SSHRC Storyteller Teagan Neufeld Seeks Better Mental Health Tools

Universities are familiar places to Teagan Neufeld.

But feeling welcome on campus was a long process for this accomplished researcher and psychology graduate student.

"I grew up Métis in northwestern Ontario," she explains. "Going to university in Sudbury meant moving 18 hours away from my hometown of Kenora."

The sudden disconnection from her family and her culture was challenging.

"It made me realize how crucial it is that Indigenous youth have access to culturally relevant mental health services," she says.

This insight helped shape the direction of Teagan's Master of Clinical Psychology research, which is now in the national spotlight.

In September 2026, Teagan will begin a PhD in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead, supervised by Dr. Aislin Mushquash, where she will continue her mental health research. She previously gained hands-on experience helping young people as a childcare worker with Tikinagan Child & Family Services.

She has been chosen as one of 20 finalists from across Canada in the 2026 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Storytellers Challenge.

"Learning that I was a storytelling finalist was very exciting," she says. "It feels good to translate knowledge in a way that's accessible to the broader public."

In her award-winning video, Teagan describes the alienation that Indigenous young people can feel as they adapt to life away from their communities.

"You reach out for help, and a counsellor hands you a standard questionnaire to assess your mood.

No one asks about your family, your culture, your language, or your connection to the land.

The support you truly need doesn't exist...yet."

Finding that support is the driving force behind Teagan's master's research, "Evaluating Acceptance of Aaniish Naa Gegii: The Children's Health and Wellbeing Measure."

Central to Teagan's methodology is the embrace of two-eyed seeing—honouring both Indigenous and western ways of knowing.

Her research is being supervised by Lakehead Associate Professor Dr. Aislin Mushquash and is also supported by Dr. Christopher Mushquash, a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction at Lakehead.

Indigenous Students Are Often Overlooked

Psychologists and mental health professionals regularly use health and wellbeing measures to get a baseline assessment of an individual's wellbeing and to track their mental health over time.

"The problem is that virtually none of the existing measures are Indigenous," Teagan says.

Teagan (second from left) enjoys spending time with fellow students Joshua Wetendorf, Abbey Radorf, and Céline Wick at the 2025 Fall Harvest festival organized by Lakehead’s Indigenous Initiatives.

"Standard western measures don't take into account what it's like growing up on a reserve or in a small community. They also don't recognize the spiritual component of wellbeing, which is an essential part of life in Indigenous communities."

In 2011, this gap in care led researchers Mary Wabano and Dr. Nancy Young to design a new clinical tool.

They partnered with Indigenous children, youth, and communities to create Aaniish Naa Gegii: The Children's Health and Wellbeing Measure for Indigenous youth aged 8 to 18.

Aaniish Naa Gegii is a greeting in the Anishinaabemowin language that translates to: "How are you?"

Young people completing the assessment respond to questions based on the four quadrants of the Medicine Wheel to gauge their emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental wellbeing.

"It's been proven to accurately identify a person's strengths as well as areas where they need support. For example, becoming more involved in cultural events, getting additional help with schoolwork, or talking to a counsellor."

Drawing Strength from Community and Culture

"My research—which is funded by a SSHRC Indigenous Scholars Award—is looking at how to adapt Aaniish Naa Gegii for Indigenous postsecondary students," Teagan says.

Before embarking on her research, she went to Lakehead's Indigenous Student Service Centre (ISSC) to see if students had an interest in more culturally relevant mental health tools.

Both ISSC students and staff were enthusiastic about the proposal, and now they're collaborating with Teagan on the evaluation of Aaniish Naa Gegii.

"My research follows the Cree and Metis principle of Wâhkôhtowin, which recognizes that everything and everyone is connected," Teagan says. Artwork credit: Moses Amik

"We're at the information-gathering stage, trying to determine how to adapt the measure to best reflect the students' experiences," Teagan says.

"It's important to me to take a participatory and community-based approach to my research," she adds.

The next steps will be to modify the measure and run a statistical analysis to see if Aaniish Naa Gegii is still valid and reliable.

"This research is where my heart goes because it affects the people in my life," Teagan says.

"The power of representation, and what it can do for Indigenous youth, is transformative."

SSHRC's Storytellers Challenge asks postsecondary students to show Canadians how social sciences and humanities research is impacting our lives, our world, and our future for the better. In June 2026, the national SSHRC Storytellers finalists, including Teagan, will present their research at the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada conference in Montreal. Based on their presentations, five winners will be chosen.

Kinesiology Grad Madeline Fabiano Excels at Uplifting Others

Madeline Fabiano (HBK'23/MSc'25) is part of a generation of young people who've faced more than their fair share of struggles.

