Lab Director
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Dr. Raha Hassan, PhD, CPsych
[email protected] Dr. Raha Hassan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), a registered clinical psychologist in Ontario, and the director of the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEW) lab. Prior to joining TMU, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Western University from 2023 to 2026. Dr. Hassan received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from McMaster University under the mentorship of Dr. Louis Schmidt and completed her predoctoral residency at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. Dr. Hassan and her research team examine children’s social and emotional development, with a particular focus on temperamental shyness, self-regulation, and interpersonal dynamics, and whether and how relations depend on contextual factors on a small and large scale. One stream of her program, for example, uses a strengths-based approach to understand first-generation immigrant children’s friendship formation and positive social adjustment. Dr. Hassan typically integrates a multimethod approach to addressing these questions, but emphasizes naturalistic observation of behavior in her research. Name Pronunciation /Rah-hah/ /Ha-ss-ann/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
Graduate Students
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Pascale Lacroix
Pascale is a PhD1 Student in Clinical Psychology. She completed her MSc at Western University where she examined the role of familiar others in preschoolers’ emotional expression and regulation, and her BSc Honours in Psychology at Mount Allison University where she examined the role of social feedback and executive function development on norm learning in preschoolers. For her future work, Pascale is interested in examining how other people’s perceptions of a child’s temperament shape that child’s developing self-concept. Pascale loves spending time with her people, being near (or in) water, reading, and painting! Name Pronunciation /Pas-kahl/ /La-krwah/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
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Raman Sangha
Raman is a second year MSc student in Clinical Psychology. She completed her BSc Honours in Psychology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in 2024. Her honours thesis investigated the associations between facial expressions and physiological responses during social stress. Raman’s research interests include the impact individual differences, such as temperament, have on children's social and emotional development through the stress response. In her leisure time, Raman enjoys reading, working out, and spending quality time with family and friends. Name Pronunciation /Ruh-mun/ /Sung-gah/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
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Sera Gandhi
Sera is a first year MSc student in Clinical Psychology. She completed her BSc Honours in Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Toronto in 2024. For her honours thesis, she investigated how time spent with different social partners shapes mental well-being and developmental outcomes in adolescents. Her research interests center on socio-emotional development in children, with a focus on dyadic interactions and partner effects, particularly among first-generation immigrant children. Outside of school, you’ll find her baking sweet treats, chasing runner’s highs, or getting lost (happily) in secondhand bookstores. Name Pronunciation /Se-rr-ah/ (rolled r), /Gahn-dh-ee/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
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Brianna Meddaoui
Brianna is an incoming fifth-year PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology, co-supervised by Dr. Lindsay Bodell. She earned MA/MSc degrees in psychology from Columbia University and Western University. Her research examines how vulnerability factors (e.g., cognitive, affective, physiological) interact with contextual stressors to shape suicide risk across key developmental periods. Other interests include baking, ceramics, musical theatre, and spending time with her loved ones/dogs. Name Pronunciation /Bree-ANN-uh/ /Meh-DA-wee/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
Lab Coordinator
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Serena Anderson Serena began at the SEW lab as an undergraduate student research intern (USRI) and has since been working as a research assistant and coordinator for the lab. Serena is involved in behavioural coding, recruitment, and managing ongoing research projects with Dr. Hassan. She obtained her BSc Honours in Psychology from Western University in 2024, where she completed her thesis related to the dark tetrad cluster of personality traits and schadenfreude. Serena is interested in studying how early interpersonal relationships affect children's psychological development and wellbeing. In her free time, Serena enjoys listening to music, playing the piano, exercising, and spending time with her family and friends. Name Pronunciation /Seh-rre-nah/ (Rolled r, short e) /And-er-son/ Click below to hear the pronunciation |
InterPETsonal Supports
Clementine
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Kota
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Rigby
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Pippa
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Pippa
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Remi
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Charlie |
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Alumni
Zeinab Zammar, Former Research Assistant
Curtis Wagter, Former Honours/USRI Student, MA Clinical Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University
Gabriela Valente Magalhaes, Former Honours Student
Connie Tsai, Former Honours/USRI Student
Katelyn Matsumoto, Former Research Assistant, Research Coordinator at St. Joseph's Healthcare
Alaya Bhimani, Former Honours Student, Schulich School of Medicine at Western University
Hilary Guo, Former Honours Student, WTW Financial Services
Maria Zangari, Former USRI Student, MA Sociology at Western University
Curtis Wagter, Former Honours/USRI Student, MA Clinical Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University
Gabriela Valente Magalhaes, Former Honours Student
Connie Tsai, Former Honours/USRI Student
Katelyn Matsumoto, Former Research Assistant, Research Coordinator at St. Joseph's Healthcare
Alaya Bhimani, Former Honours Student, Schulich School of Medicine at Western University
Hilary Guo, Former Honours Student, WTW Financial Services
Maria Zangari, Former USRI Student, MA Sociology at Western University
