Research Team

The St.Amant Research Centre is an interdisciplinary team. Our work is made possible by the participation of St.Amant clients and their families, student and volunteer assistants, research affiliates from across Canada and a Community Advisory Group.

Dr. Dickie C.T. Yu – Director/Researcher (Faculty of Arts)
Dr. Yu has been the Research Director at St.Amant since 1997.  His teaching and research specialties are behavioural assessment and training in developmental disabilities and autism. Dr. Yu holds a B.A. in psychology and a M.A. and Ph.D. in applied behaviour analysis at University of Manitoba. He has taught at Memorial University of Newfoundland and worked as a psychologist and researcher at Surrey Place Centre in Toronto. In addition to his work at St.Amant, Dr. Yu is an Associate Professor at University of Manitoba.

Dr. Beverley Temple – Researcher (Faculty of Nursing)
Dr. Temple’s research focuses on individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, nursing education and the social context of health behaviours. Her clinical and teaching specialty is pediatric nursing. Dr. Temple holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Brandon University, a Masters of Nursing from University of Manitoba and a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia. In addition to her work at St.Amant, she is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at University of Manitoba.

Dr. Shahin Shooshtari – Researcher (Faculty of Human Ecology)
Dr. Shooshtari’s areas of specialization are population and public health; health and aging; mental health; community health assessment; health education and promotion; and health and disability measurement. She is an assistant professor in the Departments of Family Social Sciences and Community Health Sciences at University of Manitoba and a research affiliate at the Centre on Aging at University of Manitoba as well as a researcher at St.Amant Research Centre. Dr. Shooshtari holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Public Health Sciences from the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, respectively, and a Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences from the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Toby Martin – Manager
Dr. Martin holds a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D in Psychology from the University of Manitoba. His research interests include basic learning processes and ethical aspects of neuroimaging.

Participants

Our research is made possible by the participation of many St.Amant clients and families. Some of our projects include participants from across Canada.

Learn more about the projects currently looking for participants.

Assistants

Our core research team is supported by student employees and volunteers, all of whom receive training for future careers in developmental disabilities.

Affiliates

Our research affiliates provide a network for the St.Amant research team to collaborate with in developing research proposals, conducting multi-site studies, preparing joint publications and presentations, and training students. Our affiliates are distinguished researchers from across Canada working in the field of developmental disabilities.

Dr. Marni Brownell
Senior Research Scientist, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy
Assistant Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba

Dr. Albert Chudley
Medical Director, Genetics Program, WRHA
Professor of Medicine, University of Manitoba

Dr. Maurice Feldman
Professor and Chancellor's Research Chair, Child and Youth Studies, Brock University

Dr. Jeanette Holden
Professor, Autism Research Program, Departments of Psychiatry and Physiology, Queen's University

Dr. Suzanne Lewis
Clinical Professor of Medicine and Scholar, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital

Dr. Kris Malisza
Research Officer of Institute of Biodiagnostics, National Research Council Canada, and Department of Physiology, University of Manitoba

Dr. Garry Martin
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Psychology, University of Manitoba

Dr. Diana E. McMillan
Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba
Research Affiliate, Riverview Health Centre Sleep Health Consultant

Hélène Ouellette-Kuntz
Assistant Professor of Community Health and Epidemiology and Psychiatry, Queen's University

Dr. Loretta Secco
Associate Professor of Nursing, University of New Brunswick

Dr. Frank Symons
Associate Professor, Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota

Dr. Tricia Vause
Assistant Professor of Child and Youth Studies and Applied Disability Studies, Brock University

Community Advisory Group

Our Community Advisory Group provides input from diverse perspectives, including families, service providers, managers, administrators, policymakers, academics and researchers.

See a list of current Advisory Group members.