Team
The Team
Eva Pila, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Eva Pila is an Assistant Professor at Western University in the School of Kinesiology. Her academic background consists of a BSc in Kinesiology and Psychology at McMaster University, MSc in Exercise Science (Behavioural Stream) at McGill University/University of Toronto, PhD in Exercise Science (Behavioural Stream). She completed a joint postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Women’s College Hospital, and the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Pila’s research program is currently funded by SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council). As a new investigator, she has been recognized with a national award (Franklin Henry Young Scientist Award, 2018) from the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology. She is also an Editorial Board Member for Body Image: An International Journal of Research, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, and Sex Roles.
Dr. Pila has had a longstanding interest in body image and women’s health. Specifically, she is interested in affective experiences (e.g., self-conscious emotions; self-compassion) as related to body image and health (behaviour). She has experience working with community populations across the lifespan (e.g., adult women, adolescents, athletes) and clinical populations (e.g., adolescent eating disorders, mood disorders, breast cancer).
Current Graduate Students
Kelsey Sick, MA
PhD Year 4
Kelsey completed a BSc in Kinesiology at the University in Calgary and MA in Kinesiology at Western University.
She is currently a PhD candidate in the Psychological Basis of Kinesiology with a research interest in the development of the ‘self’. In her theoretical-based research program, she will test an integrated model of physical self-evaluations and their relations to global self-concept during various time-scales of adolescence. Collectively, the forthcoming findings of this doctoral research will highlight the dynamic interplay between the temporal processes that drive relations among adolescent girls’ global self-concept and domain-specific physical self-evaluations.
SSHRC CGS-Doctoral Award (2021-2024)
Dr. Bert Carron Scholarship in Sport & Exercise Psychology (2021)
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2020-2021)
Mitacs Accelerate-SSHRC Joint Initiative Fellowship (2020)
Earle F. Zeigler Scholarship (2020)
Faculty of Health Sciences Graduate Conference Travel Award (2018; 2019; 2021; 2022)
Brown Commemorative Scholarship (2018)
Western Graduate Research Scholarship (2017-2022)
Zach Staffell, MSc
PhD Year 3
Zach completed a Bachelor of Human Kinetics in 2021 and Master of Human Kinetics in 2023 from the University of Windsor.
He is currently a third year PhD student in the Psychological Basis of Kinesiology with a research interest in body image and self-compassion in men. Outside of academia, Zach enjoys playing hockey and golf, spending time with friends and family, and playing with his kitten (Goose).
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2025-2026)
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2022-2023)
Samantha Adler, MS
PhD Year 2
Sam is a second year PhD student in the Psychological Basis of Kinesiology program.
Prior to Western, she received her BS in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota, and her MS in Sport & Exercise Psychology from Springfield College. She contains to work as a research assistant for the University of Toronto and the University of Minnesota Department of Paediatrics. With considerations for intersectionality and the influence of sociocultural contexts, her research focuses on increasing accessibility to sport and physical activity, enhancing physical self-perceptions (e.g., body image), and promoting enjoyment in movement among diverse youth. Outside of academia, Sam loves to move outside, watch sports, and find new food spots!
Association for Applied Sport Psychology Master’s Thesis Award (2025)
Dr. Bert Carron Scholarship in Sport & Exercise Psychology (2025)
Faculty of Health Sciences Graduate Conference Travel Award (2025)
Megan Sutton, BMSc
MA Year 2
Megan is a second year MA candidate in the Psychological Basis of Kinesiology program.
She completed a BMSc in Medical Sciences at Western University and has worked in the BIH lab for over three years. Through an intersectional lens, Megan’s research interests include body image, societal ideals, and physical activity engagement in relation to one’s psychological, emotional, and mental health. Outside of academia, Megan enjoys running, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
CIHR CGS-Master’s Award (2025-2026)
Earle F. Zeigler Scholarship (2025)
FHS Graduate Student Conference Travel Award (2025)
Kinesiology Graduate Student Travel Award (2025)
Graduate Fellowship (2024)
Undergraduate Summer Research Internship (2023, 2024)
Current Undergraduate Students
Dylan Dobrzanski
Bsc year 4
Dylan is currently an undergraduate student in the department of Kinesiology.
His research on body image and health gives particular attention to weight stigma and healthcare avoidance among higher-weight women, as well as muscle-building behaviour engagement in men. His work employs experimental designs, including ecological momentary assessment, alongside quantitative methods such as latent class analysis and path modelling. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing and cooking new meals.
