Meet the Team

Dr. Valerie Taylor MD, PhD, FRCP

Dr. Valerie Taylor is a Professor and the Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Calgary. She completed a Bachelors of Medical Science and graduated from medical school at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She subsequently completely her residency training in Psychiatry and a PhD in Medical Science and two research fellowships from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, an Improving and Driving Excellence across Sectors (IDEAS) Ontario certification in Quality Improvement, a certificate from the Mental Health Commission of Canada for their Promotion of Activated Research and Knowledge (SPARK) Training Program, a Rotman Advanced Health Leadership diploma and a certificate from the Haskayne School of Business as part of their inaugural “ financial feminist” cohort. Prior to coming to Calgary, she was the chief of Psychiatry at Women’s College Hospital and the chief of Adult Health Services at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health and lead of the division of Equity, Gender and Population at the University of Toronto.

Her academic focus has been on the area of medical psychiatry, especially the interplay of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease and mental illness. For the last 5 year, she has also worked on the gut brain axis and the area of the gut microbiome. She is one of the only funded researcher examining the therapeutic effects of fecal transplant as a treatment for mental illness and she currently has 4 novel clinical trials looking at modifying the gut microbiome to treat mood disorders and runs the largest biological neuroscience microbiome repository in North America. She has over 180 peer reviewed publications and funding from a variety of national and international funding agencies.

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Asem Bala

Senior Clinical Research Associate

Asem Bala is the Clinical Research Team Lead and Project Manager at Taylor Lab. He's an experienced clinical research professional with extensive experience in research design, clinical trial management and regulatory compliance. For the last 13 years, he has devoted his career to mental health research, and specifically to studying the role of gut microbiome in mental illness.
Asem holds a Master’s degree in Orthodontics, a Post Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research, and is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP).

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Stefanie Hassel

Research Manager

Dr. Stefanie Hassel is the Research Manager for the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression’s (CAN-BIND) Imaging Platform and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Dept of Psychiatry at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. CAN-BIND is a national research program that is dedicated towards shortening the path from depression diagnosis towards effective treatment. She is an internationally trained and experienced cognitive neuroscientist with extensive experience in the acquisition, processing and analyses of fMRI data of patients with psychiatric illnesses, as well as a proficient project manager, with expertise in planning, organizing and monitoring numerous cross-functional, single- and multi-site projects. In addition to a PhD in Applied Psychology and Neuroscience, Dr. Hassel has certifications in Business Management, specializing in Strategic Management, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning & Teaching in Higher Education.

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Mehrafarin Ramezani

Clinical Research Coordinator

Mehrafarin is a Clinical Research Coordinator with a strong passion for mental health research. She holds a PhD in Clinical Neurosciences from the University of Calgary. Her research expertise spans the intersection of mental health, movement disorders, and neurodevelopmental conditions, with a particular focus on the relationship between mental health and the gut microbiome. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys jogging, hiking, and reading.

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Dina Moinul

Clinical Research Assistant

Dina holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) from the University of Calgary and recently completed her Master of Public Health (MPH) in Global Health at New York University. She has been actively involved with the Taylor Lab since her undergraduate studies at the University of Calgary. Her projects focused on knowledge translation and explored patients' perceptions of microbiome-based therapies as innovative treatments for mood disorders, specifically targeting Major Depressive and Bipolar Disorder. Currently, she coordinates the FOCUSED (FMT-OCD) Clinical Trial at Taylor Lab.

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Amit Kang

Clinical Research Assistant

Amit obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Psychology from the University of Calgary in 2024, and is currently a research assistant at the Taylor Lab. Amit is interested in novel therapies that can be effective in addressing treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions, which is what initially drew him to the Taylor lab, working as a summer student for several successive years. He is currently the primary coordinator on the ORBIT Biobank study, studying and working to characterize the gut microbiome in a number of psychiatric illnesses.

Maddie Kelly

Clinical Research Assistant

Maddie is a clinical research assistant with the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND). She assists with several CAN-BIND studies and primarily works on the OPTIMUM-D study which seeks to investigate how biomarkers (brain images, genes, proteins) can predict treatment outcomes in individuals with depression. Maddie has graduated with her Bachelor of Arts honors degree in psychology from the University of Calgary and wishes to continue her studies in clinical psychology.

Alexandra Du

Clinical Research Assistant

Alexandra Du is a research assistant for the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND). She is currently working on the ENABLE (CAN-BIND 18) and Optimum-D (CAN-BIND 17) studies that are dedicated to shortening the path from depression diagnosis to effective treatment. Alexandra received her honours degree in psychology (first class) from the University of Calgary. Her main research interest is on the comorbidity of depression and addiction. She is currently completing her research project on establishing the validity of Saini-Hodgins Addiction Risk Potential of Games Tool (SHARP-G) with the Addictive Behaviours Lab at the University of Calgary. Apart from research, she actively participates in community mental health by devoting her spare time to the Distress Center, assisting callers and coaching other volunteers.

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Nicole Major

Clinical Research Assistant

Nicole is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Life Sciences at Queen's University. She is completing a 15 month internship at the Taylor Lab, where she is working as a Clinical Research Assistant. In this role, Nicole contributes to various projects and clinical trials within the lab. She is very passionate about mental health, and is excited to be involved in such innovative research investigating the gut-brain axis and the gut microbiome.

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Cleo Hendrickson

MSc Student

Cleo is pursuing a Master of Science in Neuroscience, conducting her research in the Taylor Lab. Her project focuses on designing and implementing a clinical trial involving fecal microbiota transplantation for adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

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Gabrielle Beswick

Clinical Research Assistant

Gabrielle is an undergraduate student in the Neuroscience program at the University of Calgary. She is a returning summer student at the Taylor Lab, where she contributes to clinical research and trials investigating the gut-brain axis and the potential of the gut microbiome in treating mental illness. Gabrielle is passionate about the intersection of neuroscience and mental health and is excited to be part of the Taylor Lab

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Zhairah Blancia

Information Design Intern

Zhairah is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Communication in Information Design at Mount Royal University. At The Taylor Lab, she uses visual communication, accessibility, and user experience principles to turn complex scientific research into clear and engaging design materials. Driven by a strong interest in mental health research and human-centred design, Zhairah aims to bridge the gap between science and the public.

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Vandad Sharifi

Research Associate

Vandad Sharifi is an internationally trained psychiatrist with extensive clinical and epidemiological research experience. He has authored numerous publications, contributing to the understanding of mental health. Currently, he is a clinical fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Calgary and a research associate with the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network and Depression project in Dr. Taylor's lab. His lab research also investigates the effects of cannabis legalization on psychiatric hospitalization rates in patients with mood disorders. He possesses expertise in the design and conduct of epidemiology, clinical, and health services research. His primary research interest lies in the interplay of social and environmental factors and the mental health of children and adults.