Our Team
Academic Leadership
Kristin Cleverley
Director & Chair
Associate Professor & CAMH Chair in Mental Health Nursing Research, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Amanda Uliaszek
Associate Director, Research
Associate Professor & Program Coordinator, Department of Psychological Clinical Science, University of Toronto Scarborough
Julius Haag
Associate Director, Education & Training
(on leave)
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto Mississauga
Catherine Sabiston
Interim Associate Director, Education & Training
Professor & Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Psychosocial Well-being, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, University of Toronto
About Kristin
Professor Kristin Cleverley (she/her) is the CAMH Chair in Mental Health Nursing Research and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Nursing and Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Senior Scientist in the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health at CAMH. She is the Chair of the University of Toronto Student and Youth Mental Health Research Initiative and Co-Chaired the Ontario Health Quality Standard on Youth-to-Adult Health Care Transitions. Prof. Cleverley’s research engages students, youth, and caregivers in the co-design of novel clinical and health system interventions to improve continuity of care.
About Amanda
Professor Amanda A. Uliaszek (she/her) has been the director of the STEPP (Study and Treatment of Emotion Dysregulation and Personality Pathology) Lab at the University of Toronto since 2011. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Northwestern University and completed her predoctoral residency at the University of Illinois Chicago Medical Center. Prof. Uliaszek has obtained international recognition for her research on psychotherapy mechanisms and outcomes, with a specific focus on improving treatments for children, youth, and university students. Prof. Uliaszek is a registered psychologist in Ontario, with an expertise in the delivery of dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
About Julius
Professor Julius Haag (he/him) is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in the Department of Sociology at UTM, where he teaches courses in policing, urban life and public policy, and youth gangs. Prior to joining Inlight, Prof. Haag contributed to several campus-based initiatives, including as the session lead for Race Based Data Collection at the National Dialogues and Action for Inclusive Higher Education and as a review panel member for the U of T review of the Role of Campus Safety Services in Student Mental Health. His research interests include policing, youth justice, gangs, racialization, ethnicity, criminalization, and teaching and learning.
About Catherine
Prof. Catherine Sabiston (she/her) is a Canada Research Chair in physical activity and psychosocial well-being in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto and the Director of the Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre. Catherine has been awarded numerous career distinctions, including a fellowship with the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Her research has focused on physical activity and adaptive and maladaptive mental health outcomes in individuals across the lifespan. A particular topic is body image impacting activity levels in adolescents.
Administrative Team
Sarah De La Rue
Director, Strategy & Operations
About Sarah
Sarah De La Rue (she/her) develops and delivers on research strategy for major health research initiatives, building relationships with partners to promote the impact of health research. Prior to joining UofT, Sarah developed priorities and strategy for the CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health, grew a collective impact partnership structure to build and deliver on the Inspiring Healthy Futures vision and priorities, and shaped research strategy at the University of Virginia and Sinai Health System. At UofT Sarah initially joined the PRiME Institutional Strategic Initiative, to support their renewal and build an expanded ecosystem, and is now supporting Inlight to achieve impact across their mandate. Sarah completed her B.Sc. at Newcastle University and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Bristol.
Emma McCann (on leave)
Senior Partnership and Engagement Lead
About Emma
Emma McCann (she/her) is the Senior Partnership and Engagement Lead of the University of Toronto Inlight Student Mental Health Research Initiative, where she supports the initiative’s student engagement strategy. Emma has advised at the community, national, and international level to build stakeholder engagement into mental health research and systems of care. Her previous roles, including at CAMH and Frayme, supported the development of youth engagement strategy to support integrated youth services across the country. Emma moderated the first ever side event dedicated to global mental health at the UN General Assembly and formerly served as a member of the Canadian Federal Ministerial Advisory Council on Mental Health.
