Our Team

Dr. Benjamin Goldstein

Director, Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder

Dr. Goldstein is a child-adolescent psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the University of Toronto, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed medical training at the University of Calgary, followed by residency training in general and child-adolescent psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Dr. Goldstein holds the RBC Investments Chair in Children’s Mental Health and Developmental Psychopathology at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, where he is Director of the Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder.

Dr. Aaron Silverman

Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

Dr. Silverman received his medical degree and completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Toronto, followed by child and adolescent subspecialty training at the University of Ottawa. He is working on a study to compare depressive symptoms between youth with and without bipolar disorder. Dr. Silverman also has interests in concurrent disorders and dialectical behaviour therapy. He enjoys being a part of a team of people who are working on understanding and addressing bipolar disorder from many different angles and bringing a broad range of skills and experience together.

Jessica Barton

Research Coordinator

Jess Barton is a research coordinator at CYBD. Jess graduated from the National University of Ireland, Galway, with a MSc in Health Psychology, and the University of Otago, New Zealand, with a BSc in Psychology. She researches factors associated with youth bipolar disorder, such as sleep difficulties and police contact. She is passionate about helping individuals gain a better understanding of bipolar disorder, pursuing research to help develop treatments, and ultimately break stigmas surrounding mental health.

Ariel Bettridge

Lab Manager

Ariel Bettridge is the lab manager at CYBD. She graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours BSc in psychology and life sciences, and a MSc in social and personality psychology from Queen’s University. She also completed the Clinical Research Certificate program at the Michener Institute, where she gained expertise and knowledge in clinical trials. Ariel assists with the research studies at CYBD, and enjoys working towards bettering outcomes for youth with psychiatric illness. Her favourite part of her job is all the wonderful patients and participants that she gets to work with.

Danielle Curcio

Research Coordinator (on maternity leave)

Danielle is a research coordinator and study therapist at CYBD. She provides dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to youth and families affected by bipolar disorder. Danielle is a registered social worker and a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a MSW and an Honours BSc in psychology and cognitive science. She is also passionate about working with CYBD’s Youth Advisory Council and disseminating knowledge on youth bipolar disorder through social media and community engagement projects, with the goal of reducing stigma, and increasing awareness and advocacy for patients and families.

Amanda Moss

Research Coordinator

Amanda Moss is a research coordinator and study therapist at CYBD. She completed her MSW and an Honours BA in psychology with a specialization in research at Wilfrid Laurier University. Amanda is a registered social worker who provides dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to youth. Amanda is passionate about supporting child and youth mental health through CYBD’s focus on treatment, research, education, and advocacy.

Vanessa Rajamani

Research Coordinator

Vanessa Rajamani is a research coordinator and study therapist at CYBD. Vanessa completed a BSc with a major in psychology at McGill University and a MSW at the University of Toronto. Vanessa is a registered social worker who provides dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) at CYBD and is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™. She also oversees data management for CYBD’s research studies. Vanessa enjoys building relationships with the youth and families that come to CYBD. She considers it a privilege to be a coach and support youth throughout their treatment journey and bear witness to resilience and recovery.

Jessica Roane

Research Coordinator

Jessica Roane (Jes) is a graduate of the Master of Social Work Program at the University of Toronto, specializing in mental health & health and she also completed her Honours BSc in psychology at Dalhousie University. She is registered with both the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers and the Ontario Association of Social Workers. At CYBD, as a research coordinator and study therapist, Jes provides dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) for youth with bipolar disorder within the context of various research studies and is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™. Jes enjoys working in collaborative partnerships with youth and witnessing the evolution and growth that can occur in therapy.

