معرفی
Renée El-Gabalawy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Health Psychology and cross-appointed to the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at the Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology (Faculty of Arts, University of Manitoba), an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry (Max Rady College of Medicine), and an Adjunct Scientist at CancerCare Manitoba. As a registered clinical health psychologist, her clinical practice focuses on medical trauma, and she directs the multidisciplinary Health, Anxiety and Trauma Laboratory (HATLab).
- Education: PhD in Clinical Psychology (University of Manitoba, 2015), MA in Clinical Psychology (University of Manitoba, 2010), BA (Honours) in Psychology (University of Manitoba, 2008)
- Training: Predoctoral Research Fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine (2013), Clinical Psychology Residency (Behavioural Medicine Emphasis) at Medical University of South Carolina (2014-2015)
Her research explores the interrelationships between mental and physical health, particularly focusing on psychological outcomes of adverse health events (e.g., ICU admission, major surgery, life-threatening illness, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic). She develops interventions—such as virtual reality tools—to mitigate negative psychological experiences and improve accessibility to mental health supports for medically vulnerable populations. Her work also investigates the bidirectional effects of anxiety/trauma-related disorders on physical health and chronic pain, including co-occurrence mechanisms and outcomes.
Dr. El-Gabalawy has secured millions in local and national funding as both principal and co-investigator, authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and presented her findings at more than 150 conferences. She co-leads the Chronic Pain SPOR Network and contributes to the Psychology of Pandemics Network (PsyPAN), Canadian Perioperative Anesthesia Clinical Trials Group (PACT), and other multidisciplinary research coalitions.
Scientific Awards:
- 2023 Terry G. Falconer Memorial Rh Institute Foundation Emerging Researcher Award (Health Sciences category)
- 2021 Aubie Angel Young Investigator Award in Clinical Research
- 2015 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship
- 2014 Career Development Award (Anxiety and Depression Association of America)
- Multiple scholarships and awards from 2010-2014 (see full description)
She supervises undergraduate and graduate students, BSc(Med) students, and medical residents, and her future research emphasizes implementation science to integrate mental health pathways into healthcare systems for medically vulnerable patients.
