Laura Valaine

Laura Valaine is an Acting Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at Rīga Stradiņš University. She also serves as a Board member of the Latvian Association of Psychotherapists since January 2025. Her research focuses on mental health challenges among healthcare workers, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and occupational factors influencing these issues.

Education: Awarded a Health sciences expert qualification (EU-SIM instructor) from the Medical Education Technology Centre on 15 November 2024.

Research Interests: Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and 4 (Quality Education). She investigates psychological well-being in healthcare workers, pandemic-related stressors, and gender-related mental health dynamics. Notable areas include self-esteem’s role in occupational resilience and nutritional factors (e.g., selenium levels) in mental health.

Advising & Grants: Led the 2020–2024 PhD project Prevalence, Changes, and Associated Factors of Depression and Generalized Anxiety Symptoms Among Health Care Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Latvia, exploring healthcare worker mental health trends in Latvia.

Labs/Teams: No specific lab/team explicitly mentioned, though collaborations include institutions like the Medical Education Technology Centre and international peer networks.