Lexi Ewing
Senior Engagement Lead
About Lexi
Lexi Ewing (she/her) is the Engagement Lead of the University of Toronto Inlight Student Mental Health Research Initiative, where she supports the initiative’s student engagement strategy. Lexi completed her PhD at the University of Toronto, where her research focused on person-centered approaches to investigating post-secondary student mental health. Lexi has held engagement roles on both sides of the table, as a student and as a facilitator, and believes deeply in the benefits of authentic engagement in research.
Sobiah Khan
Operations Assistant
About Sobiah
Sobiah Khan (she/her) is a third-year student majoring in Criminology and Industrial Relations & Human Resources (IRHR). She is currently completing a co-op term with Inlight, researching youth mental health at the BLISS Lab, and conducting an independent study on student employment experiences. Sobiah hopes to have a career focused on improving well-being outcomes for disadvantaged communities. Outside of her work and studies, she’s an advocate for neurodivergent representation and accessibility, and a lover of animals. You can see her on campus with her service animal, Gateaux!
Feryal Mahnaei
Project Coordinator
About Feryal
Feryal Mahnaei (she/her) is a Project Coordinator at the INLIGHT Mental Health Research Initiative, combining her expertise in neuromechanics and healthcare project management to support groundbreaking mental health research. She holds a Master of Science in Biomechanics and Neuroscience from York University, where she explored postural control and cognitive-motor interactions, using advanced tools like motion capture, EMG, and virtual reality systems to gain deeper insights into human movement.
Beyond research, Feryal has worked in healthcare and infrastructure project management, collaborating with diverse teams to bring innovative ideas to life. Her experience as a researcher, teaching assistant, and healthcare project coordinator has allowed her to mentor students, contribute to biomechanics and rehabilitation research, and refine her ability to turn complex data into meaningful action. Now, at INLIGHT, she applies her skills in roject coordination, leadership, stakeholder engagement, and data analysis to drive mental health research forward, ensuring seamless execution of key initiatives. Passionate about bridging the gap between research and real-world impact, she is excited to collaborate with researchers, students, and healthcare professionals to advance innovation in mental health care. Outside work, she enjoys hiking, painting, martial arts, and paddleboarding.
Implementation Committee
Associate Dean, Research and External Relations, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Chair)
Vice-Principal, Research & Innovation, University of Toronto Scarborough
Vice-Principal, Research, University of Toronto Mississauga
Vice-Provost, Students
Associate Dean, Research, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
Vice-President, Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Academic Director, Inlight
Director, Strategy & Operations, Inlight
Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives, ISI
Council of Principals & Deans
Dean, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Chair)
Associate Vice-President & Vice Provost, Strategic Initiatives (Chair)
Dean, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
Dean, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science
Vice-Principal, Academic and Dean, University of Toronto Mississauga
Vice-Principal, Research & Innovation, University of Toronto Scarborough
Academic Director, Inlight
Student Advisory Committee
Aden Ahmed
Masters Student, Global Mental Health & Counseling Psychology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Alanna Sethi
Undergraduate, Psychology Specialist, University of Toronto Missisauga
Bilal Ahmed Qureshi
Undergraduate, Neuroscience & Human Biology, University of Toronto Scarborough
Claire Zhang
Undergraduate, Doctor of Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Liz DaMaren
Doctoral Student, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
Khushi Patel
Undergraduate, Computer Engineering, University of Toronto St. George
Meagan Muscat
Doctoral Student, Counselling Psychology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Jas Chhetri
Undergraduate, Molecular Biology, University of Toronto Scarborough
Olena Zubrytska
Undergraduate, Nursing Science, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
Sacha Samouk
Undergraduate, Anthropology Specialist & Educations Studies Minor, University of Toronto Missisauga
Thanida Kamchokchai
Undergraduate, Mental Health Studies Specialist, University of Toronto Scarborough
Yuening Chen
Masters Student, Archaeology, University of Toronto Missisauga
Student Facilitators
Plan Kamchokchai
Undergraduate Student, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough
Khushi Patel
Undergraduate Student, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, University of Toronto
Bilal Qureshi
Undergraduate Student, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Missisauga