Meet Our Team
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR & LAB DIRECTOR
Taymy Josefa Caso, PhD
Dr. Caso (they/she) is an Assistant Professor of Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta and a lecturer at New York University and the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Caso is the director of IREACH Lab.
Dr. Caso’s University of Alberta Faculty Profile can be accessed here.
DOCTORAL STUDENT
Madison Dabbs-Petty, MEd
Madison Dabbs-Petty (MEd; she/her) is a second year PhD student in Counselling Psychology in the Faculty of Education, supervised by Dr. Taymy Caso. Madison also holds a Bacclauréat-es-arts from the University of Alberta’s Faculté Saint-Jean and a Certificate in International Learning, also from the University of Alberta. Madison's research interests centre on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC health and intersectionality. Her Master’s capstone project was focused on the importance of human sexuality training for aspiring psychologists in Canada and the US. Currently, Madison has contributed to projects regarding sexuality and technology, health disparities for sexual and gender minorities, Black mental health, and reproductive justice for LGBTQ+ and racialized Canadians. Madison is also continuing her Master’s work by identifying gaps in human sexuality training among Canadian student clinicians. For her doctoral project, she aims to conduct a needs assessment of rural LGBTQ+ health in Canada by engaging providers and community members. This project would serve to highlight the ongoing resilience of queer and trans individuals in Canada as they face ongoing threats to their autonomy, wellbeing, and healthcare rights.
Madison aims to embody the scientist-practitioner-advocate model of psychology by serving her community in a number of roles. She is the Vice President of her area’s Professional Psychology Graduate Students Association and the Student Liaison for her program. She has enthusiastically pursued teaching roles, acting as a teaching assistant for two graduate-level courses in the Fall 2024 semester. In the previous academic year, Madison engaged in knowledge mobilization by presenting at several international conferences, including those for the Society for the Scientific Study for Sexuality (SSSS), the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), and the American Psychological Association (APA). Madison’s academic, clinical, and advocacy work has been honoured through her receipt of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship, the SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship, and the Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship. Madison is trilingual, has two cats, and loves to write fiction and watch Shakespeare in her free time.
DOCTORAL STUDENT
Lucijana Herceg, MEd
My name is Lucijana Herceg (she/her/hers). I am a first year PhD student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Taymy Caso. For my master’s thesis, I explored how young women experience thin-ideal content (i.e., fitspiration and thinspiration) on Instagram, along with their experiences with social connectedness online. My primary research interests include issues pertaining to body image, body satisfaction, disordered eating and eating disorders, mass media and social media, and the promotion of health. I am the recipient of multiple awards including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship ($80,000), Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship ($17,500) and the UofA President’s Doctoral Prize of Distinction ($10,000). Currently, I am a graduate research assistant for Heros in Mind, Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC) where I am assisting in the writing of a scoping literature review, and a follow-up environmental scan, on apps and programs aimed at enhancing public safety personnel (PSP), veterans, and military member’s (MMs) resilience and well-being. I am Croatian and speak both Croatian and Bosnian at home and with my friends. I enjoy spending time with my family and pets, being outdoors, and long drives while listening and singing along to good music.
DOCTORAL STUDENT
Ahad Asad, MEd
Ahad Asad, MEd (he/him) is a first-year PhD student at the University of Alberta, specializing in Counselling Psychology and a 2024 recipient of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship. In previous years, he received multiple awards including the Alberta Graduate Excellence Award, Harvey Zingle Award, Counselling Psychology Award, and the Stephen and Lynn Mandel Graduate Scholarship in Sexual and Gender Minority Studies. His research interests lie in anti-oppression and advocacy work focusing on intersectional identities. Ahad’s Master’s capstone focused on the impacts of Imposter Syndrome on 2SLGBTQ+ BIPOC students navigating white academic Institutions. He is also a member of the student advisory committee for advancing racial justice at the University of Alberta. Currently, Ahad is working on projects examining social determinants of health, race-based traumatic stress in BIPOC communities, and phantom sensations experienced by transgender and gender-diverse individuals. As part of his doctoral practicum, Ahad works as a student Psychoncologist, providing cancer care to patients in the greater Edmonton Area. In his free time, Ahad enjoys spending time with his friends & family, reading, trying the newest restaurants, and baking while listening to T-swift.
