The Lab Team

Meet our dedicated team

Illustration of four people looking at abstract data on a white board
  • All Members
  • Graduate Students
  • Research Assistants
  • Alumni

Lab Director and Professor

Dr. Trevor Hart

trevor.hart@torontomu.ca

Dr. Trevor A. Hart is a Professor in the Department of Psychology here at TMU and an adjunct professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Hart’s research in HIV prevention and care spans a wide variety of fields, including psychology, epidemiology, and public health. Dr. Hart’s research is conducted at the HIV Prevention Lab and collaborating labs, HIV clinics, and AIDS service organizations. Research conducted by Dr. Hart and his graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and staff at the HIV Prevention Lab involves two related lines of scientific study:

  • identifying of risk and protective factors associated with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among gay, bisexual, queer, and other men who have sex with men
  • testing of psychotherapy and other counselling programs that integrate the promotion of mental and sexual health and that reduce HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and other sexual risk outcomes
Department of Psychology
Toronto Metropolitan University
South Bond Building, Room 209
105 Bond Street
Toronto, ON M5B 1Y3
Canada
HIV Prevention Lab phone: 416-979-5000 ext. 552179
Office phone: 416-979-5000 ext. 556192
Fax: 416-979-5273

Recent Publications

(Underlined names are current or former trainees of the HIV Prevention Lab)

