Our Research Team

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Director

Dr. Maya Eichler

Dr. Maya Eichler is the Canada Research Chair in Social Innovation and Community Engagement, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Politics, Economics and Canadian studies, known as PECS, and the Department of Women’s Studies at the Mount. She is the lead co-director of the DND-MINDS collaborative network, the Transforming Military Cultures (TMC) Network, headquartered at the
Centre for Social Innovation and Community Engagement in Military Affairs (SICEMA).

Read more about Dr. Eichler and her roles as the Canada Research Chair in Social Innovation and Community Engagement.

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Research Manager

Kimberley Smith-Evans, MA

Kimberley Smith-Evans holds a BA (Hons.) in Psychology (University of New Brunswick) and a MA in Family Studies and Gerontology (Mount Saint Vincent University). Her MA thesis research examined the role of spousal support in the development of post-traumatic growth among military Veteran couples living with post-traumatic stress disorder. In her role as Research Manager, Kimberley oversees all research projects at SICEMA, including leading administration, personnel, and financial management. Kimberley is also the Network Manager for the Transforming Military Cultures (TMC) Network headquartered at SICEMA and co-directed by Drs. Maya Eichler, Tammy George, and Nancy Taber.

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Centre Assistant Manager

Lea Aluie, MPR

Lea earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on marketing at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. She has over 7 years of professional experience in Media Analysis and Digital Advertising and she is currently a graduate student in Public Relations at Mount Saint Vincent University. Lea also holds the position of Assistant Manager at the Centre for Social Innovation and Community Engagement in Military Affairs, where she is involved in marketing activities, organizing events, developing websites, and proofreading and editing research papers.

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Affiliated Members

Dr. Deborah Norris, PhD

Dr. Deborah Norris is a Professor in Family Studies and Gerontology at Mount Saint Vincent University. For more information, please visit Dr. Norris’ biography page.

Dr. John Whelan, PhD

Dr. John Whelan is an Adjunct Professor in Family Studies and Gerontology at Mount Saint Vincent University, and a former military psychologist now working with veterans in private practice in Halifax. For more information, please visit Dr. Whelan’s biography page.

Dr. Catherine Baillie Abidi

Dr. Catherine Baillie Abidi is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Child and Youth Study at Mount Saint Vincent University. For more information, please visit Dr. Baillie Abidi’s biography page.

Dr. Leigh Spanner, PhD

Leigh Spanner is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Saint Mary’s University. Prior to joining SMU, she held a postdoctoral fellowship at SICEMA. For more information, please visit Dr. Spanner’s biography page.

Denise Landry, MEd

Denise graduated from Acadia University’s Master of Education Counselling Program. Her thesis work, conducted as Canada’s military engagement in Afghanistan ended, explored the capacity of Canadian Veterans as they navigated the post-military transition systems available to soldiers who are medically released after their service. Denise is interested and involved in Veteran-initiated change and challenges to entrenched models of service provision and policy. Denise currently works in private practice as a Registered Counselling Therapist, where she employs a feminist and trauma-informed approach to her work.

Walter Callaghan, University of Toronto (PhD Student Collaborator)

Walter Callaghan is a PhD candidate in medical anthropology at the University of Toronto. His doctoral research has focused on how veterans come to understand, explain, and make meaning of psychological distress, particularly moral injuries. His research interests also include issues related to military masculinity, gender, and stigma. He previously served as a health care administration officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, 2001-2010.

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Visiting Scholars

Dr. Claudia Brunner, PhD

Dr. Brunner visited the Centre for Social Innovation and Community Engagement in Military Affairs in April 2019. Dr. Brunner is an assistant professor at the Centre for Peace Research and Peace Education at the University of Klagenfurt in Austria. Her research focuses on gender, peace studies, and epistemic violence. For more information on Dr. Brunner’s research, please visit her website.

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Former Members

Andi Kpolugbo, BA

Andi Kpolugbo completed a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Psychology with a Minor in Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. During her time at SICEMA, Andi worked as the Centre Assistant Manager providing assistance with research, design, and general administration.

Ellen Smith, BA (candidate)

Ellen Smith is completing undergraduate studies in Political and Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. Ellen provided research assistance and database management during her time at SICEMA.

Victoria Tait, PhD 

Victoria Tait completed her doctoral studies in the Political Studies department at Carleton University in Ottawa. Her research focuses on feminist studies, specifically on gender in the Canadian Armed Forces. Her dissertation examined how the international feminist norms that underpin United Nations Resolution 1325 are translated into gender mainstreaming policy in the Canadian military. Victoria collaborated on research with Dr. Eichler.

Mary O’Brien, BA

Mary O’Brien graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University with a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies in May 2019. Mary’s work at SICEMA focused on editorial and research assistance for the publication of an edited volume on Community Stories of War and Peace.

Oluwatomisin (Tomi) Adesina, BPR

Oluwatomisin Adesina completed a Bachelor of Public Relations with a minor in Peace and Conflict Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. She is also a CNIB ambassador. At SICEMA, Tomi assisted with general office management including organizing and promoting events and providing administrative support.

Ellie Lamothe 

Ellie Lamothe worked at SICEMA while completing a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Anthropology with a minor in Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her work at the Centre focused on researching the experiences of military sexual trauma survivors with the Veterans Review and Appeal Board, as well as providing copy-editing and administrative assistance. She is an Executive Member of the MSVU Feminist Collective.

Brittney Roughan, MSc

Brittney Roughan holds a MSc in Environmental Science from St. Francis Xavier University and a BSc in Environmental Science from McGill University. During her time at SICEMA (2016-2019), Brittney assumed the role of Grants Manager and assisted Dr. Eichler with general project management. Brittney also worked with the Global Aging and Community Initiative and the Early Childhood Collaborative Research Centre at the Mount and was the Canadian Institutes of Health Research delegate for the university.

Xue Bai, MEd

Xue Bai graduated in 2019 from Mount Saint Vincent University with a Master’s degree in Education. Her primary work at SICEMA included data analysis and literature reviews, as well as administrative assistance.

Elizabeth Hill, BA