Conversation About Research at uOttawa in Culture and Mental Health Equity

Are you a prospective doctoral student passionate about using cutting-edge psychological science to address mental health disparities and advance social justice?

Please join me for an online Q&A session to discuss graduate training opportunities in my lab, the Laboratory for Culture and Mental Health Disparities (CMHD), at the University of Ottawa.

For the upcoming admissions cycle (entry Fall 2026), I plan to accept two new doctoral students to work under my mentorship: one in the Clinical Psychology program and one in the Experimental Psychology program.
This informal session is your opportunity to learn more about our lab's mission, our research, and what makes a competitive applicant. Come prepared with your questions about the programs, the application process, and the vital work we do.

#### About Our Lab: The CMHD

The mission of the CMHD is to promote mental health and wellness in underserved and racialized communities through behavioral science, education, and service. We are an interdisciplinary and collaborative lab dedicated to empirical rigor and the development of culturally-sensitive therapies. While our core focus is on racialized groups, we also address mental health disparities related to sexual and gender identity, disability, and mental health stigma.
We train students who are committed to becoming culturally proficient scientist-practitioners and developing programs in the community from a solid empirical basis.

#### My Primary Research Areas Include:

• Mental health disparities in BIPOC communities
• Culturally-informed research, therapy, and health care
• Organizational and institutional systems of bias
• PTSD and racial trauma in people of colour
• Law enforcement and community trauma
• Psychometrics, scale development, and validation
• Microaggressions and discrimination
• Psychedelics and mental health
• The phenomenology, assessment, and treatment of OCD
• Gender and sexual minority mental health issues
• BDSM and kink communities

####

I am seeking applicants with a strong academic background and a clear commitment to alleviating mental health disparities. Significant research experience is required.

For clinical applicants specifically, I will be accepting a new student with a strong interest in BIPOC mental health. In line with our mission to address systemic inequities in our field, our lab prioritizes the recruitment of BIPOC students. I also especially encourage applications from male and francophone candidates to help address critical representation gaps in psychology.

I look forward to meeting you and discussing our shared commitment to creating a more equitable and just future in mental health.

Learn more: https://www.monnicawilliams.com/gradstudies.php

We request a small fee to help offset membership costs. Please let us know if this poses a hardship.