  • Lambert, G., Cox, J., Fourmigue, A., Dvorakova, M., Apelian, H., Moodie, E. E. M., Grace, D., Skakoon‐Sparling, S., Moore, D. M., Lachowsky, N., Jollimore, J., Lal, A., Parlette, A., Hart, T. A., Team, E. S., & the Engage Study Team. (2022). HIV incidence and related risks among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver: Informing blood donor selection criteria in Canada. Transfusion (Philadelphia, Pa.), 62(12), 2555–2567. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.17127
  • Hart, T. A., Moore, D. M., Noor, S. W., Lachowsky, N., Grace, D., Cox, J., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Jollimore, J., Parlette, A., Lal, A., Apelian, H., Sang, J. M., Tan, D. H. S., Lambert, G., and the Engage Study Team (2021). Prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections, and related preventive and risk behaviours, among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver: Results from the Engage Study. Canadian Journal of Public Health. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-021-00546-z
  • Colyer, S., Lachowsky, N. J., Schmidt, A. J., Adam, B. D., Paquette, D., Hart, T. A., Brennan, D. J., Blais, M., & Kroch, A. E. (2021). Measures of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Canada and demographic disparities among those at elevated likelihood for HIV acquisition. AIDS and Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03336-3
  • Cox, J., Apelian, H., Moodie, E. E. M., Messier-Peet, M., Hart, T. A., Grace, D., Moore, D. M., Lachowsky, N. J., Armstrong, H. L., Jollimore, J., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Rodrigues, R., Tan, D. H. S., Maheu-Giroux, M., Noor, S. W., Lebouché, B., Tremblay, C., Olarewaju, G., & Lambert, G. (2021). Use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among urban Canadian gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men: a cross-sectional analysis of the Engage cohort study. CMAJ Open, 9(2), E529–E538. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20200198
  • Harvey-Lavoie, S., Apelian, H., Labbé, A.-C., Cox, J., Messier-Peet, M., Moodie, E., Fourmigue, A., Moore, D., Lachowsky, N. J., Grace, D., Hart, T. A., Jollimore, J., Fortin, C., & Lambert, G. (2021). Community-based prevalence estimates of chlamydia trachomatis and neisseria gonorrhoeae infections among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Montréal, Canada. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Publish Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1097/olq.0000000000001486
  • Grewal, R., Deeks, S. L., Hart, T. A., Cox, J., De Pokomandy, A., Grennan, T., Lambert, G., Moore, D., Brisson, M., Coutlée, F., Gaspar, M., George, C., Grace, D., Jollimore, J., Lachowsky, N. J., Nisenbaum, R., Ogilvie, G., Sauvageau, C., Tan, D. H. S., Yeung, A., & Burchell, A. N. (2021). Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake among a community-recruited sample of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in the three largest cities in Canada from 2017-2019. Vaccine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.05.031
  • Moore, D. M., Cui, Z., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Sang, J., Barath, J., Wang, L., Lachowsky, N., Cox, J., Lambert, G., Noor, S., Grace, D., Jollimore, J., Apelian, H., Lal, A., Parlette, A. & Hart, T. A. (2021). Characteristics of the HIV cascade of care and unsuppressed viral load among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men living with HIV across Canada’s three largest cities. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 24(00) https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25699
  • Grace, D., Gaspar, M., Klassesn, B., Lessard, D., Arnaud, P., Brennan, D. J., Lashowskey, N., Adam, B. A., Cox, J., Lambert, G., Jollimore, J., & Hart, T. A. (2021). Stepping stones or second class donors?: A qualitative analysis of gay, bisexual, and queer men’s perspectives on plasma donation policy in Canada. BMC Public Health, 21,444. https://10.1186/s12889-021-10480-x
  • Alvarado, B., Camargo, P., Martinez Cajaz, J. L., Adam, B., & Hart, T. A. (in press). Effectiveness of a Prevention Program for Immigrant Latino Men who Have sex with Men in Canada: Results of a Pilot Study. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality.
  • Gaspar, M., Marshall, Z., Adam, B., Brennan, D., Cox, J., Lachowsky, N., Lambert, G., Moore, D., Hart, T. A., Grace, D. (2022). ‘I was just doing what a normal gay man would do, right?’: The biopolitics of substance use and the mental health of sexual minority men. Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363459321996753
  • T. A., Sharvendiran, R., Chikermane, V., Kidwai, A., & Grace, D. (in press). At the intersection of homophobia and racism: Sociocultural context and the sexual health of South Asian Canadian gay and bisexual men. Stigma and Health.
  • Cox, J., Apelian, H., Moodie, E., Messier-Peet, M., Hart, T. A., Grace, D., Moore, D., Lachowsky, N., Armstrong, H. L., Jollimore, J., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Rodrigues, R., Tan, D., Maheu-Giroux, M., Noor, S. W., Lebouche, B., Tremblay, C., Noailles, C., & Lambert, G. (2021). HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among urban Canadian gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men for whom PrEP is clinically recommended: Baseline results from the Engage Cohort Study. CMAJ Open.
  • Wang,, Moqueet, N., Simkin, A., Knight, J., Ma, H., Lachowsky, N. J., Armstrong, H. L., Tan, D. H., Burchell, A. N., Hart, T. A., Moore, D. M., Adam, B. D., Macfadden, D. R., Baral, S. D., & Mishra, S. (in press). Mathematical modelling of the influence of serosorting on the population-level HIV transmission impact of pre-exposure prophylaxis. AIDS.
  • Yauck, M., Moodie, E. E., Apelian, H., Peet, M., Lambert, G., Grace, D., Lachowsky, N. J., Hart, T. A., & Cox, J. (2021). Sampling from networks: respondent-driven sampling. Epidemiologic Methods, 10(1), 20200033. https://doi.org/10.1515/em-2020-0033
  • Alvarado, B., Martinez Cajaz, J. L., Mueses, H., Correa, D., Adam, B., & Hart, T. A. (2021). Adaptation and pilot evaluation of an intervention addressing the sexual health needs of gay men living with HIV infection in Colombia. American Journal of Men’s Health, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988321989916
  • Noor, S. W., Hart, T. A., Okafor, C. N., Ware, D., Chew, K. W., D’Souza, G., Ho, K., Friedman, M. R., & Plankey, M. (2021). Staying or moving: Results of a latent transition analysis examining intra-individual stability of recreational substance use among MSM in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study from 2004 to 2016. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 220, 108516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108516
  • Grace, D., Gaspar, M., Klassen, B., Lessard, D., Brennan, D. J., Lachowsky, N. J., Adam, B. D., Cox, J., Lambert, G., Anand, P., Jollimore, J., Moore, D., & Hart, T. A. (2020). It’s in me to give: Canadian gay, bisexual, and queer men’s willingness to donate blood if eligible despite feelings of policy discrimination. Qualitative Health Research, 30(14), 2234-2247. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732320952314
  • Doyle, C. M., Maheu-Giroux, M., Lambert, G., Mishra, S., Apelian, H., Messier-Peet, M., Otis, J., Grace, D., Hart, T. A., Moore, D. M., Lachowsky, N. J., & Cox, J. (2020). Combination HIV prevention strategies among montreal gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in the PrEP era: A latent class analysis. AIDS and Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-02965-4
  • Benoit, A. C., Burchell, A. N., O’Brien, K. K., Raboud, J., Gardner, S., Light, L., Beaver, K., Cotnam, J., Conway, T., Price, C., Rourke, S. B., Rueda, S., Hart, T. A., & Loutfy, M. (2020). Examining the association between stress and antiretroviral therapy adherence among women living with HIV in Toronto, Ontario. HIV Research & Clinical Practice, 21(2–3), 45–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/25787489.2020.1763711
  • ‌ Hart, T. A., Noor, S. W., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Lazkani, S. N., Gardner, S., Leahy, B., Maxwell, J., Julien, R., Simpson, S., Steinberg, M., & Adam, B. D. (2020). GPS: A randomized controlled trial of sexual health counselling for gay and bisexual men living with HIV. Behavior Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2020.04.005
  • Noor, S. W., Sutherland, J., Vernon, J. R. G., Adam, B. D., Brennan, D. J., & Hart, T. A. (2020). Measuring adverse childhood experiences: comparing individual, composite, score-based, and latent profile-based scoring schemas among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Archives of Sexual Behavior. https://org/10.1016/j.bet.2019.09.001
  • Zheng, L., Hart, T. A., Noor, S. W., & Wen, G. (2020). Stressors based on sexual orientation and mental health among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals in China: Minority stress and perceived pressure to get married. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(5), 1769-1782. https://org/10.1007/s10508-020-01693-z
  • Gaspar, M., Marshall, Z., Rodrigues, R., Adam, B., Brennan, D., Hart, T. A., & Grace, D. (2019). Mental health and structural harm: a qualitative study of sexual minority men’s experiences of mental healthcare in Toronto, Canada. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 1-17. https://org/10.1080/13691058.2019.1692074
  • Brogan, N., Paquette, D. M., Lachowsky, N. J., Blais, M., Brennan, D. J., Hart, T. A., & Adam, B. (2019). Canadian results from the European Men-who-have-sex-with-men Internet survey (EMIS-2017). Canada Communicable Disease Report, 45(11), 271-282. https://org/10.14745/ccdr.v45i11a01
  • Wang, L., Moqueet, N., Lambert, G., Grace, D., Rodrigues, R., Cox, J., Lachowsky, N. J., Noor, S. W., Armstrong, H. L., Tan, D. H. S., Burchell, A. N., Ma, H., Apelian, H., Knight, J., Messier-Peet, M., Jollimore, J., Baral, S., Hart, T. A., Moore, D. M., & Mishra, S. (2019). population-level sexual mixing according to hiv status and preexposure prophylaxis use among men who have sex with men in Montreal, Canada: Implications for HIV prevention. American Journal of Epidemiology, 189(1), 44–54. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwz231
  • Hart T. A., Noor S. W., Vernon J., Antony M. M., Gardner S., & O’Cleirigh C. (2019). Integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety and HIV/STI prevention for gay and bisexual men: A pilot intervention trial. Behavior Therapy, 51(3), 503-517. https://org/10.1016/j.beth.2019.09.001
  • Grace, D., Gaspar, M., Lessard, D., Klassen, B., Brennan, D. J., Adam, B. D., Jollimore, J., Lachowsky, N. J., & Hart, T. A. (2019). Gay and bisexual men’s views on reforming blood donation policy in Canada: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7123-4
  • Fairbrother, N., Hart, T. A., & Fairbrother, M. (2019). Open relationship prevalence, characteristics, and correlates in a nationally representative sample of Canadian adults. The Journal of Sex Research, 56(6), 695-704. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1580667
  • Gaspar, M., Marshall, Z., Rodrigues, R., Adam, B., Brennan, D., Hart, T. A., & Grace, D. (2019). A tale of two epidemics: Gay men’s mental health and the biomedicalisation of HIV prevention and care in Toronto. Sociology of Health & Illness, 41(6), 1056-1070. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.12884
  • Gilbert, M., Michelow, W., Dulai, J., Wexel, D., Hart, T. A., & Young, I. et al. (2019). Provision of online HIV-related information to gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men: A health literacy-informed critical appraisal of Canadian agency websites. Sexual Health, 16(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.1071/sh18092
  • Tan, D. H. S., Schnubb, A., Lawless, J., Szadkowski, L., Grennan, T., Wilton, J., Fowler, S., Hart, T. A., Maxwell, J., & Raboud, J. M. (2018). Acceptability and tolerability of and adherence to HIV preexposure prophylaxis among Toronto gay and bisexual men: a pilot study. CMAJ Open, 6(4), E611–E617. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20180068
  • Adam, B., Hart, T. A., Mohr, J., Coleman, T., & Vernon, J. (2018). Resilience pathways, childhood escape routes, and mentors reported by gay and bisexual men affected by syndemic conditions. Sexualities, 22(4), 622-642. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460718758663
  • Hart, T. A., Noor, S. W., Tulloch, T. G., Sivagnanasunderam, B., Vernon, J. R. G., Pantalone, D. W., Myers, T., & Calzavara, L. (2019). The Gender Nonconformity Teasing Scale for gay and bisexual men. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 20(3), 445–457. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000179
  • Gilbert, M., Salway, T., Haag, D., Kwag, M., Edward, J., Bondyra, M., Cox, J., Hart, T. A., Grace, D., Grennan, T., Ogilvie, G., & Shoveller, J. (2019). Assessing the Impact of a Social Marketing Campaign on Program Outcomes for Users of an Internet-Based Testing Service for Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections: Observational Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(1), e11291. https://doi.org/10.2196/11291

