Director and Principle Investigator
Our Research Team
The Relationships & Health Lab is part of the University of British Columbia and is affiliated with Purdue University.
Rosie Shrout, PhD
Rosie Shrout (she/her), PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of British Columbia and holds an adjunct appointment in Purdue University's Human Development and Family Science Department. As a social-health psychologist with training in psychoneuroimmunology and behavioral medicine, Rosie studies how stress affects couples’ relationships and health using dyadic, biobehavioral, and longitudinal methods. Her work has shown how couples' relationships influence psychological, behavioral, and physical health, including the immune, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems, and the gut microbiome. Her overarching goal to identify factors that put couples’ relationships and health at risk or that help couples grow closer and stronger during turbulent times.
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Rosie's work has been funded through competitive fellowships, awards, and grants. Most notable among these honors include the Association for Psychological Science Rising Star Award, a KL2 Early Career Investigator Award, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology SAGE Emerging Scholar Award. Her work is highly regarded, with two Editor’s Choice distinctions for noteworthy contributions, Purdue University’s Award for Excellence in Research about Families, and the National Council on Family Relationship's Outstanding Paper award focused on families and health. Rosie serves on the Editorial Boards for the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and Personal Relationships, and the Early Career Editorial Board for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine. Her work has been featured in prestigious outlets, including NPR, BBC, and U.S. News and World Report.
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Rosie enjoys all things water --lakes, beaches, rivers, and pools--cuddling her cats Peach and Mango, and laughing and spending time with her friends and family.​​
Graduate Research Assistants
MiKaila (she/her) is a third-year Master's student in the Human Development and Family Science program at Purdue University from DuBois, Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelors of Science from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania in Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience. She enjoys working in the Relationships & Health Lab as she explores her research interests in how stressors that occur across different life course stages influence the psychoneuroimmunological and biobehavioral health outcomes in aging couples, and how relational dynamics either buffer or exacerbate stresses adverse health outcomes. In her free time, MiKaila loves hiking outdoors, trying new coffee shops, facetiming her friends and family back home, and spending time with two cats: Juniper & Briar.
MiKaila Leonard, BS
Carly (she/her) is a third-year Doctor of Audiology (AuD) student from Indianapolis, IN. She received her Bachelors of Science degree in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences from Purdue University in May 2023. Carly joined the lab because she has always been interested in relationships and overall health and is eager to learn how the two interact. As a future audiologist, she wants to learn how the dynamics of her patients' relationships might affect their health outcomes. She is excited to be a part of the lab to gain knowledge that could help her future patients. In her free time, Carly loves to travel, workout, go to concerts, and spend time with family and friends.
Carly Long, BS
Khiara (she/her) is a first-year PhD student in Health Psychology at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Khiara grew up in central California before attending Brigham Young University, where she received her Bachelors of Science in Family Life Studies and her Masters of Science in Marriage, Family & Human Development. Her research interests revolve around how people interact with stress . Some of her research has explored infertility and how husbands and wives experience it uniquely from one another. Similarly, the Relationships & Health Lab allows the team to explore how stress is experienced together in relationships, in addition to individually across breast cancer survivors. In her free time, Khiara loves practicing film photography, solo-traveling, going hiking, and spending time with her very large dog, Tarlo.
Khiara Cardoza
Brown, MS
Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistants
Katie (she/her) recently graduated from Purdue University studying psychological sciences and will be attending UMass Dartmouth in the fall next year. She is from Westfield, Indiana, and plans on going to graduate school to get her PhD in Clinical Psychology. Her research interests include chronic illnesses and how the stress of experiencing a concealable chronic condition impacts various life outcomes. On campus, she was a member of the Psychology, Psi Chi, and NAMI clubs and a sorority. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, baking, reading, and watching movies.
