Lab Members

Lab Director

Dr. Shannon L. Zaitsoff, Ph.D., R. Psych.

Dr. Zaitsoff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University. She conducts research on the prevention and treatment of eating and weight disorders. Dr. Zaitsoff completed her Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology at the University of Windsor, and her clinical internship at the University of Chicago, under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Le Grange. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Program for Obesity, Weight, and Eating Research at Yale University. Dr. Zaitsoff has specialized training in treatments for children, adolescents, adults, and families struggling with eating and weight disorders. Specifically, she has expertise in Family-Based Treatment (i.e., the Maudsley approach), Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, and Behavioural Weight Loss. Her current research projects examine the importance of family meals in relation to healthy eating and weight practices and the role of the patient-therapist relationship in family-based treatments for adolescents with eating disorders. 

Graduate Student

Rachelle Pullmer, M.A.

Rachelle is a third year doctoral student in the General-Clinical stream. Her program of research focuses on uncovering common factors that foster resilience and lower the risk of detrimental health behaviours and psychopathology. Specifically, she has led numerous research projects aimed at identifying factors that protect against body dissatisfaction and eating pathology. Rachelle's doctoral research is funded by the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Upon completing data collection in three local high schools and at a tertiary eating disorders program, she found that self-compassion predicted increases in body satisfaction and decreases in dietary restraint. In the community sample, psychological distress helped account for the relationships between these variables over a 4-month period. Over the course of her residency and professional career, Rachelle looks forward to broadening the scope of her research to increase the efficiency and dissemination of evidence-based interventions. 

Honor Student

Sherene Balanji

Lab Alumni

Lindsay Samson, Research Assistant

Jason Chung, Research AssistantRaina Dutchyn, Research Assistant

Sophie Mohamed, Research Assistant

Daniella D. Sieukaran, M.A., Graduate Student

Hilary Aime, B.A. (Hons.), Lab Coordinator

Shivani S., Research Assistant

Chandan Bassi, Research Assitant

Sara Frankenberger, B.A., Research Assistant

Maeve Cyr, B.A. (Hons.)

Angelina Yiu, B.A. (Hons.), Lab Coordinator