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Graduate Student

Adhm Zahran

Adhm joined the lab in 2021 and is completing his PhD in Clinical Psychology with Dr. Trevor Hart.

Degree in Progress
PhD in Clinical Psychology

Degrees
2019 BSc (Honours) Psychology and Biology for Health Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga

Research Interests
Adhm’s research examines the sociological and psychological factors that affect substance misuse and sexual risk behaviour among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM). His current research examines the effects of sexual minority stress, racial minority stress, anxiety, and depression on alcohol misuse. Adhm hopes to expand his research and examine unique stressors in particularly understudied populations, such as GBM immigrants.

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Research Associate

Dr. Allison Kirschbaum

Allison is our lab's former Postdoc and Supervisor for the Sexual Confidence study. She is also the Co-I of our upcoming RISE study.

Allison earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an Emphasis in Gender and Diversity, as well as a Graduate Certificate in University Teaching, from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She completed her clinical internship in HIV and LGBTQ Health Disparities from the Medical College of Georgia, and a clinical post-doctoral fellowship in LGBT Health from the Hines VA in Chicago. Allison joined the HIV Prevention Lab in September 2020 as a post-doctoral research fellow to assist with coordination of the Sexual Confidence RCT. Her research interests include examining the impacts of minority stress on sexual and gender minority mental/physical health and exploring the mediators of these relationships in order to inform and improve psychological interventions.

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PostDoc

Dr. Paolo Palma

Paolo Palma is a postdoctoral fellow working on the Engage study with Dr. Trevor Hart to examine the psychosocial determinants of GBM’s (gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men) health.

Prior to joining the lab, Paolo was a researcher for the Department of Canadian Heritage, and a graduate student at the University of Western Ontario in both the Social Psychology and Migration and Ethnic Relations program.

