Principal Investigator
Dr. Katrina Bouchard
Assistant Professor, UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Registered Psychologist, BC Centre for Vulvar Health
She/Her
About Dr. Bouchard:
Dr. Bouchard is an Assistant Professor in the UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the director of the Psychology, Health, and Sexuality (Phase) Laboratory. She completed a SSHRC-funded PhD in clinical psychology from Queen’s University and a postdoctoral fellowship at Dalhousie University funded by the IWK Health Centre. The overarching goal of Dr. Bouchard’s research program is to enhance the assessment and treatment of sexual health concerns, with a focus on women and couples. Dr. Bouchard is a registered psychologist and her clinical practice at the BC Centre for Vulvar Health (BCCVH) focuses on helping individuals and their partners manage sexual and emotional distress related to living with chronic vulvar health concerns (e.g., vulvar pain). She does not currently accept referrals from outside the BCCVH.
Graduate Students
Kiarah O’Kane
MA Student
Clinical Psychology
She/They
About Kiarah:
Kiarah is a first-year MA student in the UBC Clinical Psychology Program. Their research interests are twofold: First, to examine the modifiable factors impacting the sexual well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals and couples. Second, to use psychophysiological and eye tracking methods to explore gender and sexual orientation differences in sexual response patterns. These research interests serve the overarching goal of developing accessible interventions for bolstering the sexual well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals and couples.
Kate Hunker
MSc Student
Women+ Health Sciences
She/Her
About Kate:
Kate is an incoming MSc student in the UBC Women+ and Children’s Health Sciences Program. Her research interests center on sexual and vulvar health concerns, and how these concerns are addressed in the healthcare system. Kate uses mixed methods to better understand sexual health concerns in the context of chronic health conditions (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease, lichen sclerosus). The goal of Kate’s research is to develop resources and trainings for patients and healthcare providers that positively impact patients’ sexual wellbeing and healthcare satisfaction.
Research Assistants
Jinny Choi
Work Learn Student
She/Her
About Jinny:
Jinny is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UBC studying Microbiology and Immunology. She is excited to contribute to the Phase Lab’s work as a Research Assistant and is very interested in topics such as sexual well-being, mental health, and public health literacy. Her future plans include a career in medicine and further clinical research.
Moha Chaturvedi
Work Learn Student
She/Her
About Moha:
Moha is a recent graduate from the Bachelor of Arts program at UBC with a major in Psychology. In the lab, she is primarily working on the VLS Couples Study. Her research interests focus on enhancing sexual outcomes in dyadic relationships.
Stephanie Chen
Research Assistant
She/Her
About Stephanie:
Stephanie is a third-year Honours student studying psychology at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests focus on sexual well-being, sexual health, and mental health. In the future, she intends to pursue graduate school and work as a clinician-scientist.
Simone Goldberg
Work Learn Student
She/Her
About Simone:
Simone is a first-year MA student in the Clinical Psychology program at UBC. Her research focuses on 1) examining the relationship between suicide, non-suicidal self-injury and eating pathology and; 2) examining risk (e.g., poor genital self-image), protective (e.g., emotional competence) and modifiable factors (e.g., mindfulness) that can promote sexual well-being in healthy individuals.
Molly Hsu
Volunteer Research Assistant
She/They
About Molly:
Molly is a third-year undergraduate student studying Psychology and Critical Studies in Sexuality at the University of British Columbia. She aims to pursue research surrounding sexual well-being and dysfunction to combine her interests in clinical psychology and sexuality
Greta Jang
Staff Research Assistant
She/Her
About Greta:
Greta completed her BA in Psychology from the University of British Columbia in 2021 and now works as a full-time research assistant in both the Phase Lab and Sexuality and Well-being Lab. Her research interests broadly include emotion regulation and coping, interpersonal function and relationship dynamics, and self-injurious thoughts and behaviours.
Reet Kaur
Honours Student
She/Her
About Reet:
Reet is a third-year BA Psychology Honours student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Her research interests lie in studying the cognitive, emotional, physical, and social aspects of sexual and reproductive health. Her long-term goal is to help debunk the myths surrounding sexual practices and to help people foster sexual health as part of overall health.
Simran Singh
Work Learn Student
She/Her
About Simran:
Simran is a fifth-year BA Psychology Major and Family Studies Minor at UBC. She has experience in mental health accessibility, peer counseling, and mental health resource digitization. Her research interests include substance abuse and group identity interventions and examining the impact of sexual trauma on pleasure in long term relationships. Simran is hoping to pursue her MA in Clinical Psychology with a focus on sexual well-being.
Jennifer Zhang
Volunteer Research Assistant
She/Her
About Jennifer:
Jennifer is a first-year medical student at UBC and a recent BKIN grad. Her research and clinical practice interests predominantly center around reproductive health, substance use, and rural health.
Cindy Zhang
Work Learn Student
She/Her
About Cindy:
Cindy is a fourth-year undergraduate Psychology student at UBC. Her research interests include public health literacy, improving patient experience in healthcare, and patient-oriented research. She intends to pursue graduate studies and a career in psychology research.