Gina Wong

Dr. Gina Wong is a Professor at Athabasca University and a Registered Psychologist in Alberta, Canada with specialized expertise in perinatal and reproductive mental health. She serves as the Vice-President of Postpartum Support International Canada, which launched on World Maternal Mental Health Day in 2022.

Her professional roles include:

• Professor at Athabasca University
• Expert witness in maternal mental health cases in Canadian courts
• Developer of competency models for perinatal mental health expert witnesses
• Educator and trainer for mental health professionals specializing in perinatal mental health

Dr. Wong's research focuses on the intersection between maternal mental illness and the criminal justice system, particularly examining maternal filicide cases through forensic psychology lenses. Her work addresses the clinical presentation of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, risk factors for maternal mental illness, and the development of specialized assessment tools for forensic contexts. She emphasizes that psychiatric admissions peak during childbearing years, and that maternal depression often presents differently than standard major depressive disorder, leading to frequent misdiagnosis.

Dr. Wong has received significant recognition for her contributions:

• 2023 Media Award from the Psychologists' Association of Alberta
• 2022 Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Leadership Award
• 2022 Psychologist of the Year Award from the Psychologists' Association of Alberta

As an educator, Dr. Wong has developed a comprehensive professional training series on maternal mental health forensics, covering diagnosis, assessment, expert witness testimony, and courtroom procedures. She works closely with provisional psychologists to develop specialization in this critical field of women's mental health, ensuring that future practitioners understand the complex relationship between reproductive mental health and legal outcomes.