Research Interests:

Paolo’s research interests can be divided into two broad themes. First, he is interested in how people’s beliefs influence their perceptions of others. To that end, his dissertation focused on how economic thinking influenced people’s perceptions of different types of immigrants (i.e., economic migrants, family class migrants, refugees). Second, he is interested in the experiences of people from marginalized backgrounds and how they navigate society. To that end, Paolo joined the HIV Prevention Lab to examine how sexual minority men’s experiences with discrimination influence their health and well-being. He hopes to extend this research further by looking at how the experiences of immigrant and ethnic minority GBM with people from their ethnic communities, the queer community, and Canadians more broadly influences their integration and wellbeing. For more information on his research interests and publications, please visit his website at https://palmapa.com/.

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Alumni

Lab Alumni

Former HIV Prevention Lab Graduate Students

  • Dr. Ammaar Kidwai, PhD Toronto Metropolitan University 2021
    Ammaar has gone on to work as a practising clinical psychologist in Toronto.
  • Dr. Natalie Stratton, PhD Toronto Metropolitan University 2019
    Natalie pursued a career as a clinical psychologist in Halifax.
  • Dr. Marie Faaborg-Andersen, PhD Toronto Metropolitan University 2019
    Marie began working as a clinical psychologist in Toronto following her time at the lab.
  • Dr. Tyler Tulloch, PhD Toronto Metropolitan University 2019
    Tyler became a part-time assistant professor at McMaster University in the department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, and clinical psychologist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
  • Dr. Amrita Ghai, PhD York University 2014
    Amrita started work as a clinical psychologist at The Clinic on Dupont and at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
  • Dr. Danielle Schwartz, PhD Toronto Metropolitan University 2014
    Danielle began a career as a clinical psychologist at The Clinic on Dupont and at the Oakville Centre for Cognitive Therapy.
  • Dr. Carolyn James, PhD York University 2013
    Carolyn has gone onto work as a psychologist at Oshawa Psychological and Counselling Services.
  • Dr. Karen Roberts, PhD York University 2013
    Karen started working as a clinical psychologist at Oshawa Psychological and Counselling Services.
  • Dr. Anne Wagner, PhD Toronto Metropolitan University 2013
    Anne began a CIHR Post-Doctoral Fellowship and went on to work as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the IMPACT lab at Toronto Metropolitan University under the supervision of Dr. Candice Monson. Her work examined the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) for PTSD.

Former HIV Prevention Lab Post-Doctoral Fellows

  • Dr. Allison Kirschbaum, PhD, CPsych
    Allison continued as a practicing clinical psychologist at Remedy Centre following her time at the lab.
  • Dr. Shayna Skakoon-Sparling, PhD
    Shayna accepted a position as Assistant Professor in Psychology at Guelph University.
  • Dr. Syed Noor, PhD
    Syed became an Associate Professor at Louisiana State University, Shreveport.
  • Dr. Todd Coleman, PhD
    Todd accepted a position as Assistant Professor in Health Sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University.
  • Dr. Nooshin Khobzi Rotondi, PhD
    Nooshin went on to become a Research Coordinator at the Mobility Program Clinical Research Unit at St. Michael’s Hospital, under the supervision of Dr. Dorcas Beaton following her time at the lab.

Former HIV Prevention Lab Managers

  • Nicole Elkington (MA, Family Relations and Human Development, Guelph University) became a research manager at CAMH following her time at the lab.
  • Alyssa Theofanidis (BA)
  • Julia Vernon (MA, Clinical Psychology, Simon Fraser University) went on to is pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Simon Fraser University.
  • Amy C. Willis (MA, Interdisciplinary Studies)
  • Matt Eldridge: Matt went on to become a social worker at Belleville and Quinte West Community Health Centre following his time at the lab.
  • Dr. Adina Coroiu (PhD, Counselling Psychology, McGill University) went on to pursue a post doctoral fellowship at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
  • Bojana Petrovic: Bojana (MPH, Health Promotion) became a Research Officer at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto following her time at the lab.
  • Tiziana Fulco: Tiziana (MA, Adult Clinical Psychology) went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Adult Clinical Psychology at the University of Windsor.
  • Carolyn Hagan: Carolyn went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at York University.

If you would like us to update your information, please email the HIV Prevention Lab Manager.

Past Research Assistants

The vast majority of our Research Assistants chose the HIV Prevention Lab because they wanted research experience relevant to psychology or the health sciences. We are happy to see that the vast majority of our past Research Assistants who have graduated from undergraduate studies have indeed gone on to graduate schools in psychology, public health, social work, medicine, other health sciences, or other graduate schools where they can pursue their interests in health education or promoting social justice in health. Some of our students have finished their graduate studies and are already working in the jobs of their choice.

Below is a list of students who have been research assistants in the HIV Prevention Lab. If you are not on the list, but would like to be, or if you would like us to update your information, please email the HIV Prevention Lab Manager and we would be happy to do so.

