Our Team
Meet our established team of Research Professionals passionate to identify and assess risk and develop occupation-based interventions for preventing high-risk behaviours and improving mental and physical health in the workplace.
Assistant Professor
Emily Geldsaler Grant Early Career Professor in Workplace Mental Health
Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Member, Rehabilitation Sciences Institute
Faculty Researcher, Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Affiliate Scientist - Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network
Collaborating Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Principal Investigator
Dr. Behdin Nowrouzi-kia
OT Reg. (Ont.), PhD, FRSA
0000-0002-5586-4282
Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science, where he also holds the inaugural Emily Geldsaler Grant Early Career Professorship in Workplace Mental Health. Through an occupational lens, his research program is a systematic study of occupations in the areas of work disability prevention, return to work, and disability management. This approach is designed to produce results directly applicable to identify and assess risk and to develop interventions for preventing or improving high-risk behaviours in the workplace. Dr. Nowrouzi-Kia’s work is motivated by efforts in the field of work disability prevention that extends beyond the efforts to prevent or cure diseases from a purely physical perspective, towards more holistic approaches.
Maryam Shahzad
Doctoral Trainee
Maryam is a clinical occupational therapist and doctoral student in the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto. Maryam has experience in qualitative and knowledge synthesis studies in the areas of resiliency and brain injury and health behaviours of Indigenous and immigrant populations. She is interested in studying occupational disability and rehabilitation in diverse populations. She has clinical experience supporting the return to work and community integration of individuals with brain injury.
Donia Obeidat
Doctoral Trainee
​Donia is a Jordanian occupational therapist and a Ph.D. student in rehabilitation science at the University of Toronto. As an occupational therapist and a future scientist, Donia is mainly interested in the working environment and related disabilities, engagement in community, and improving quality of life.
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Kishana Balakrishnar
Research Assistant
​​Kishana is a fourth-year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough majoring in Population Health with minors in Biology and Statistics. Kishana joined the ReSTORE Lab as a co-op student in January 2024, hoping to leverage her previous research experience to make meaningful contributions to the team and enhance her skills. She is passionate about research, public health, and epidemiology, and aiming to pursue graduate school.
Aishvinigaa Sathananthan
Co-op Student
Aishvinigaa is a third year co-op student studying at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She is specializing in Psychology and minoring in Applied Statistics and is particularly interested in clinical psychology. Aishvinigaa joined the ReSTORE lab to gain new skills and learn more about the research field and the interesting topics being explored. She is looking forward to contributing to various projects aimed at improving individual’s mental health
Raihana Premji
Research Assistant
Raihana is a third-year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough specializing in Mental Health Studies. Her previous research experience has fuelled her passion for clinical psychology and mental health, and has motivated her to pursue graduate studies. Raihana joined the ReSTORE to strengthen her research skills and contribute to projects that aim at improving various mental health outcomes.
Sana Siddiqui
Co-op Student
Sana is a third-year co-op student at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She is currently specializing in Mental Health Studies. She joined the ReSTORE lab to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be involved in research, including gaining practical skills and being a part of a research community. She is interested in using a clinical psychology lens to understand how social factors impact mental health. At the ReSTORE lab, she is particularly excited to learn about the potential influences of the workplace on mental health
Chloe Lau
Co-op student
Chloe is a third-year co-op student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, specializing in Mental Health Studies. She joined the ReSTORE Lab as a research assistant in 2025 to deepen her understanding of occupational therapy and its impact on mental health and rehabilitation. Building on her previous experience researching disability and personality pathology, Chloe is committed to advancing her skills in clinical research and plans to pursue graduate studies to further her academic and professional development.
Joyce Lo
Volunteer
Joyce is a research assistant who is now volunteering at the ReSTORE lab. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mental Health Studies from the University of Toronto. At the lab, Joyce has worked on projects that focus on topics such as gender-based violence in the workplace, return to work, and psychosocial factors at work. Her research interests include occupational and mental health.
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Javier Mencia Ledo
Research Assistant
​Javier is a research assistant at the ReSTORE Lab, where he first joined as a work-study student before receiving a grant through the Data Sciences Institute’s SUDS program to continue his research. He recently completed his degree in Statistics and Mathematics and is now pursuing an MSc in Biostatistics at UofT. His research interests focus on applied statistical methods and machine learning techniques, with a particular emphasis in health data science.
André Fagundes Avila Santos
Mitacs Globalink Research Intern
5th year medical student from Brazil. Previous experience on qualitative studies on medical education and mental health, passionate about the influence of mental health on the day to day life of individuals and how the part played by healthcare professionals in advocating mental health. Has also had experience on systematic reviews with a range of themes. Currently considering attending residence on Neurology
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Leyi Zhou
Mitacs Globalink Research Intern
Leyi Zhou is a fourth-year undergraduate student in Public Health at Zhejiang University, China. She joined the ReSTORE Lab in 2025 as a Mitacs Globalink Research Intern with a keen interest in both data analytics and the interdisciplinary aspects of public health. She is excited to explore how research can inform equitable and effective healthcare interventions. At the lab, she looks forward to further developing her analytical skills while working collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team to tackle global health challenges.
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Ana Villarreal Galeano
Mitacs Globalink Research Intern
Ana is a fifth-year medical student at the University of Antioquia in Colombia. She has previous experience assisting in immunological research projects and joined the ReSTORE Lab as an international trainee through the MITACS program. Ana is committed to developing her research skills and gaining experience in the field of disability and mental health.She aims to pursue a Master’s or PhD in the medical sciences to support her long-term goal of professional growth and contributing to research that improves health outcomes in diverse populations
Yunxi Piao
Volunteer
Yunxi is a third-year student in the Mental Health Studies program at the University of Toronto Scarborough. With a prior degree in Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, she brings an interdisciplinary perspective combining statistical reasoning with mental health research. She joined ReSTORE Lab in 2025 as a Volunteer Research Assistant, supporting a genomic study and contributing to broader research development efforts. Yunxi is passionate about translating research into patient-centred care and hopes to pursue future training in medicine or clinical mental health to bridge the gap between science and practice.
Avasa Sarawan
Volunteer
Avasa is a third-year student at the University of Toronto pursuing a Specialist in Health and Disease. She joined the ReSTORE Lab in the summer of 2025 to learn more about occupational health research and gain new research skills. She is excited about contributing to research focused on worker physical and mental health.
