year Master of Arts student in the Clinical Psychology program under the supervision of Dr. Lutes.

Marcus Gottlieb, MA

Marcus is a third year Clinical Psychology PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Jessica Lougheed. His research interests are in fathers’ experiences in parenting adolescents; parent-adolescent relationships; gender differences in parenting; conflict with the family system. Marcus is our new Mental Health Equity Fellow, supported by a partnership between the Barber Endowment Fund & BC Psychological Association.

Gizem Keskin, MSc

Gizem is a PhD student in the Psychological Science graduate program under the supervision of Dr. Jessica Lougheed. Her research interests are parent-adolescent dynamics, adolescent development, and emotion regulation. Gizem’s graduate research assistantship is under the supervision of Dr. Lesley Lutes as she coordinates the CORE’s formal Program Evaluation of Emergency Departments in collaboration with Interior Health.

Undergraduate Students

Lacey Dickson

Lacey Dickson is a forth year psychology major with a minor in sociology. She is currently completing her honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Lesley Lutes examining the status of UBCO students mental health on campus. This looks at the accessibility, satisfaction, and barriers of the services currently offered. She began as a volunteer in the CORE during the fall of 2022. She hopes to enter the Clinical Psychology Program. Her interests are health and cognitive psychology.

Morgan Begg

Morgan is a fourth year Psychology student at The University of Victoria. She completed the first year of her undergrad at The University of British Columbia (Okanagan) and began volunteering in the CORE in summer 2023. Morgan continues to assist with data collection for our Interior Health program evaluation virtually from the island! She will graduate in spring 2024, and hopes to pursue a Masters of Counselling Psychology. Her interests are mental health and well-being, psychotherapy, and clinical intervention.

Geetika Sadarangani

Geetika is a third year BA Psychology major. Her aim is to complete her honours undergraduate thesis in the 2023-24 academic term and then graduate. Her long term goals include a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Her research interests are social psychology, positive psychology, psychopathology and psychotherapy.