  • Julia Kolpak: Julia went on to pursue the Master’s of Arts in Counselling Psychology program at Yorkville University.
  • Justin Erickson: Justin completed his undergraduate honours thesis in April 2018.
  • John Edwards: John became a registered nurse at St. Michael’s Hospital.
  • Phillip Ferguson: Phillip went on to pursue a masters’ degree at the University of Toronto.
  • Buvani Sivagnanasunduram: Buvani went on to pursue a master’s degree at McMaster University.
  • Sosena Endale began work as a research analyst at the Immunodeficiency Clinic of Toronto General Hospital.
  • Daniel Mongillo
  • Danielle Kilby-Lechman: Danielle became a housing support worker at Woodgreen Community Services. She planned to pursue a Master of Social Work.
  • Aidan Ablona: Aidan continued working in gay men’s health research at Dr. David Brennan’s CRUISElab at the University of Toronto. In particular, he coordinated the research and health education program called the Investigaytors. He also helped create OurSpace, a Toronto-based collective of young guys who like guys who seek to support, develop, and empower our community.
  • Danijela Dozet: Danijela went on to pursue an MPH in Epidemiology at the University of Toronto.
  • Madison Darragh: Madison plans to pursue studies in dietetics.
  • Amy Clarke: Amy studied Clinical and Counseling Psychology at Adler University.
  • Meghan Hunter: Meghan went on to pursue an undergraduate degree in Psychology (major) and Criminal Justice (minor).
  • Amanda Sissions: Amanda began working towards a degree in nursing at the University of Toronto.
  • Natalia Kaplan: Natalia went on to pursue a Master of Accounting degree at York University.
  • Kristen Wheeler: Kristen received a Master’s of Public Health (Epidemiology) from the University of Toronto and began work as a Health Analyst in Communicable Diseases at Public Health Ontario.
  • Liam McElheron: Liam began working in the admissions department of Seneca College.
  • Kashtin Fitzsimons: Kashtin went on to pursue a Master of Science degree in Healthcare Quality from Queen’s University.
  • Muriam Salman: Muriam began studying Neuroscience, Cell & Systems Biology, and Psychology at the undergraduate level at the University of Toronto.
  • Ayesha Zia: Ayesha began working on research projects at The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and Rescu (St. Michael’s Hospital) and plans to pursue residency training in medicine and graduate studies in public health.
  • Roxana Parsa
  • Matt Gillespie: Matt pursued an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Kinesiology (Double Major) at York University.
  • Flavia Spiroiu: Flavia pursued a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University.
  • Andrea Westbrook: Andrea (MSW) went on to work as a social worker in the Acute Care/General Psychiatry Unit at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
  • Raymond McKie: Raymond (MSc, Health Psychology) went on to pursue a PhD in Community Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University.
  • Stanley Ing: Stanley completed his Master of Public Health degree (Epidemiology) at the University of Toronto and started working for Public Health Ontario as an Environmental Health Analyst.
  • Niousha Ehsani: Niousha went on to pursue a medical degree.
  • Krystian Wilk: Krystian began work as a Digital Marketing Specialist for Homedics.
  • Jena Hall: Jena started working towards her medical degree at the University of Toronto.
  • Sandra Sawa: Sandra pursued medical school.
  • Samir Durrani: Samir began working towards a PhD in Counselling at McGill University.
  • Joe Berger: completed his law degree at Queen’s University and began practising in the area of mental health law.
  • Julia Berlin: Julia pursued a Master of Professional Education degree in Educational Psychology from Western University.
  • Massimo Di Domenico: Massimo (MA, Clinical Developmental Psychology) went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology at York University.
  • Kathyrin Bote: Kathryn began working towards her nursing degree at the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing at Toronto Metropolitan University.
  • Natalie Shwartz: Natalie applied for graduate studies in Counseling Psychology
  • Gabriela Kostova: Gabriela went on to pursue a Master’s of Art in Educational Technology at Concordia University.
  • Violeta Dubov: Violeta (MSW) began working as a research project coordinator with the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto after leaving the lab.
  • Melody Maleki-Yazdi: Melody completed her law degree at Western University in 2014.
  • Samantha Trelle: Sam went on to pursue an undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Toronto.
  • Elena Ivanova: Elena (MA, Applied Social Psychology) went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at McGill University.
  • Beren Avci: Beren (MA, Developmental Psychology) began working as a Clinical Research Assistant at the Hospital for Sick Children.
  • Jenn Silk: Jenn (MA, Counselling Psychology) became a Counsellor, Crisis Worker, and Case Worker at Sheridan College and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).
  • Robyn Katz: Robyn went on to pursue a MSW degree at York University.
  • Rocio Rodas: Rocio received a Master’s of Public Health from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
  • Christina Tomei: Christina (MA, Counselling Psychology) is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa.
  • Azzi Momen: Azzi (Master’s in Public Health for Developing Countries) is a joint program officer for the Open Society Public Health Program’s International Harm Reduction Development Program and Access to Essential Medicines Initiative in New York.
  • Rita Viner: Rita (MA, Counselling Psychology) currently works as Head of Student Counselling Service at London School of Business & Finance in London, England.
  • Rodney Blanco: Rodney went on to pursue a PsyD in Counseling Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
  • Rozmin Mediratta: Rozmin attended law school at the University of Western Ontario
  • Jackie Savva: Jackie went on to work as an Occupational Therapist at Lakeridge Health.
  • Constance Abebreseh: Constance graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in 2013.
  • Adam Gutkin: Adam became an associate at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.
  • Gaurav Puri (MD)
  • Jodi Lubinsky: Jodi (MSW) became a social worker at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
  • Linda Iwenofu (research assistant 2005-2006) went on to pursue a PhD in School and Clinical Child Psychology at OISE-University of Toronto.

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Lab Nurse

Jessie Dawson

Jessie is a part-time Research Nurse for the HIV Prevention Lab.