Katie Kemper, BS
Kaylee (she/her) received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Health and Society at the University of British Columbia in May 2025. She has a strong interest in the field of health and personality psychology, and is interested in learning which major biopsychosocial and personality factors are associated with one’s wellbeing as well as social relationships with one another. She is looking forward to expanding her knowledge within this lab and aspires to become a researcher in the field of developmental, health, and/or personality psychology or a counsellor. Outside the lab, Kaylee teaches individuals how to skate on the ice and is currently working as a Behavioural Interventionist at a school specializing in adolescents on the Autism Spectrum.Â
Kaylee Fung, BA
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Ashley (she/her) is a first-generation senior majoring in Psychological Sciences with minors in Human Development & Family Studies and Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies from Thorntown, IN. She is passionate about understanding how family dynamics, social relationships, and culture influence health and well-being. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, where she hopes to apply research and culturally sensitive approaches to promote social-emotional well-being in diverse communities, particularly within the Latine community. Outside of academics, she enjoys spending time on her family's ranch, traveling, and being with friends and loved ones.
Makenzie (she/her) is a junior majoring in psychological sciences and minoring in human development and family sciences from Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. She is involved with the Academic Success Center on campus as a peer success coach, an ambassador for the college of Health and Human Sciences, and an undergraduate researcher for SPIRaL through the Information Literacy Institute. Makenzie plans to pursue licensure to be a marriage and family therapist and hopes to work with couples to strengthen their relationships and educate on the impact that relationships have on aspects of family life.
Makenzie Albert
Ashley Alvarado
Janelle (she/her) is a sophomore majoring in nursing on the pre-medicine track from Redmond, Washington. She is involved in College Mentors for Kids as the Vice President of Administration and is an ambassador for Purdue's Pre-Professional Advising Team and Office of Undergraduate Research. Additionally, she mentors incoming freshman as a part of the HHS Success Mentors Program. In the future, Janelle hopes to go to medical school and work with pediatric patients. She is excited to be a part of the Relationships and Health lab and explore how health conditions can effect interpersonal relationships with others.
Janelle Chen
Carmen (she/her) is a fifth-year psychology student at UBC with a passion for health psychology, focusing on subjective aging, stress, emotional reactivity, social determinants of health, and physical activity. She’s especially interested in applying research to real-world health solutions, like medication adherence and intervention programs, and plans to pursue a master’s and PhD in health psychology. As a UBC Ambassador, Carmen works directly with prospective and current students, fostering an inclusive and supportive community on campus. Outside of academics, she enjoys weightlifting and Muay Thai, loves cooking and baking, and is the proud cat parent of two very fluffy companions.
Carmen Migic
Kaela Brandson (she/her) is a fourth-year Psychology and Sociology double-major at UBC. Her research interests include sexual well-being/dysfunction, relationship/health dynamics, sexual trajectories across the lifespan, and religious/LGBTQ+ intersections with sexual well-being. She takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how diverse experiences shape mental and sexual health- and will pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology. In her free time, Kaela contributes to the preservation and celebration of cultural heritage through her role on the Board of Directors for the Icelandic Canadian Club of British Columbia.
Kaela Brandson
Maya (she/her) is a fourth year Honours Psychology student with a minor in Education. She is completing her honours thesis as part of the Daily Health in Survivorship Study, where she plans to investigate the role of dyadic coping in relationship satisfaction. Her research interests are in clinical psychology, with a focus on relationship dynamics and mental well-being. Maya plans to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology following her undergraduate degree. Outside of academics, she enjoys spending time with friends, listening to all genres of music, playing volleyball, and travelling.
Maya Lehman
Lab Alumni
-Megan Dillon (Indiana University, Master of Social Work Program)
-Alicia Ader
-Lily York (East Carolina University, Marriage and Family Therapy Master's Program)
-Claire Lingle
-Anna Morehead (Assistant Language Teacher, the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program)
-Alexa Spurlock (University of Missouri-Kansas City, Doctor of Dental Surgery Program)
-Abby Huesca (Bay Path University, Physician Assistant Program)
-Claire Bilodeau (Indiana University, Mental Health Counseling Master's Program)
-Emily Staub (Genetic Counseling Assistant, University of Iowa Holden Cancer Center)
-Rasheedah Adisa (Ball State University, Clinical Psychology Master's Program; East Carolina University, -Clinical Health Psychology PhD Program)
-Shaina Zilber (National Louis University, Master's of Science in Counseling)
-Lauren Todd (University of Kentucky, Master's of Science in Medical Sciences)
The Relationships and Health Lab in Action
Our lab celebrated a great Spring 2025 semester together! Honorary members Peach and Mango were less excited about our group photo. We also celebrated our three graduates, Katie Kemper, Megan Dillon, and Alicia Ader! We are so proud of them!
