Meet the Team
Explore the collective expertise of the authors dedicated to bridging neuroscience with clinical practice.
Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD
Ruth A. Lanius, M.D., Ph.D. is a clinician scientist, Psychiatry Professor and Harris-Woodman Chair in Mind-Body Medicine at Western University of Canada, where she is the Director of the Clinical Research Program for PTSD. She earned her MD and PhD in Neuroscience degrees from the University of British Columbia. Ruth has over 25 years of clinical and research experience with trauma-related disorders.
She established the Traumatic Stress Service at London Health Sciences Center, a program that specializes in the treatment of psychological trauma. Ruth has received numerous research and teaching awards, including the Banting Award for Military Health Research, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Training on Trauma and Attachment in Children, and election to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada.
Ruth has written 5 books, including Sensory Pathways to Healing from Trauma, and published over 250 research articles and book chapters focusing on brain adaptations to psychological trauma and novel adjunct treatments for PTSD.
She regularly lectures on the topic of psychological trauma worldwide, and has given more than 250 invited lectures locally, nationally, and internationally. Ruth is a passionate clinician scientist who endeavours to understand the first-person experience of traumatized individuals throughout treatment and how it relates to brain functioning.
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Sherain Harricharan, PhD
Sherain completed her doctoral degree in Neuroscience at Western University under Ruth’s supervision. Having discovered an interest in mental health, she’s now enrolled in the Clinical Psychology program at McMaster University, under the supervision of Dr. Margaret McKinnon. Her research focuses on brain changes in the aftermath of trauma. She is particularly interested in how trauma and dissociation affect our senses, and what kind of impact this may have on emotion, social interaction, and perception. Within our lab, Sherain has authored a number of scientific papers, and she also completes psychological assessments for some of our research studies. Her gentle and caring manner quickly puts people at ease. Sherain’s newest project will involve investigating the sense of touch among individuals with PTSD.
Breanne Kearney, PhD, M.Res., M.S., OT Reg. (Ont.)
Breanne is a postdoctoral researcher who completed her PhD in Neuroscience under Ruth's supervision. She holds a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of New Hampshire, and a Master’s degree in Research in Cognitive Neuroscience from University College London. Previously, she worked with children with sensory challenges who struggled to manage their emotions and behaviour. She did this work in a variety of settings (e.g., home, school, in the community) using a play- and relationship-based approach. Her preparation for that work included advanced training at the STAR Center in Denver, Colorado under the supervision of Dr. Lucy J. Miller and Dr. Lisa Porter. Breanne is grateful for having learned so much from her clients, which led to her passion for researching the senses and embodiment (i.e., how the body and mind interact) after trauma. She is also passionate about exploring the use of bottom-up (i.e., body-based), relationship-focused approaches in the healing process. Outside of the lab, Breanne enjoys being active outdoors, travelling, reading, baking, and playing the piano.
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Benjamin Pandev-Girard, M.ERG/M.O.T.
Benjamin is an occupational therapist (OT) from Quebec, and a guest lecturer and mentor at the Université de Sherbrooke. An OT is a trained healthcare worker who helps people with activities (or “occupations”) that are important for their everyday lives, for example, body movements, self-care, and leisure activities. Benjamin has a particular interest in the impact of stress and trauma on the development and regulation of emotions, occupational performance and sensory processing. A field worker, Benjamin has consulted with First Nations Communities, schools, daycares and youth protection agencies to develop trauma-informed environments and interventions to decrease seclusion and restraints. When Ruth met Benjamin at a trauma conference, she knew our research team could benefit from his OT expertise. Believing, as Dr. Bessel van der Kolk says, that “The Body Keeps the Score”, Benjamin is helping us investigate the impact of trauma on the body and its movements, coordination, and balance, and how movement can help with the healing process.
Video: What excites Us most about the book