Jessie holds a Bachelor of Nursing Science and an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and has professional experience in social psychology, oncology, public health, and sexual and reproductive health. Jessie is passionate about work which elevates marginalized communities, and about supporting individuals in achieving their optimal health and happiness through individualized care that recognizes the whole person.

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Research Assistant

Terri Zhang

Terri Zhang (she/they) is the Site Coordinator for Toronto’s Engage program.

She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto St. George, where she double majored in Psychology and Sociology. She joined the HIV Prevention Lab as Volunteer Research Assistant in September 2019 and became Research Coordinator in January 2023. Her research interests include unique predictors of gender-diverse people’s mental health.

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Research Assistant

Jane Cao

hivprevmanager@torontomu.ca
(416) 979-5000 ext. 552179

Jane is the HIV Prevention Lab Manager and former honours thesis student at the PASER lab with Dr. Alyssa Counsell.

Broadly, she in interested in clinical research methods and design but her goal is to attend grad school for quantitative methods in psychology. She is driven to improve systems for effective knowledge translation of statistics in the field and developing her technical skills in data analysis.

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Research Assistant

Susan Chow

Susan (she/her) is the Study Coordinator for the Sexual Confidence study, Engage Cohort study, Longitudinal Loneliness study, Loneliness Intervention study, and Partner Preference Matching Project.

Susan recently graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Sociology.

Her research interests include improving sexual and gender minority mental health and sexual health through community-based research, and examining how cis-heteronormative patriarchal discourses influence desire and sexual decision-making among diverse marginalized groups.

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Research Assistant

Nicholas Fabro

Nicholas joined our lab in 2023 as a volunteer.

Nicholas Fabro is a first-year undergraduate student in the psychology program at TMU. He plans to pursue an MA in Clinical Psychology and a career as a Psychologist. His research interests include harm reduction practices among GBM who engage in chemsex and sexual trauma recovery. Nicholas joined the HIV Prevention Lab in 2024 as a Volunteer Research Assistant.

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Visiting Scholar

Nahid Shabani

Nahid (she\her) is a PHD student from Iran and has joined the HIV Prevention Lab recently as a visiting scholar.

Her current research examines the issues of LGBT peoples in the Middle East, with a specific focus on Iran. She is currently working on a study in collaboration with ASAAP on Farsi-speaking LGBTQ immigrants.

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Research Assistant

Yusuf Ghauri

Yusuf joined our lab in 2023 as a volunteer and is a part-time Research Assistant for the Engage study.

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Research Assistant

Michelle Mariaprabhu

hopecentretoronto@gmail.com

Michelle is a volunteer and part-time Research Assistant for the TMU HOPE Centre for Sexual and Gender Minority People.

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Graduate Student

Benjamin Nguyen

Benjamin joined our lab in 2024 and is completing his Master's in Clinical Psychology with Dr. Trevor Hart.

Degree in Progress
MA in Clinical Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University

Degrees
2024 BA (Honours) in Psychology, York University

Research Interests
Benjamin’s research broadly aims to investigate the psychological, sexual, and relational wellbeing of sexual minority men, with a focus on sexual behaviours and practices, sexualized substance use, and sexual risk factors for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Selected Awards
2023 Canadian Psychological Association Certificate of Academic Excellence (for Specialized Honours Thesis)

2023 Canadian Sex Research Forum 1st Place Student Award for Best Data Blitz Presentation

2023 York University Richard Goranson Memorial Award

Research Support
2024 CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s

Journal Articles
Son, E. J., Yaraskavitch, R. C. M., Nguyen, B. P., Murray, S. H., & van Anders, S. M. (2024). How feminist heterosexual men navigate their sexual desire while following feminist principles. Archives of Sexual Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-02914-5

Selected Conference Presentations (* indicates presenter)
Nguyen, B. P.*, & Herbert, M. (2024, June 21). The gay husbands/fathers, the ex-wives, and the children: How did they navigate the coming out?. [Conference snapshot presentation]. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Nguyen, B. P.*, & Herbert, M. (2023, Oct. 12) When husbands/fathers come out as gay in a heterosexual familial context: A scoping review. [Conference oral presentation]. Canadian Sex Research Forum (CSRF), Montreal, QC, Canada.

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Lab Nurse

Evan Campbell

Evan is a part-time Research Nurse for the HIV Prevention Lab.

Evan joined the HIV Prevention Lab in 2016 and is our casual part-time Research Nurse.

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Honours Thesis Student

Makayla Curtis

Makayla joined our lab in 2024 as Trevor's honour thesis student and volunteer with the lab.

Makayla is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Psychology program at TMU, and she is completing her undergraduate thesis at the HIV Prevention Lab. Her research interests include mental and physical health and risk-taking behaviours, such as substance abuse. Makayla hopes to complete a Master’s in Clinical Psychology in the future.

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Lab Nurse

Danelle Im

Danelle is the full-time Sexual Health Research Nurse for the HIV Prevention Lab.

Danelle holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and has professional experience in public health and sexual health. Danelle is passionate about work that promotes health, reduces harm, and optimizes wellbeing through a holistic approach.

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Research Associate

Dr. Shayna Sparling

Shayna was our lab's former Postdoc and is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Guelph.