DOCTORAL STUDENT
Milica Miskic, BA (hons)
Milica Miskic, BA (hons), (he/her/they/them) is a first-year Master of Education student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta, supervised by Dr. Taymy Caso. Their previous research examined the development of vaccine-hesitant belief systems through discourse on social media platforms such as Twitter during the height of the pandemic. Now, she is pivoting her focus to do research from a forensic psychology lens with an emphasis on LGBTQ+ populations following non-profit work done at the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northern Alberta. Through supporting clients in rehabilitative efforts, running three community and prison-based programs, and doing regular outreach work to connect with folks through Edmonton, they were fortunately awarded the 2022 Advocate of the Year Award. The experience was formative for her current desire to explore the complex relationship criminalized gender-diverse folk have with the victim-offender overlap, intersections of marginalized identities on surviving oppressive systems, and examination of mitigating recidivism through therapeutic supports. Milica is from an immigrant background, is bilingual (English and Serbian), and has a passion for writing fiction and creating digital art in her free time; she is also an avian enthusiast and has two budgies, a cockatiel, and a conure.
GRADUATE STUDENT
Rose Scavuzzo, BA (hons)
Rosalia Scavuzzo, BA (hons) (she/her) is a first year Master’s Student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Taymy Caso. Her previous research projects have examined: the productivity of students during the Covid-19 pandemic; the effects of context on perceptions of the language of suicide; and whether community notifications could be modified to change public perceptions of offenders. In her Master’s she is shifting to conduct research from a intersectional feminist lens with a focus on 2SLGBTQ+ populations. Rosalia is bilingual and enjoys reading (SFF), music, and tending to ever growing plant collection. She also has a passion for cooking and travel after being a chef for over 10 years and working in kitchens locally (Edmonton) and internationally (including Paris, Melbourne, and Queenstown).
GRADUATE STUDENT
Areej Rizvi, BA (hons)
Areej Rizvi, (she/her) BA (Honours Psychology and Honours Sociology (Distinction), is a first year Master’s student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta. Areej is currently the Master’s Liaison for the Professional Psychology Graduate Students Association. During her undergraduate degree in psychology and sociology at the University of Waterloo, Areej received an NSERC USRA and assisted on multiple projects across different psychological research labs. Areej also completed an honours thesis project where she investigated how a company's commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) values influences how people perceive the company's culture. Areej plans to further explore how different environments can create a sense of inclusivity and authenticity, particularly in the context of therapeutic relationships. Through her experiences of working in various pharmacies and hospital settings, Areej has developed a passion for promoting accessibility of mental health services among marginalized groups. During her free time Areej enjoys reading, hiking and spending time with loved ones.
GRADUATE STUDENT
Zalika Scott-Ugwuegbula, MEd
Zalika Scott-Ugwuegbula, , M.Ed., (she/her) is a first year Doctoral Student in Psychological Studies of Education - Research at the University of Alberta. For her master’s thesis, Zalika examined how the combination of race, racism, and ableism impact the educational experience of Black autistic students. For her outstanding academic performance, Zalika was awarded the University of Alberta Graduate Recruitment Scholarship in recognition of her achievements as an exceptional PhD recruitment. Her research interests lie in intersection of autism and Black and/or LGBTQ+ identities, academic motivation and achievement motivation with an emphasis on students who are of Black and of African-descent. Currently, Zalika is working on projects that examine the experiences of Black autistic LGBTQ+ community members, the experiences of Black and autistic postsecondary students, academic assessment experiences of Black postsecondary students, motivation constructs and theories from a culturally responsive perspective, and the improvement of learning outcomes for Black autistic students. In-between classes, she works as a graduate research assistant for the Partnership for Research with African Newcomers (PRAN) network, as well as a teaching assistant at the University of Alberta for classes such as Inclusive Education. Zalika has a passion for endurance running, hiking, camping, reading, and arts-and-crafts!
GRADUATE STUDENT
Dawn Abraham, BSc (spec)
Dawn Abraham, BSc (spec) (she/her) is a first-year MEd Counseling Psychology student at the University of Alberta. During her BSc Psychology Specialization, she spent more than two years as a research assistant, independent study student, and volunteer in two different cultural psychology labs. As part of her degree, she also obtained a Research Certificate in Science (Psychology) and a Certificate in International Learning, representing her passions for scientific inquiry and intercultural relations respectively. On her own time, she completed a wide variety of mental health trainings, such as ASIST, MHFA, Trauma-Informed Care, and more. Though her experiences in academia have been inspiring, she prioritizes giving back to her community above all else, volunteering for Alberta Health Services and several community organizations. She hopes to continue this service in her future research endeavors, and is particularly interested in examining culture and interpersonal relationships. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and listening to audio drama.