Undergraduate Summer Research Internship (2025)
Current Postdoctoral Fellows
Kristen Lucibello, PhD
Dr. Kristen Lucibello is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow working with Dr. Eva Pila and the BIH Lab.
She completed her Bachelor of Science degree at McMaster University, and her MSc at the University of Toronto before pursuing her PhD at UofT, which she completed in 2022. She is currently supported by the Western Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Her previous postdoctoral and doctoral work was supported by SSHRC.
Outstanding Postdoctoral Scholar Award (2025)
Lab Staff
Emily Dietrich, MSc
Research assistant
Undergraduate Research Volunteers
Elitza Parvanova
(Kinesiology, Year 4)
Volunteer 2019 – 2020
Julie Dunn
(Kinesiology, Year 4)
Volunteer 2019 – 2020
Maggie Lai
(Kinesiology, Year 4)
Volunteer 2019 – 2020
Michelle Lui
(Kinesiology, Year 4)
Volunteer 2019 – 2020
Olivia Kyriakopoulos
(Kinesiology, Year 4)
Volunteer 2021
Cindy Wen
(Medical Science, Year 3)
Volunteer 2021 – 2022
Emma Newman
(Kinesiology, Year 4)
Volunteer 2021
Balraj Gill
(Kinesiology, Year 4)
Volunteer 2021 – 2022
Alumni
Katarina Huellemann, PhD, MSc
Katarina obtained a SSHRC-funded Ph.D. in Psychology from Western in 2024, co-supervised by Drs. Rachel Calogero and Eva Pila.
Her Ph.D. investigated the novel construct of “compassionate movement” in women, an emotional regulation strategy that can be cultivated to combat distress in physical activity. She recently completed a SSHRC-funded postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University under the direction of Dr. Sarah Racine where she explored how popularity in young women’s friend groups influences body image, disordered eating, and dysfunctional exercise. Broadly, her research program considers how social psychological dynamics (e.g,. gender, social comparisons, social status, attitudes/beliefs) and emotion regulation strategies (e.g., self-compassion, mindfulness) contribute to body image, mental health, physical activity, and gender-based violence. In her postdoctoral fellowship in the BIH Lab and as a recipient of the Movember Canada Sport Health Research Initiative Early Career Research Grant, Katarina will be co-developing and testing an inclusive masculinity intervention among adolescent youth boy hockey players in partnership with the True North Youth Foundation (charitable arm of the NHL Winnipeg Jets). Outside of the academic world, Katarina enjoys cooking, spending time with her dog (Rue), and travelling.
Movember Canada Sport Health Research Initiative Early Career Research Grant (2026-2028)
SSHRC Postdoctoral Scholarship (2024-2026)
Most Outstanding Student Paper Award, North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (2024)
SSHRC Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement – Yale University SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral (2022-2024)
Sara Stanley, MA, BA
Sara Stanley completed her MA degree under the supervision of Dr. Eva Pila
She also completed her Honour’s Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology with a Major in Psychology from Western University in June 2022. Her primary research interests are sexual and gender minority body image. Additionally, she is interested in investigating the novel construct of ‘fitness culture norms’ within populations of women who either endorse or reject them. She has gone on to pursue a Masters of Education in Counselling Psychology at Western. Outside of work, Sara enjoys sewing and painting her nails.
Undergraduate Student Research Internship (2022)
Jade Bailey, MA, BA
Jade completed a BA Honours Specialization in Kinesiology at Western University and a MA in the Psychological Basis of Kinesiology.
Her research interests are on the intersections of body image, mental health, and physical activity in adult female and LGBTQ+ populations. She is particularly interested in and passionate about self-compassion and intuitive movement interventions. Outside of academia Jade is an avid triathlete, enjoys playing classical violin, loves to cook, and is a general extrovert who loves being around other people.
CIHR CGS-Master’s Scholarship (2022-2023)
Undergraduate Student Research Internship (2021)
Dean’s Honour List (2017, 2018, 2019)
Karen Leung, MA, BA
Karen completed a BA in Kinesiology with a minor in Psychology at Western University, and a MA student in the Psychological Basis of Kinesiology with research interests in body image, exercise, and mental health.
Specifically, her research focused on investigating biological effects and affective experiences, such as body-related guilt and shame of higher weight women and novice exercisers in social evaluative contexts. With additional interests in positive body image, she is interested in exploring how positive domains of body image can promote adaptive exercise, mental health, and well-being. The overall objective of her research was to identify evidence-based strategies to promote exercise and to attenuate the negative effects of weight stigma for higher weight women.