Shayna Sparling has a PhD in Applied Social Psychology, with a speciality in Health Psychology. Her research has primarily focused on sexual decision-making and sexual negotiation – in particular, her work has explored how condom negotiation occurs among new couples and how sexual arousal impacts decision-making, risk-taking, and judgement. She previously held a postdoctoral position with Dr. Milhausen at the University of Guelph where she was cross-appointed to the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) in Toronto. Her work with the OHTN primarily focused on effective HIV risk communication and how health literacy impacts sexual health issues. She is currently building up her own lab at Guelph and working in collaboration with the HIV Prevention Lab.

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Graduate Student

Graham Berlin

Graham joined the lab in 2019 and is completing his PhD in Clinical Psychology with Dr. Trevor Hart. He is also the Co-I on our upcoming MESH study. Graham is currently away on his internship!

Degree in Progress
PhD in Clinical Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University

Degrees
2021 Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University
2019 Bachelor of Arts (honours) in Psychology, University of Victoria
2014 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance, Concordia University

Research Interests
Graham’s current research examines the sexualized use of methamphetamine among sexual minority men with a focus on identifying psychosocial antecedents of methamphetamine use as well as unique predictors of methamphetamine use problems. Broadly, Graham is interested in the effects of stigma and discrimination on mental health and how relevant sociocultural frameworks can be used to adapt existing evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions to meet the unique needs of minority and marginalized individuals.

Selected Awards
2023 Canadian Psychological Association Student Award for Clinical Excellence
2022 Canadian Psychological Association Certificate of Academic Excellence (for Master’s Thesis)

Research Support
2021 – 2024    SSHRC Canada Graduate Student – Doctoral Award (Joseph-Armand Bombardier Scholarship)
2023                American Psychological Association, Malyon-Smith Research Award

Journal Articles

  1. Hart, T.A., Noor, S.W., Tavangar, F., Berlin, G.W., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Tan, D. H. S., Lambert, G., Grace, D., Jollimore, J., Sang, J. M., Kirschbaum, A.L., Kanji, R., Apelian, H., Cox, J., Moore, D. M., & Lachowsky, N. (2023). Crystal methamphetamine use and bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among gay, bisexual and other sexual minority men in Canada. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 242, 109718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109718
  2. Berlin, G.W., Fulcher, K., Taylor, K., Nguyen, T., Montiel, A., Moore, D., Hull, M., & Lachowsky, N. J. (2022). Links between childhood abuse, insidious trauma, and methamphetamine use across the lifespan among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Homosexuality, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2022.2089075
  3. Fulcher, K., Berlin, G., Taylor, K., Wells, A., Nguyen, T., Moore, D., Hull, M., & Lachowsky, N. J. (2022). Understanding the service needs and preferences of men who have sex with men who use crystal methamphetamine in British Columbia, Canada: A qualitative study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00848-4
  4. Hart, T. A., Noor, S. W., Berlin, G. W., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Tavangar, F., Tan, D., Lambert, G., Grace, D., Lachowsky, N. J., Jollimore, J., Sang, J., Parlette, A., Lal, A., Apelian, H., Moore, D., & Cox, J. (2022). Pre-exposure prophylaxis and bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among gay and bisexual men. Sexually Transmitted Infections, sextrans-2021-055381. https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2021-055381
  5. Skakoon‐Sparling, S., Card, K. G., Novick, J. R., Berlin, G.W., Lachowsky, N. J., Adam, B., Brennan, D. J., Sang, J. M., Noor, S. W., Cox, J., Moore, D. M., Grace, D., Grey, C., Daroya, E., & Hart, T. A. (2022). The relevance of communal altruism for sexual minority men in contemporary contexts. Journal of Community Psychology, jcop.22923. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22923
  6. Card, K. G., McGuire, M., Berlin, G.W., Wells, G. A., Fulcher, K., Nguyen, T., Hart, T. A., Skakoon Sparling, S., & Lachowsky, N. J. (2022). Does treatment readiness shape service-design preferences of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men who use crystal methamphetamine? A cross sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3458. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063458
  7. Skakoon-Sparling, S., Cox, J., Lachowsky, N. J., Kirshbaum, A. L., Berlin, G. W., Gaspar, M., Adam, B. D., Brennan, D. J., Moore, D. M., Apelian, H., Sang, J. M., Jollimore, J., Grace, D., Grey, C., & Hart, T. A. (2022). Minority stressors and connectedness among urban gay, bisexual, and queer men. Psychology of Men & Masculinities. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000388
  8. Skakoon-Sparling, S., Berlin, G., Lachowsky, N. J., Moore, D. M., Lambert, G., Cox, J., Grace, D., Apelian, H., Sang, J. M., & Hart, T. A. (2022). Social support and HIV prevention behaviors among urban HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Health Psychology, 41(1), 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001131
  9. Card, K.G., McGuire, M., Bond-Gorr, J., Nguyen, T., Wells, G.A., Fulcher, K., Berlin, G., Pal, N., Hull, M.& Lachowsky, N.J. (2021). Perceived difficulty of accessing substance use treatment programs among sexual and gender minority men who have sex with men (SGMSM) and use methamphetamine. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy.
  10. Lachowsky, N. J., Brennan, D. J., Berlin, G.W., Souleymanov, R., Georgievski, G., & Kesler, M. (2021). A mixed method analysis of differential reasons for condom use and non-use among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 30(1), 65–77. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.2020-0002

