Get to know Omega! 

Omega Luxor graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Honours (with distinction) from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Psychology Program in 2022. During her undergraduate studies, she gained a wealth of experience, including completing an Honours Thesis under the guidance of Dr. David Day, Ph.D. This research focused on attitudes toward intimate partner violence (IPV), testing the Defensive Attribution Theory proposed by Shaver in 1970. 

Omega has also worked in various research labs at Toronto Metropolitan University, including the Childhood Cognition Lab (ECC lab) and the Sexuality Hub: Integrating Feminist Theory Lab (SHiFT lab). She is deeply committed to community engagement and has volunteered for organizations promoting connection and mentorship. In addition, Omega served as a Distress Centre Hotline Operator at the Distress Centres of Greater Toronto, which further established her passion for bettering mental health resources for those in need. 

Currently, Omega is a Lab Manager and Research Coordinator at the TULiP lab, where she focuses on improving the quality of life for individuals struggling with life-threatening behaviors, borderline personality disorder (BPD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her research interests include maladaptive relationship dynamics, racial and gender studies, prevention of life-threatening behaviors (such as self-harm and suicide), and the development of emotion regulation in personality disorders.

Get to know Umiemah! 

I graduated this Spring with a BA in Psychology from UCLA, and I now manage a depression and suicide lab at USC. My research interests include the individualization of treatment for depression and anxiety and the examination of personality/PD as predictors of internalizing disorders and treatment response. I have won several awards for my research, including the Chancellor's Service Award and the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion award at UCLA.

What inspires or drives your research interests? 

I come from a minority community, and I know the stigmas and biases people still hold against those with mental illness, which is why I would like to change the conversation about mental health within these communities. By changing the conversation and raising awareness about these disorders, I hope to create a space in which to lower the burden of these disorders by ushering in more effective and personalized treatments for all people, but specifically for people-of-color, minority groups, and those who have historically had lower access to mental health services. I want to leave the world a better place than I found it, and I know that translational research is the way to do that. 

What about the 2023 ABCT convention are you most excited for? 

I am most excited to listen to and see the presentations from peers who conduct treatment, depression and anxiety, and personality/PD research. I want to learn about the innovative ways they are moving the clinical psychology field forward and be inspired by their work so that I return home recharged and motivated. Seattle itself is close to my heart because it is right next-door to where I grew up in Vancouver. The atmosphere, culture, and weather are like home to me.