Julia Schmidt, Principal Investigator
Dr. Schmidt is interested in understanding life after brain injury. Her goal is to learn more about changes in the brain after injury and throughout life, changes in daily life and social roles after brain injury, and programs that support people with brain injury to lead lives that are personally meaningful.
Dr. Schmidt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia. She completed her BSc(OT) at the University of Alberta and spent over 10 years working clinically in brain injury rehabilitation. She earned her PhD at the University of Queensland, Australia, where she studied the effectiveness of video-based feedback interventions to improve self-awareness after traumatic brain injury. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia’s Brain Behaviour Lab, exploring changes in the brain’s physiology in youth who had concussions.
In her spare time, Dr. Schmidt likes being in the mountains with her family. She skis in winter, mountain bikes in summer, and enjoys trail running, baking, writing, singing in a choir, and listening to a good podcast year-round.
E-mail: julia.schmidt@ubc.ca
Current Lab Members
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Jade Witten
Dr. Jade Witten is a postdoctoral research fellow in the CEDAR Lab in GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. She is also a registered neuropsychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa. Jade completed her PhD in Psychology (September 2023) at Bangor University in North Wales, UK. Her thesis focused on emotion regulation tools for managing frustration and anger after brain injury. Jade is committed to neurorehabilitation research that aims to improve the wellbeing and quality of life of people living with a brain injury. She is also interested in research that supports caregivers of people with brain injury. In the CEDAR lab, Jade’s research interest is to understand the experiences of the caregivers of people with traumatic brain injury who are receiving peer support. Outside of the lab, Jade loves exploring new places and enjoying the outdoors, especially hiking, walking, cycling, and kayaking.
E-mail: jade.witten@ubc.ca
Graduate Students
Jasleen Grewal, PhD Student
Jasleen Grewal is a PhD candidate in the Rehabilitation Sciences program at UBC and a registered occupational therapist. Jasleen’s research is informed by her clinical experience. Her research focuses on investigating the feasibility of novel interventions in neurorehabilitation. Specifically, she is interested in understanding the feasibility of virtual reality interventions, as well as the experiences of clinicians and patients when using virtual reality. Additionally, Jasleen has a special interest in mental health rehabilitation and its relation to brain injury and substance use. In her spare time, Jasleen likes to read, bake and spend time with her puppy.
E-mail: jgrewa08@student.ubc.ca
Rinni Mamman, PhD Student
Rinni is a PhD student in the Rehabilitation Sciences program at UBC. Her interest in traumatic brain injury (TBI) started during her undergraduate days at the University of Nottingham. Rinni recently completed her Master’s degree in the CEDAR lab exploring social participation and self-identity after TBI. She continues to conduct research about life after TBI with the CEDAR Brain Injury Lab for her PhD degree. Outside of the lab, she loves to travel, read, and chill with her cats!
E-mail: rinni@student.ubc.ca
Janna Griffioen, PhD Student
Janna Griffioen is a PhD student in the CEDAR lab in GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. Her current research interest in the CEDAR lab is evaluating the impact of a province-wide peer support program for people who have experienced a traumatic brain injury. Janna completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour with a specialization in mental health and illness, with a certificate in business studies at McMaster University in Ontario. Janna’s undergraduate research projects ranged from the attentional blink to evaluating the neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV-2. Outside of the lab you can find Janna on skis, skates, surf board, or a bike.
E-mail: janna.griffioen@ubc.ca
Niloufar Benam, Master’s Student
Niloufar was a Master’s student at the CEDAR lab. She completed her undergraduate studies in the field of Microbiology and she recently completed her master’s studies in the field of Rehabilitation Sciences. She is interested in exploring the neuroscience side of Traumatic brain injury (TBI). Her project at the CEDAR lab focuses on studying brain activation patterns after TBI when completing dressing tasks. In her free time, she likes to go on long walks exploring around the city! On rainy days, she enjoys painting, baking, or playing her ukulele!
E-mail: benamn@student.ubc.ca
Undergraduate Students
Kylie Yuen, Undergraduate Student
Kylie is a behavioural & cognitive neuroscience undergraduate student at UBC. Her interest in neurorehabilitation led her to work on her capstone project with the CEDAR Lab (yay!). Kylie’s project investigates the training experiences of peer support workers for people with traumatic brain injuries. As she looks to the future, she hopes to become an occupational therapist who works with kids! In her spare time, you can find her canoeing in lakes, frolicking in the mountains or playing sports with her friends!
Research Staff
Alyssa Turcott, Research Coordinator – University of British Columbia
Alyssa recently completed her BSc with a double major in Biology and Psychology at UBC, and has transitioned to the role of research coordinator for the CEDAR Lab. Her research interests are in the intersection of traumatic brain injury and concurrent mental health and substance use disorders, and she has some previous experience as a research assistant focusing on drug cravings, stress, and cognition in concurrent disorder populations at the Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health and Addiction facility. Alyssa’s favourite pastimes include experimenting with vegan baking, exploring Vancouver’s trails, and searching for new cafés to try.
E-mail: alyssa.turcott@ubc.ca
Jodi Ferrer, Research Assistant – University of British Columbia
Jodi is an undergraduate student studying Biology under the Faculty of Science. With this being her first big step into the world of research, she continues to explore her options and navigate through potential career paths in science. She has interests in applied health sciences and the neuroscience behind music cognition. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in Occupational Therapy. Outside of lecture halls and the lab, Jodi is passionate about singing, binge-watching movies with family, and occasional therapeutic painting sessions with friends.
E-mail: jodimf26@student.ubc.ca
Clinical Research Associate
Nicole Gingrich, Occupational Therapist
Nicole Gingrich is an Occupational Therapist at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre specializing in brain injury rehabilitation. She completed her Masters of Occupation Therapy at UBC. Nicole’s capstone project explored determinants of social participation after stroke and was published in Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation. In the lab, Nicole facilitates recruitment of participants from GF Strong and partners to co-develop clinically relevant interventions for people with brain injury. Outside her work, Nicole enjoys running, biking and outdoor adventures.
Past Lab Members
| Name | Role | Time | Next Steps |
| Ruthine Kang | Research Assistant | 1.5 years (2021-2023) | Ruthine (RJ) recently graduated with a BSc in Behavioural Neuroscience. She will be starting her Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology at Trinity Western University in the fall, and continue her learning and passion for mental health rehabilitation. |
| Rebecca Tsow | Research Assistant | 3.5 years (2019-2023) | After graduating from the CEDAR Lab, Rebecca spent a year travelling abroad before starting her Master’s degree in Physiotherapy at the University of Alberta. She plans to continue exploring her passion for patient-centred conversations and care in her future work. |
| Anika Cheng | Research Assistant | 3 years (2019-2022) | Anika worked with the CEDAR Brain Injury Lab for 3 years as a research assistant. She completed her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and is now a Master of Occupational Therapy student at UBC. She looks forward to applying all the knowledge she has gained from this lab into her clinical practice, and working in the field of brain injury in the future! |
| Rochelle Chauhan | Master’s Student | 2.5 years (2019-2021) | Completing her Master’s degree inspired Rochelle to continue conducting research. She will continue working in research, potentially continuing on to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. |