Tricia Williams

• Associate Scientist, Research Institute, Neurosciences & Mental Health
• Committee Member, SickKids Mental Health Strategy, Academia and Research Working Group

Gary Hurvitz Brain Health Innovator

Dr. Tricia Williams recieved her PhD in Clinical Developmental Psychology at York University. Dr. Williams is a board-certified Clinical Neuropsychologist and Paediatric Subspecialist through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). Currently, Dr. Williams is a Clinical Neuropsychologist in the Division of Neurology and Associate Scientist in Neurosciences and Mental Health. In her clinical role, she leads the Neonatal Neuropsychological services for assessment and consultation for children and families following neonatal brain injury and associatated medical conditions. She is the Director of the I-InTERACT-North Parenting Program.

Education and experience

• 2007–2009: Neuropsychology Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Neurosciences, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
• 2006–2007: Clinical Psychology Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• 2001–2006: Ph.D., Clinical Developmental Psychology, Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• 1999–2001: MA, Clinical Developmental Psychology, Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• 1993–1997: B.A., with Honours, Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Achievements

• 2023: Elizabeth Manson Award
• 2018–2023: Elected to the Board of Directors, American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology
• 2020–2021: Guest Editor for Special Edition on Transdiagnostic Approaches to Early Brain Injury, The Clinical Neuropsychologist

Research

Dr. Tricia Williams’ research focuses on neuropsychological outcomes following early brain injury and the importance of supporting the family in optimizing resilience. She is the principal investigator of the I-InTERACT-North project and the Parent Experiences project. Dr. Williams’ research program aims to learn more about modifiable factors promoting positresilience following early brain injury, and to identify modes of service delivery that will optimize neuropsychological outcomes.

1. Deotto, A., Fabiano, G. F., Chung, B. Y. T., Wade, S. L., Anagnostou, E., Crosbie, J., Kelley, E., Nicolson, R., Andrade, B. F., Miller, S. P., Williams, T. S. (2023). Stepping up to COVID-19: A clinical trial of a telepsychology positive parenting program targeting behavior problems in children with neurological risk. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 48(6). https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsad032
2. Williams, T. S., Burek, B., Deotto, A., Ford, M. K., Green, R., & Wade, S. L. (2022). Pandemic Perils and Promise: Implementation of a Virtual Parenting Intervention during COVID-19 among Children with Early Neurological Conditions. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17518423.2022.2099996
3. Williams, T.S., Deotto, A., Roberts, S.D., Ford., M. Desire, N., & Cunningham, S. (2021). COVID-19 mental health impact among children with congenital and neonatal brain injury/conditions. Child Neuropsychology. ePRINT, 1-22; https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2021.1998407  
4. Williams, T. (2021) Transdiagnostic approaches to early brain injury: Harnessing neuroprotection through parents and families: Introduction to the Special Edition. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 35(5) 841-845. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2021.1927192
5. Williams, T.S., McDonald, K.P., Roberts, S.D., Chau, V., Seed, M., Miller, S.P., & Sananes, R. (2019). From diagnosis to ongoing journey: Parent experiences following congenital heart disease diagnoses. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 44(8), 924-936. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsz055

Funding

• 2023–2028: Stepped-Care Online Parent Training following Congenital Heart Disease: A Randomized Control Trial, Principal Investigator, CIHR, $757,350 CAD.
• 2023–2026: Optimizing mental health outcomes for SickKids children and their families: Building a clinical pathway for I-InTERACT-North (IN), Principal Investigator, GH-CBMH, $450,000 CAD