Meet the research team

Dr Fiona McDonald, B.Eng.; B.Psych.; Grad.Cert.Mgmt.; PhD is the Research Manager at Canteen, where she has worked since September 2010. Her research investigates the psychosocial impact of cancer (including familial cancer) on adolescents and young adults, including their concerns and unmet needs. She is also involved in the development and implementation of measures and interventions for this population. She holds an adjunct lectureship in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney.

Dr Jennifer Cohen, BSc (Nutrition); Masters (Nutr & Diet); PhD is the Evaluation Manager at Canteen, where she has worked since November 2019. Jennifer’s background is as a paediatric dietitian and she worked at the Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital for 15 years. Her primary research focus has been on health behaviours in children after cancer treatment. She also holds a position as Senior Research Fellow position at the University of NSW and has over 30 scientific publications. 

Kit has been working at Canteen since December 2018. They are a Clinical Psychologist with 20 years’ experience in health research, with expertise in the psychological assessment and treatment of adolescents. Kit’s work at Canteen focuses on the psychosocial impact of cancer (including familial cancer) on the emotional well-being and unmet needs of adolescents and young adults. They are also involved in the development and validation of assessment tools for this population, and they provide statistical analysis support to other members of the Research, Evaluation and Social Policy Team.

Dr Jasmine Micklem, PhD (Medicine), BBiotech (Hons) is a mixed methods researcher with a strong focus on cancer care and chronic disease management; and codeveloping ways to monitor and improve the accessibility, safety, and efficacy of health and supportive care services. 
 
For the past 16 years, Jasmine has worked in cancer and healthcare services research in the public health service, and at both academic and private research institutes, completing her PhD in late 2015. 
 

Tayhla joined Canteen as a Research Officer in 2021. She has a Bachelor of Social Science (Anthropology) and a Master of Research from Macquarie University, where she completed a research thesis on the experiences of young women with autoimmune chronic diseases. Tayhla's projects are based within Canteen’s YCS research projects aimed at improving the lives of adolescents and young adults (AYA’s) diagnosed with cancer.

Thomasin Powell, BPysch (Hons I), MProfPsyc joined Canteen in November of 2018. Thomasin has a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours I) from the University of Wollongong, completing an Honours research thesis on self-regulation in young children and whether this can be improved through low-cost means. Thomasin completed her Master’s degree in Professional Psychology with Distinction in 2016. Thomasin is a Registered Psychologist and worked in a clinical setting with adolescents and young people prior to joining Canteen’s RESP team.

Xiomara started working in this position in May 2020. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology (honours) and a Ph.D. in Psycho-oncology.  Xiomara has 16 years of experience in the provision of psychosocial support to people affected by cancer and their family (including young people), with five of these years dedicated to research in psycho-oncology.

Yi Sing joined Canteen in October 2023 as a Research and Evaluation Officer. She has a Bachelor of Social Science from Macquarie University. Prior to working at Canteen, Yi Sing has worked in the public sector at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) as a Research Assistant for the Centre for Social Impact (CSI). Yi Sing works on a number of projects at Canteen across both the Research and Evaluation Team.

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