Mojdeh Zamyadi

Imaging Research Coordinator

Mojdeh Zamyadi has over 10 years of medical imaging research experience at several Toronto hospitals including SickKids, Sunnybrook, and Baycrest. She holds a BSc in applied mathematics from the University of Waterloo, and an MSc in medical biophysics from the University of Toronto. Her research interests include medical image processing and analysis. In her role as the imaging research coordinator at CYBD, she is aiming to create standard workflows for secure imaging data storage, access, and analysis. Mojdeh enjoys the friendly, collaborative spirit of the CYBD team and looks forward to contributing to innovative research that will positively impact youth with bipolar disorder.

Alana Friedlander

Research Analyst

Alana Friedlander is a research analyst at CYBD. Alana graduated from the University of Toronto Scarborough with an Honours BSc degree specializing in psychology where she also completed multiple co-op placements. Alana is currently supporting several different projects within the lab, including her own projects exploring clinical and neuroimaging characteristics of youth who either have bipolar disorder or are at high risk of developing bipolar disorder. She enjoys everything about her work at CYBD but her favorite part is helping to make a difference in the lives of the youth and families who come through the clinic, as well as the possibility of helping future generations.

Diana Khoubaeva

Research Analyst

Diana Khoubaeva is a research analyst at CYBD. Diana graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours BSc degree specializing in psychology and minoring in bioethics. She is currently pursuing her MSW at the University of Toronto. Diana’s work at CYBD includes supporting the lab’s exercise research, and her own projects exploring suicidality, eating disorders, and psychosocial treatment in youth with bipolar disorder. She enjoys many aspects of working at CYBD, including the cooperative, friendly, and team-oriented nature of the lab. Most of all, through the work at CYBD, she enjoys helping to make a positive impact in the lives of youth with bipolar disorder and their families through innovative research, education, and stigma reduction.

Golda Osei-Bonsu

Research Assistant

Golda Osei-Bonsu is a research assistant at CYBD. Golda graduated from McMaster University with an Honours BSc in psychology, neuroscience and behaviour. Her research interests include examining second-line treatment modalities for mood disorders, particularly, unipolar and bipolar depression. She is also interested in how these treatments impact subjective and objective health-related quality of life. Golda hopes to hone her analytical writing and data-processing skills while supporting the team with administrative and social media tasks.

Max Hemmerich

Research Assistant (CYBD and TAY Cohort Study)

Max Hemmerich is a research assistant at CYBD. He completed his BSc in Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia, where he worked as a research coordinator on a neuroimaging study examining the effects of cannabinoids on stress response in a substance-using population. With research interests in youth mental health, mood disorders, and neuroimaging, Max finds working with CYBD to advance youth bipolar research extremely engaging. Max appreciates the friendly support from his colleagues at CYBD and is looking forward to contributing to this important field.

Randa Shickh

Research Analyst

Randa Shickh graduated from the University of Toronto with a MKin and Honours BKin. She is a registered kinesiologist and a member of the Ontario Kinesiology Association. Her primary interest is in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and using exercise as a therapeutic intervention for youth with bipolar disorder. She enjoys working towards improving health outcomes for youth with bipolar disorder alongside the passionate team of diverse health professionals at CYBD.

Charles Umeizudike

Research Analyst

Charles Umeizudike is a Research Analyst at CYBD. Charles graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours BSc in psychology and human biology. He is passionate about understanding the link between psychiatric disorders and their resulting physiological outcomes, and hopes to reduce the stigma around bipolar disorder through education and advocacy. Charles enjoys being part of the supportive team culture at CYBD, and appreciates the genuine efforts and passion of the team that comes through in their work.

Mikaela Dimick

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Mikaela Dimick has a BSc in psychology and behavioral science from McGill University. She recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology. Mikaela’s research focuses on examining suicide risk in youth with bipolar disorder, specifically by examining neuroimaging and neurocognitive phenotypes associated with self-harm. Her research aims to reduce suicide risk among youth with bipolar disorder by understanding biological mechanisms to inform personalized medicine and therapeutic approaches. Mikaela enjoys working at CYBD as the research findings reduce stigma and instill hope for our patients and families.

