Dr. Pamela Holens
Lab Director
Pamela Holens, Ph.D., C. Psych., is a psychologist and the Clinical Director at the Winnipeg OSI Clinic. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Health Psychology and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Manitoba . Dr. Holens specializes in the assessment and treatment of Operational Stress Injuries in military, RCMP, and veterans. Her particular areas of specialization include trauma-focused treatments such as Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy and EMDR Therapy, as well as psychological treatments for chronic pain. In addition, she runs a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills group for individuals struggling with emotional dysregulation and other borderline personality traits. Over the past several years, she has been working on developing and evaluating an online treatment for chronic pain that is tailored for military and RCMP personnel, and she is currently running a RCT to evaluate the program’s efficacy. ​
Email: pholens@deerlodge.mb.ca​
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Jeremiah Buhler
Research Coordinator, PhD Candidate
Jeremiah received his B.A. (Hons.) and M.A. from the The University of Manitoba. His honours and master’s theses examined the efficacy of an online chronic pain treatment for military and police populations. Jeremiah is currently a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Manitoba. His dissertation is examining the relationship between psychosocial variables and chronic pain amongst Canadian Armed Force Veterans. He is currently a psychological associate at the Operational Stress Injury Clinic, with special interests in treating trauma and chronic pain.
Email: buhlerj@myumanitoba.ca
Luigi Imbrogno
Research Assistant
Luigi received both his B.Sc (Major. Psychology, Minor. Biology) and his B.H.St (Health Promotion and Education) from the University of Manitoba. He is currently working on his MSc in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and additional postgraduate training in Infection Prevention and Control. In addition to his research with the OSI Clinic, he is passionate about men's mental health and conducts research in the area of gay men's mental health as well as research in pediatrics and child health at the University of Manitoba. Luigi is excited to continue his research activities in the hopes of improving the lives of others and is looking forward to integrating his mental health research with his public and community health background.
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Email: Luigiimbro@gmail.com
Martine Southall
Research Assistant
Martine received her B.A. from the University of Manitoba in 2017, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Environmental Science. She then completed a B.A. Honours in Psychology as a second degree student in 2021. Her thesis examined the interaction between PTSD symptom clusters and chronic pain in Canadian Veterans. She is interested in evaluation of interventions for PTSD and chronic pain, comorbid substance use disorders, as well as military, veteran, and public safety personnel populations. Martine hopes to pursue a career in the field of clinical psychology.
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Email: southalm@myumanitoba.ca
Liana Rock
Research Assistant
Liana recieved her B.A. Honours in Psychology from the University of Manitoba in 2020. Her thesis evaluated the effectiveness of a chronic pain treatment for military and police populations who have post-traumatic stress disorder, and those who do not.
Email: rockl3@myumanitoba.ca
Catherine Desorcy-Nantel
Research Assistant
Catherine recieved her B.A. Honours in Psychology from the University of Manitoba in 2020. She wrote her thesis on residual symptoms of PTSD after evidence-based trauma treatment with individuals in the military, veterans and RCMP. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology at the University of Manitoba.
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Email: desorcyc@myumanitoba.ca
Adair Libbrecht
Research Assistant
Adair recieved her B.A. Honours in Psychology from the University of Manitoba in 2019. Her thesis was a qualitative study evaluating an online acceptance-based behavioural therapy program for chronic pain designed for a military and police population. In the future, Adair hopes to be admitted into a clinical psychology program to gain her Ph.D. and pursue a career as a clinical psychologist.
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Email: libbreca@myumanitoba.ca
Alyssa Romaniuk
Research Assistant
Alyssa recieved her B.A. Honours in Psychology from the University of Manitoba in 2019. She is currently working to gain more experience and further her knowledge in research laboratories. Alyssa is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in School Psychology at the University of Manitoba.
Email: romaniu3@myumanitoba.ca
Michelle Paluszek
Research Assistant
Michelle received her B.A. (Hons.) from the University of Manitoba. She completed her Master's in Clinical Psychology at the University of Regina, and is currently a PhD student at the University of Regina. Michelle is interested in military and public safety personnel populations, trauma experiences, PTSD, social support, and comorbidity of physical health conditions (e.g., chronic pain) and mental health conditions (e.g., anxiety).
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Email: paluszem@myumanitoba.ca
Spenser Martin
Research Assistant
Spenser received his B.A. from the University of Manitoba in 2017 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. He then completed a B.A. Honours in 2020 through the second degree program. His thesis used various light intensities as reinforcement for Manitoba Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) to determine how reinforcer magnitude affects them. He currently works at the Canadian Mental Health Association Manitoba & Winnipeg as part of the Well-Being Learning Centre and OCD Centre where he develops and teaches courses on mental health and support groups for people living with OCD or hoarding disorder. Spenser would like to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology.
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Email: ummart65@myumanitoba.ca
Past Members
Brent Joyal
Research Assistant
Brent received his B.A. (Hons) from the University of Manitoba in 2019. His research focuses on veteran health, substance use in military populations, and psychometric design. His other academic interests include cultural studies, and family health sciences.
Email: umjoyalb@myumanitoba.ca