Our outreach team organized a session with a local retirement community, Westminster Village, and their Well-Informed Educational Program. Rosie gave a talk on how our relationships influence our health!
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Rosie co-organized the Close Relationships Preconference and presented her research at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Convention in February 2025! She also presented on the social and health benefits of perceived partner responsiveness among those with chronic illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Undergraduate Research Assistants, Claire Lingle and Lily York, graduated with their Bachelors of Science in Psychological Sciences with minors in Human Development and Family Science, and Rasheedah Adisa graduated with her Master's of Public Health! We are so proud of each of them. Congratulations, Claire, Lily, and Rasheedah!
Rosie presented her research at the National Council on Family Relations in Seatle in November 2024! She talked about how romantic relationships and their health effects are embedded within and influenced by multiple systems of social stratification and socio-historical contexts. She discussed that relationships should be a public health priority and target for policy and programming that foster social connection and health.
The lab celebrating a great fall 2024 — with Peach and Mango, of course!
Rosie and MiKaila went to the International Association for Relationship Research (IARR) Main Convention in Boston! Rosie presented as part of a symposium on the Early Years of Marriage project, Her research showed greater relationship positivity, social network size, well-being, and socioeconomic status predicted greater happiness in couples over 16 years. MiKaila’s work showed spouses with a history of childhood maltreatment felt less understood and supported by their partners during marital conflict.
Rasheedah Adisa, a lab alumni now studying clinical psychology at Ball State University, presented her work at IARR in Boston, too! She showed that chronic pain-related stigma was associated with lower relationship satisfaction and greater depressive symptoms
The Relationships and Health Lab cheered on our 2024 graduating seniors as they walked across the stage to earn their bachelor's degrees! We are so proud of each of them. They are founding members of the lab and have helped shape us into the lab we are today.
Congratulations, Claire, Abby, Anna, and Alexa!
The Relationships & Health Lab gathered to celebrate the Spring 2024 semester!
Rosie presented her research at the Association for Clinical and Translational Science Convention in Las Vegas in April 2024! She discussed her recent findings that breast cancer survivors and their partners who felt more satisfied with their relationships also felt less stressed and had fewer physical health symptoms.
The Relationships and Health Lab was well-represented at Purdue’s Health and Human Sciences Research Event in March 2024! Ella, MiKaila, Megan, and Lily presented their poster on the breakup experiences of students with concealable chronic health conditions, and in particular the lack of trust and increased anxiety students felt. Allison, MiKaila, Claire, and Anna’s poster showed the importance of positive and direct illness disclosure strategies for enhancing relationship closeness among those with concealable health conditions. They all did a brilliant job!
Celebrating our Fall 2023 semester with a lab dinner and game night!
Rosie and MiKaila at the Fall 2023 HHS Research Day where MiKaila presented her research on how childhood abuse and psychological disorder histories influence emotion regulation during marital conflict. Way to go, MiKaila!
The lab, plus honorary members Peach and Mango, celebrating an amazing spring 2023!
The Relationships & Health Lab presented at the Health and Human Sciences Spring 2023 Life Inspired Research Event! Rasheedah discussed patterns of illness disclosures to instructors, family, and friends. Lauren and Emily presented on the social and health outcomes of students with concealable chronic illness as they came back to campus amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Way to go, Rasheedah, Lauren, and Emily!
Rosie giving a talk at the American Psychosomatic Society conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico! She discussed how couples' negative communication patterns predicted slower wound healing.
Rosie, Emily, and Lauren presented their work at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference in Atlanta, GA! Rosie presenting her poster about relational and emotional responses to marital conflict. Lauren and Emily discussed the social and health consequences among students with concealable chronic illness returning to campus amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Rosie received the Lorene Burkhart Award for Excellence in Research about Families from Purdue University’s Center for Families! This award was for her publication on how breast cancer survivors' satisfying marriages promoted psychological and physical health.