Kody Kennedy

Scientific Associate

Kody Kennedy completed his Honours BSc in pharmacology and biomedical toxicology and a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Toronto. Kody’s research focuses on the associations between traditional cardiovascular risk factors — such as cholesterol and blood pressure — and brain structure in bipolar disorder. He is also interested in cardiac imaging to evaluate for structural and functional differences in youth with bipolar disorder. Kody enjoys the broad range of research, collaboration with other researchers and interaction with youth at CYBD.

Megan Mio

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Megan Mio recently completed her PhD in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Toronto. She previously attended Western University where she received her BMSc with an honours specialization in pharmacology. Megan's PhD work focused on vascular risk and its relation to multiple neuroimaging outcomes in youth with bipolar disorder. Megan is also interested in exploring mental health policy and health services use as it relates to the integration of mental and physical healthcare. She enjoys working in the warm and collaborative team environment at CYBD, as well as seeing the resilience of patients and their families firsthand.

Alysha Sultan,

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Alysha Sultan graduated from the University of Toronto with a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology, and from Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honours BSc in psychology. Alysha’s PhD focused on the neurostructural and neurofunctional correlates of cannabis use in adolescents with bipolar disorder. Alysha’s post-doctoral work will build upon her PhD research and focus on cannabis-related genetic factors in relation to neurostructural and neurofunctional correlates in adolescents with bipolar disorder. Alysha loves contributing to the important research at CYBD alongside an amazing, knowledgeable, and friendly team.

Joyce (Xinyue) Jiang

PhD Student

C Joyce (Xinyue) Jiang is a PhD student in the University of Toronto Department of Pharmacology. Joyce graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours BSc in biomedical toxicology. She is interested in the genetics of bipolar disorder, and her projects focus on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and polygenic risk score (PRS) in relation to bipolar disorder and related clinical characteristics. Joyce enjoys the diversity and interdisciplinary nature of ongoing research projects at CYBD. She also appreciates the friendly and inclusive culture created by all team members.

Nidhi Kulkarni

PhD Student

Nidhi Kulkarni is a PhD student in the University of Toronto Department of Pharmacology. She graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a MSc in physiology and pharmacology, and from the University of Guelph with an Honours BSc in biomedical sciences. Nidhi's research focuses on familial and molecular genetic factors underlying the vascular-bipolar link. Nidhi loves the friendly and supportive environment at CYBD, and how it helps facilitate the translational nature of her research in understudied groups and topics.

Oana Mirel

MSc Student

Oana Mirel is a MSc student in the University of Toronto Department of Pharmacology. She received her Honours BSc degree in biomedical sciences from the University of Ottawa. Oana’s research focuses on exploring the predictive effects of oxidative stress blood markers on the course and clinical characteristics of youth bipolar disorder. During her time at CYBD, Oana is interested in exploring how biomarkers of oxidative stress can eventually be used to guide and optimize treatment in youth. Oana also loves the inclusive dynamic at CYBD and collaborating with her team members.

Suyi Shao

PhD Student

Suyi Shao is a PhD student in the University of Toronto Department of Pharmacology. She received her Honours BSc in pharmacology from McGill University. For her PhD research, Suyi is investigating mitochondrial genomics in relation to neuroimaging and neurocognition in youth bipolar disorder. She looks forward to uncovering more about how mitochondria, the power plant of cells throughout the brain and body, can be linked to brain structure and function in youth with bipolar disorder.

Clement Zai

Genetics Consultant

Dr. Clement Zai graduated from the University of Toronto with a PhD in Medical Science, an MSc in Medical Biophysics, and an HBSc in Molecular Genetics and Molecular Biology, and he recently received an MPH in Epidemiology from Harvard Chan School of Public Health. He is a Project Scientist at the Tanenbaum Centre for Pharmacogenetics, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, CAMH. His research interests include uncovering biological mechanisms of and building predictive models for psychiatric disorders, suicidality, and treatment outcomes through genetic and epidemiological investigations. He enjoys the collaborative and supportive environment of the CYBD team.