Kinesiology Graduate Conference Travel Award (2022)
Mitacs Accelerate Internship (2022)
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2021-2022; 2022-2023)
Western Graduate Research Scholarship (2021-2023)
Undergraduate Student Research Internship (2021)
Dean’s Honour List (2020; 2021)
Vanessa Coulbeck, MA, BA
Vanessa graduated from the Honours BA in Kinesiology program at Western University, and completed her MA in the Psychological Basis of Kinesiology program.
Vanessa’s research interests include body image and psycho-education practices related to involvement in sport and physical activity. She is also interested in emotion regulation processes (self-compassion & mindfulness) with intuitive physical activity promotion in adolescent females. She hopes to see this research be used in physical education contexts and sport federations/foundations to promote a positive uplifting environment, and improve sport and physical activity adherence throughout their lifespan, with a greater appreciation for being compassionate and mindful towards the self! Non-academic interests include hiking, yoga, sunset chasing, cottaging and adventuring around the earth!
SSHRC CGS-Master’s Scholarship (2022-2023)
Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship Award (2022)
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2021-2022)
Western Graduate Research Scholarship (2021; 2022)
Undergraduate Student Research Internship (2020; 2021)
Dean’s Honour List (2019; 2020; 2021)
MacLean Press, MA, BA
MacLean Press completed an MA in the Psychological Basis of Kinesiology in 2022.
Her research interest is in body image and women’s health. Specifically, her research focused on the effects of verbal cues on indices of self-objectification and exercise engagement among inactive young women. She hopes her research will be used to inform strategies to improve exercise adherence and enjoyment, and improve body image in women subjected to self-objectification.
SSHRC CGS Master’s Scholarship (2021-2022)
Western Undergraduate Student Research Internship (2020)
Dean’s Honor List (2019, 2020)
Sara Bozzo, BSc
Sara completed a BSc Honours Specialization in Kinesiology at Western University and partook in the Western USRI program in 2022 and worked as a research assistant for the Body Image & Health Lab.
Her research interests included examining the influence of self-objectification on indices of body image and sexual health in adolescent girls and young women. She is also interested in exploring the relationship between practices of mindfulness and mental health & wellbeing in a physical activity context. Beyond academic pursuits, Sara loves playing basketball, travelling with friends and family, and reading.
Western Undergraduate Student Research Internship (2022)
Dean’s Honor List (2018; 2019; 2021; 2022)
Isabella Randall, MA
Isabella completed a M.A. in the Psychological Basis of Kinesiology in 2021. Her research focused on how weight-based discrimination influences the psychological stress response and exercise outcomes.
Faculty of Health Sciences Graduate Student Conference Travel Award – 2019
Steffania Rizzardo, BA
Stefania completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree with an Honours Specialization in Kinesiology at Western University.
She completed an honours thesis project in the BIH Lab examining the acute effects of a self-compassion writing task on exercise motivation. Stefania hopes to gather valuable experience and knowledge in the area of exercise psychology to better prepare for a career in public and global health.
Madeline Wood, BA
Madeline completed a NSERC USRA and a BA honours research thesis in the BIH lab in 2020-2021. She is passionate about health science, women’s health, and mental health. Madeline went on to complete a Master’s student in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Toronto.
NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (2021)
Dean’s Honour List (2018, 2019)
Transfer Student Scholarship (2017)
Anna Zheng, BA
Anna completed an Honours BA Kinesiology at Western University in 2020.
Specifically, her senior research project was a scoping review that investigated the relationship between weight stigma and physical activity. In addition, she was granted a Summer Undergraduate Student Research Award from the Faculty of Health Sciences to research the effects of compassion-focused training on women with mood disorders who were attending a behavioural weight management program. Anna went on to pursue the MSc Physical Therapy program at the University of Toronto.
Faculty of Health Sciences Summer Undergraduate Student Research Award (2019)
Erika Gray, MA, BKin
Erika worked as a research assistant in the BIH lab while she was a MA student in Sport Management at Western University. Her research interests include gender equity and equality in sport, senior leadership, women and girls in sport, and physical literacy. Erika went on to pursue a PhD at the University of Ottawa.
PackianathanChelladurai Award at Western University (2018)
Claire Adams, BMSc
Claire completed a Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Western University specializing in physiology and pharmacology.
Western Undergraduate Student Research Internship (2020)
MROO Scholarship Recipient for commitment to volunteer service and leadership (2019)
Dean’s Honor List (2019, 2020)
Western Scholarship of Excellence (2018)
Honorary Members
Cali
Bentley
Millie
River
Maya
Calvin