Research Team

Dr. Kerri Walters has spent the last 20+ years involved with St.Amant Research Centre first as a student, and later as a researcher and co-advisor to a number of undergraduate psychology students. Kerri joined the Research Centre as Acting Director in 2022. As a member of the Executive team, Kerri is working to help grow connections between researchers and service areas, and to build new partnerships with other organizations throughout Manitoba. This knowledge mobilization approach to research has been key to many positive changes at St.Amant since the Research Centre was established in the late 90’s.

Kerri also serves as the Director of Psychology Services. She has been involved in delivering behaviour analytic services to help children, youth, and adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and autism for the past 20+ years.

Lindsay McCombe is the Manager of the St.Amant Research Centre. Data is her love language and making it more accessible is her passion. Lindsay uses data to improve the quality of whatever she is working on. She holds a MA from the University of Manitoba in Applied Behaviour Analysis. Her degree helped her understand the value of data and the power it has. Lindsay truly believes that data-informed advocacy can lead to meaningful systems-level change for Manitobans with disabilities.

Lindsay works to promote a culture of evidence-based decision making and quality improvement initiatives with the creation of internal evaluation services to support projects and programs at St.Amant.

Her research interests include knowledge translation, effective autism services, and evidence-based advocacy to improve the quality of life for persons living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, and acquired brain injuries.

Dr. Toby Martin began his journey at St.Amant in the late ’90s. He holds a BA, MA, and PhD in psychology from the University of Manitoba. As a specialist in applied behaviour analysis, Dr. Martin’s research is shaped by the questions and suggestions of service providers at St.Amant. This approach ensures his research addresses the needs of the St.Amant community. 

Dr. Martin’s research makes applied behaviour analysis an innovative, direct, and effective tool in enhancing the well-being of those supported by St.Amant. 

In his free time, Dr. Martin likes to spend time with his family, listen to podcasts, and play games with his daughter.

Dr. Shahin Shooshtari earned her Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences from the University of Manitoba. In 2006, she joined St.Amant as a researcher and began working as a professor at the university.

Dr. Shooshtari’s research focuses on improving the health and well-being of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has led important studies using large-scale data to understand how common these disabilities are, the health risks people with these disabilities face, how they age, and the main causes of death. Her research has greatly added to scientific knowledge and helped organizations like St.Amant to create better support and care plans. Her work has been recognized around the world.

Dr. Shooshtari teaches both undergraduate and graduate students in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Outside of her professional work, she is an active volunteer. She co-founded the Iranian Community of Manitoba, served as the diversity director for White Ridge Community Center, and participates in several important national and international research advisory boards. Dr. Shooshtari is a strong advocate for diversity, inclusion, and equity, both in Manitoba and globally.

Dr. Yu served as Research Director at St.Amant from 1997 until 2014. Although retired from his role as director, Dr. Yu collaborates on several projects with St.Amant Research Centre as a Distinguished Researcher. Dr. Yu holds a bachelor of arts in psychology and a MA and PhD in applied behaviour analysis at the University of Manitoba. He has taught at Memorial University of Newfoundland and worked as a psychologist and researcher at Surrey Place Centre in Toronto. In addition to his work at St.Amant, Dr. Yu is a Professor at the University of Manitoba.

As an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba and a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst at the Doctoral level, Dr. Baruni’s expertise lies in applied behaviour analysis. With over 15 years of experience providing behaviour analytic services to children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and autism, her dedication to enhancing the lives of those she serves is evident. Dr. Baruni’s research interests encompass critical areas such as child safety and injury prevention, assessment and treatment of challenging behaviours, and staff training and performance management. Her scholarly contributions have made a profound impact on the field, and we are honoured to have her as part of our team.

With a PhD in Critical Disability Studies from York University, Dr. Burghardt brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to her role. Her research, as showcased in her book “Broken: Institutions, Families, and the Construction of Intellectual Disability,” explores the effects of institutionalization on people labelled/with intellectual disabilities and members of their families. Dr. Burghardt’s work extends beyond academia; she is deeply committed to working with people labeled/with intellectual disabilities in both professional and artistic capacities and is a devoted ally of the institutional survivor community. Her recent fellowship at the Institute for Feminist Legal Scholarship at Osgoode Law School underscores her dedication to interdisciplinary collaboration and advocacy.