Research Reports

  1. Arthur, S., G., Card, K., Carson, A., Goodyear, T., Jollimore, J., Klassen, B., Krell, S., Mniszak, C., Montiel, A., Purdie, A., Knight, R., Lachowsky, N. (2021). Supporting gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and two-spirit (GBT2Q) people who use crystal methamphetamine. Community-Based Research Centre. https://www.cbrc.net/supporting_gbt2q_people_who_use_crystal_meth
  2. McGuire, M., Card, K.G., Fulcher, K., Berlin, G., Wells, A., Nguyen, T., Lachowsky, N.J. (2020). The crystal methamphetamine project: Understanding the need for culturally-safe supports and services addressing crystal methamphetamine use among gay, bi, and queer men. Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. https://www.cbrc.net/crystal_meth_project

Selected Conference Presentations (* indicates presenter)

  1. Berlin, G.W*., Dermody, S.S., Noor, S.W., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Zahran, A., Card, K.G., Lachowsky, N.J., Cox, J., Moore, D.M., Lambert, G., Gaspar, M., Jollimore, J., Grace, D., & Hart, T.A. (2022, November). Stigma, psychological distress, and cognitive/behavioral factors as unique predictors of methamphetamine use among sexual minority men living with HIV: Implications for harm reduction and support services. [Poster presentation]. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, 56th Annual Convention, New York, NY, United States.
  2. Berlin, G*., Noor, S., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Zahran, A., Card, K.G., Lachowsky, N.J., Moore, D., Lambert, G., Gaspar, M., Jollimore, J., Grace, D., Parlette, A., Apelian, H., Sang, J., Grey, C., Daroya, E., & Hart, T.A. (2022, May) Effects of discrimination, psychological distress, and coping responses on methamphetamine use among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) living with HIV and HIV-negative GBM. [Oral presentation] 31st Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research (CAHR 2022). [virtual conference due to COVID-19]
  3. Berlin, G.W*., Noor, S., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Card, K.G., Lachowsky, N.J., Cox, J., Moore, D., Lambert, G., Gaspar, M., Jollimore, J., Grace, D., & Hart, T.A. (2021, November). Examining social and psychological pathways to methamphetamine use in a large multi-site sample of sexual minority men. In Berlin, G.W., & Hart, T.A. (Chairs), Drivers of substance use among populations of sexuality minority men and women: Social determinants of substance use disparities and indications for culturally informed practice. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, 55th Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, United States [virtual conference due to COVID-19].
  4. Berlin, G*., Noor, S., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Card, K.G., Lachowsky, N.J., Cox, J., Moore, D., Lambert, G., Gaspar, M., Jollimore, J., Grace, D., & Hart, T.A. (2021, May 3-5). Social determinants of methamphetamine use among gay, bisexual, and queer men living with HIV. [Poster presentation] The 30th Annual Canadian Conference for HIV/AIDS Research [virtual conference due to COVID-19].
  5. Berlin, G*., Noor, S., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Lachowsky, N., Cox, J., Moore, D., Lambert, G., Sang, J., Gaspar, M., Jollimore, J., Grace, D., & Hart, T.A. (2020, November). Psychosocial predictors of crystal methamphetamine use among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM): The importance of depression and cognitive escape. In Hart, T.A. (Chair), Sexual minority stress and health disparities: Indications for intervention development and adaptation to increase treatment access and outcomes for diverse populations of sexual minority individuals. [Symposium] Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, 54th Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA, United States [virtual conference due to COVID-19].
  6. Berlin, G*., Noor, S., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Lachowsky, N.J., Cox, J., Moore, D., Lambert, G., Gaspar, M., Jollimore, J., Grace, D., & Hart, T.A. (2020, October). Sexualized methamphetamine use among gay, bisexual, and queer men: The need to address symptoms of depression and cognitive escape. [Poster presentation]. Community-Based Research Centre Summit, Vancouver BC, Canada [virtual conference due to COVID-19].
  7. Berlin, G*., Noor, S., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Lachowsky, N., Cox, J., Moore, D., Lambert, G., Sang, J., Gaspar, M., Jollimore, J., Grace, D., & Hart, T.A. (2020, May). Psychosocial predictors of crystal methamphetamine use among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM): The importance of depression and cognitive escape. [Poster presentation] The Annual Canadian Conference for HIV/AIDS Research, Quebec City, QC, Canada [virtual conference due to COVID-19].
  8. Taylor, K., Berlin, G*., Fulcher, K., Card, K.G., Lachowsky, N.J. (2019, October). Managing internalized homonegativity with methamphetamine: Meth phenomenology, pleasure, intimacy, and the loss of inhibition between men who have sex with men. In Fulcher, K. (Chair), Chemsex: Sexualized substance use among gay, bi and queer men. [Symposium]. Annual Canadian Sex Research Forum Conference, Victoria, BC, Canada.
  9. Taylor, K., Berlin, G*., Fulcher, K*., Nguyen, T., Roth, E.A., Moore, D., & Lachowsky, N.J. (2019, May). Impact of historical and contemporary biographical traumas on methamphetamine use: A comparative analysis of HIV+ and HIV- sexual minority men in the chemsex scene. [Paper presentation]. 28th Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
  10. Taylor, K., Berlin, G*., Fulcher, K*., Nguyen, T., Roth, E.A., Moore, D., & Lachowsky, N.J. (2019, May). Chemsex complications: sexual health knowledge, access, and behaviours for HIV-positive and HIV-negative sexual minority men who use crystal methamphetamine. [poster] 28th Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.

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