She was only a few months into her university studies when COVID hit, forcing everyone into lockdown.

This crisis affected students mentally, socially, and academically.

Madeline, though, rose above the pandemic's daunting challenges. She not only thrived, but she helped her fellow students thrive, too.

"I wanted to create supportive environments where people feel empowered and to foster a more inclusive, health-focused campus," she says.

"My goal was to address real student needs and promote a lasting culture of wellness."

Above, Madeline (right) and her father Enzo (left) at her 2023 undergraduate convocation ceremony.

Her diverse contributions have earned her the 2026 Robert Poulin Memorial Award for Outstanding Citizenship.

"Receiving the award is a wonderful culmination of my academic, research, and volunteer work at Lakehead," says Madeline, who has earned undergraduate and master's degrees in kinesiology.

"It's an honour to leave with such a meaningful award."

The Healing Power of Connection

To help students have the best university experience possible, Madeline joined several organizations—including the Kinesiology Association of Lakehead University (KALU) and Lakehead's Student Wellness Advisory Team (SWAT).

"I promoted awareness of campus services and connected students with critical resources, such as counselling," she says.

Madeline’s approach to kinesiology is focused on the benefits of physical activity. “Even carving out 10 minutes makes a huge difference,” she says. 

Later, during her master's degree, Madeline joined the Lakehead chapter of the Cam's Kids Foundation, which assists youth dealing with mental health issues.

"My focus was on promoting exercise and healthy coping strategies and disseminating this knowledge through campus activities and social media."

Madeline's outreach efforts went far beyond campus.

She found time to volunteer with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre's Hospital Elderly Life Program and WE-Can patient assistant program.

Serving as a Camp Quality companion to children with cancer was another incredibly rewarding endeavour.

Get Up and Move

Madeline was drawn to kinesiology—the study of the body in motion—because physical activity has been central to her life.

"I did dance, gymnastics, soccer, and swimming as a young child because my parents wanted to introduce me to a broad range of activities," she says. "When I got older, I concentrated on competitive cross-country skiing and running."

Above, Madeline stands in front of the School of Kinesiology with the coveted Chalice of Knowledge. "You can only drink from it after you've defended your master's thesis!" she explains. This passion for athletics carried over into her university research.

Madeline zoned in on an overlooked aspect of the pandemic—the loss of opportunities for exercise and physical activity.

"After the lockdown ended, I noticed there weren't many young women in the gym," she says.

"They wanted to be more active, but because they hadn't had access to athletic facilities during COVID, they didn't learn the skills needed to feel confident in the gym."

"I had a lot of people in my corner at Lakehead—including my thesis supervisor Dr. Erin Pearson—who contributed heavily to my successes," Madeline says. Above, Madeline and Dr. Pearson (pictured right) at Lakehead's 2024 Research and Innovation Awards Ceremony after Madeline won the People's Choice Award and came first place in Lakehead's Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition. She later came third in the 3MT® provincial finals.

Madeline's undergraduate thesis studied these barriers to exercise and provided the foundation for her master's thesis—the development of the SHINE (Supporting Her In Navigating Exercise) program.

SHINE used peer support to enhance women's exercise behaviours and comfort level in the gym.

"Each student exercised once a week with a kinesiology student who acted as their mentor," Madeline explains. "It really improved their confidence and activity level."

Don't Let Fear Hold You Back

"I had countless opportunities at Lakehead," Madeline says, "from representing the university at a national undergraduate kinesiology research conference to competing in the provincial Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) graduate competition.

My Lakehead professors have been my cheerleaders for the past six years." 

For her PhD research, Madeline will create exercise interventions aimed at reducing perimenopausal symptoms among inactive women. "There's not much research on perimenopause," she says. Above, Madeline gives a presentation at McGill University.

Since successfully defending her master's thesis in August 2025, she has been enrolled in McGill University's kinesiology PhD program. "My dream is to continue conducting health research as a university professor," she says.

Madeline urges Lakehead students to be unafraid of pursuing opportunities that come their way.

"My dad always tells me to have courage, he says, 'Be a lion.' It's advice that inspires me to take chances."

The Robert Poulin Memorial Award for Outstanding Citizenship is presented to a full-time undergraduate or graduate student on the Thunder Bay campus for their contributions to the welfare of Lakehead through their student activities.

Madeline's research was made possible by several scholarships and grants: a Canada Graduate Research Scholarship awarded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, an Ontario Graduate Scholarship, an Applied Health Research Scholarship from St. Joseph's Care Group, and funding provided by a Lakehead faculty member, through a Lakehead Faculty Research Grant, in support of Madeline's master's research.