OUR TEAM
Basem Gohar, PhD, MSc, C.Psych
Lab Founder & Principal Investigator
Dr. Basem Gohar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Medicine at Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and leads the University of Guelph’s Research in Occupational Health and Wellness (UGROHW) lab. He is also a registered clinical psychologist in Ontario. Dr. Gohar’s research focuses on workplace mental health, particularly within human and veterinary healthcare settings. Dr. Gohar’s research addresses three key areas in the healthcare field: Staffing shortages and employee retention, moral distress and moral injury and preparedness to practice. Dr. Gohar has a proven track record, securing tri-council funding (CIHR and SSHRC) and industry grants, with numerous peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals. He employs various research methods, including knowledge syntheses (e.g. meta-analyses and scoping reviews), and quantitative and qualitative approaches. With a unique educational, research and clinical background, Dr. Gohar teaches clinical communication and ethics to student veterinarians. He also teaches qualitative health research and knowledge synthesis at the graduate level.
Team Members
Amanda Walczyk, BSc Student
Lab Manager & Research Assistant
Amanda is a third-year Biological Science student at the University of Guelph. She is interested in mental health and qualitative research, and is working with the UGROHW Lab to research occupational health and wellbeing within healthcare settings. She is excited to embrace new opportunities and challenges through this research. Additionally, she manages and maintains the UGROHW lab website. Amanda is passionate about being active in her community through academics, clubs, and research. She was a member of the Best Buddies club for 2 years, which fosters connections between students and members of the community, and advocates for accessibility. She is constantly looking for new ways to get involved. In addition to her academics and volunteering, she enjoys bouldering, board games, and reading.
Carol Ibrahim, MSc Student
Carol Ibrahim recently graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science. She is returning to the University of Guelph to pursue a Master of Science in Population Medicine with a specialization in Public Health. During her final year, Carol embarked on a research thesis project, investigating the intricate mechanisms responsible for the exaggerated blood pressure response during exercise. This experience ignited her passion for research and motivated her to pursue a master’s degree. Carol is eager to merge her biomedical science background with public health to address real-world issues and develop effective interventions and policies to enhance community health and well-being. Outside of school, Carol volunteers as a program leader with United for Literacy, a non-profit organization that provides tutoring services for children new to Canada. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, knitting, and spending time with family and friends.
Janine Noorloos, PhD Student
Janine Noorloos is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Population Medicine at OVC at the University of Guelph, supervised by Dr. Basem Gohar. With interests in social epidemiology, upstream intervention, population health, and implementation science, Janine’s research focuses on building the field of veterinary social work in Canada by examining the occupational health and wellness of human and animal healthcare providers. Prior, Janine worked in the field of mental health promotion at the Knowledge Development and Exchange Hub hosted by Renison University College and affiliated with the University of Waterloo. Janine first attended Wilfrid Laurier University as a violinist. She then completed a Master of Health Science in Translational Research at the University of Toronto where she is now an instructor and has since furthered her education at Dalhousie University’s School of Social Work. Most recently, Janine has been involved with federally funded research projects related to animal-inclusive disaster-preparedness planning in Canada, system responses to violence against women and gender-diverse persons in Canadian provinces, and health inequities and stigma associated with people who have lymphatic filariasis in Ghana.
Jaskiran Baweja, MSc Student
Jaskiran graduated from the University of Guelph in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science and is pursuing an Mater of Science in Population Medicine. Her research interests are psychiatric epidemiology and occupational health and wellness.
Outside of academics, Jaskiran works as a medical assistant at an ophthalmology clinic and volunteer at a non-profit organization that offers solution-focused emotional support to community members and promotes mental health and wellness. In her free time, Jaskiran likes to paint, watch Netflix, spend time with loved ones, and go for walks.
Karli Longthorne, PhD Candidate
Karli (she/her) is a mental health and well-being researcher, currently pursuing a PhD project that aims to investigate, develop and evaluate institutional well-being interventions for veterinary academic employees who work at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). The project, which is co-advised by Dr. Andria Jones and Dr. Basem Gohar brings together psychological and epidemiological inquiry and mixed-method research to drive positive social change and transformation at the OVC and similar veterinary institutions. Karli’s work is inspired by her commitment to addressing complex social issues related to mental health and well-being in vulnerable populations; and by her passion for using science to inform systematic issues through knowledge mobilization.
Kate Wycherley, DVM
Assistant Professor, MSc (in progress)
Dr. Kate Wycherley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Studies at the Ontario Veterinary College. Kate graduated from the OVC with a veterinary degree in 2019 and has been a practicing veterinarian ever since. She decided to join Dr. Gohar and the UGROHW Lab in order to help develop solutions for the major problem of new graduate confidence in the veterinary industry (MSc Thesis in Clinical Studies). Her current project involves investigating what areas of clinical confidence are lacking in new graduates and the role mentorship can play in alleviating this. When she is not working on her research project, Kate finds a lot of joy in teaching her students the basics of canine and feline dentistry.
Maziha Kamal, MSc student (Thesis)
Maziha completed a Bilingual Honours bachelor of Science at York University, specializing in Biology. Her undergraduate degree included a field course involving observation of animals’ interactions with people in various ecological contexts, including bird-banding sessions and small mammals’ response to camera monitoring. These experiences sparked Maziha’s curiosity about the potential therapeutic effects of animal-human interactions, particularly in high-stress environments such as healthcare settings. Currently, as an MSc Student in Population Medicine at the University of Guelph, Maziha is co-supervised by Dr. Basem Gohar in the UGROHW Lab and Dr. Jason Coe in the Relationship-Centered Veterinary Medicine (RCVM) lab. Through this dual-supervision opportunity, Maziha is investigating the impact of support from a facility dog on human-healthcare workers’ perceived stress, perceived work support, and organizational commitment. When not immersed in research, Maziha enjoys exploring the vibrant worlds of Nintendo games! Beyond that, she looks for opportunities to innovate healthcare, whether it’s brainstorming new service expansions or refining her skills in healthcare management.
Michael W Brunt, PhD, MSc, RMLAT
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Michael W Brunt is a MITACS Elevate postdoctoral fellow. He is also a registered master laboratory animal technician which inspired his PhD dissertation at the University of British Columbia to understand the ethics of using animals for scientific experimentation at Canadian institutions. Dr. Brunt conducts multidisciplinary research which focuses on improving the lives of animals by understanding the people who care for them (veterinarians, farmers, pet guardians) in the workplace, at home, on farm, or in laboratories. He has held academic positions at the Ontario Veterinary College as a SSHRC postdoctoral fellow and a NSERC postdoctoral scholar, a proven track record of peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals, and a book chapter in An Introduction to Veterinary Humanities. Dr. Brunt’s current research partners with The College of Veterinarians of Ontario to explore the workplace mental health of early career and newly licensed Ontario veterinarians
Monique Nasser, BSc Student
Monique is a second-year Biomedical Science student at the University of Guelph. She works with Dr. Gohar and his team on research related to the mental health of occupational workers. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Monique aspires to enter the medical field. In terms of extracurriculars, Monique is an RnD member of the Journal of Health Advocacy and Medicine club, where she conducts reviews on research pertaining to those topics. Outside of school, Monique enjoys reading, exercising, and spending time with her family.