Emma Climie

Dr. Emma A. Climie

Ph.D., R.Psych
Pronouns: she/her

Positions

Associate Professor

Werklund School of Education, Specialization, School and Applied Child Psychology

Adjunct Associate Professor

Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology

Child Health & Wellness Researcher

Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Owerko Centre

Contact information

Web presence

Phone number

Office: 403.220.7770

Location

Office: EDT512

For media enquiries, contact

Clayton MacGillivray
Content and Media Specialist


Email: clmacgil@ucalgary.ca
Twitter: @UCalgaryEduc

Background

Educational Background

Doctor of Philosophy School & Applied Child Psychology, University of Calgary, 2012

M.Sc Psychology (Cognitive Development), University of Calgary, 2008

B.A. (hons, with distinction) Psychology, University of Victoria, 2004

Biography

Dr. Emma Climie first became interested in child development during her undergraduate work at the University of Victoria. She then moved to Calgary to complete her Master's degree in Cognition and Cognitive Development in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary before moving into the Werklund School of Education for her Doctoral work. She joined the Werklund School of Education as an assistant professor in 2011 and completed her R.Psych registration with the College of Alberta Psychologists in 2013.

Dr. Climie is the director of the Strengths in ADHD research lab and the Lead Researcher for the Carlson Family Research award in ADHD.  She takes a strengths-based approach to working with children and believes that all children have areas of ability that can be used to support areas of difficulty. 

Dr. Climie typically supervises graduate and undergraduate students who have an interest in understanding children from a strengths-based perspective, ideally with a focus on children with ADHD. She takes new graduate students most years and expects these students to join the collaborative work ongoing in the lab.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Dr. Climie is a member of a number of professional organizations associated with psychology, child development, school psychology, and ADHD.

  • College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP)
  • Psychologists' Association of Alberta (PAA)
  • Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)

Research

Areas of Research

Theoretical Orientations:
  • developmental
  • biopsychosocial 
Scholarly Activity

Dr. Climie is the principal investigator of the Strengths in ADHD research lab.  Her research focuses on children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), resilience, children's mental health and mental well-being, school-based intervention, and strengths-based assessment. In particular, she is interested in better understanding the areas in which children are successful and using these areas of strength to support areas of deficit.

Her main area of research is resilience in children with ADHD. Herresearch interests focus on a strengths-based understanding of children with ADHD and their families and she is interested in better understanding factors that allow children with ADHD to be successful at home, at school, and with their peers. These factors may include emotional intelligence, executive functioning, stigma, parenting style, bilingualism, creativity, mental health, school supports, and physical exercise.

Dr. Climie currently oversees the "Strengths in ADHD" research lab in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary and has a number of projects that stem from this lab.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

Dr. Climie is also the academic coordinator for two graduate-level certificate programs:

Interests:
  • Developmental psychopathology: ADHD and disruptive disorders of childhood
  • Resilience
  • Developmental wellness and resiliency
  • School-based prevention programs
  • Treatment of childhood disorders
  • Cognitive developmental psychology
  • Psycho-educational assessment
  • Cognitive science
  • Child and youth mental health
  • Collaborative, school-based research

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Courses

Course number Course title Semester
EDPS 659 Academic & Language Assessment & Intervention Spring 2020, 2021

Projects

Current:
  • Knowledge and Stigma project - examines the levels of ADHD knowledge of parents, children, and other professionals as well as perceived stigma associated with the disorder.  Specifically, we are interested in understanding how knowledge and stigma may impact social-emotional wellbeing, bullying/victimization, and classroom performance.
  • Changing Stigma in ADHD - This project builds from the Knowledge and Stigma project, where we are now looking at ways in which we may impact perceptions of stigma for those with ADHD.  More specifically, we are interested in exploring aspects of internal and external stigma and determining the impact of experience (i.e., knowing someone with ADHD) and education (i.e., having a better understanding of the disorder) on stigma reduction.
  • Cognitive Development in ADHD - This project explores factors related to the development of cognition in children with ADHD, including theory of mind, executive function, emotional intelligence, social skills, and other social-emotional well-being indicators.  We are interested in better understand the development of key cognitive factors that may promote social and emotional success.

Our research lab also collaborates with other researchers across the university and nationally on ADHD-related projects:

  • Adults with ADHD - In collaboration with Dr. Brandy Callahan (UCalgary, Psychology), this project explores factors related to the on going success of adults and older adults with ADHD through a longitudinal study.
  • ADHD in Children & Covid - This project explores the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on children with ADHD and their families. A large national sample of children with and without ADHD have completed questionnaires related to mental health, parenting, family, physical activity, and well-being and we are continuing with the longitudinal component of this study. This project is funded by CIHR and lead by co-PIs Dr. Yuanyuan Jiang and Maria Rogers.

Previous:
  • The Strengths project examines the abilities of children with ADHD, focusing on factors that promote positive outcomes and allow these children to be successful at home, at school, and with peers.  This large scale project includes children and families with ADHD and is supported by ACCFCR.
  • The SPARK for Learning project examines the impact of daily physical exercise on the cognitive, behavioural, and social-emotional well-being of children with ADHD and/or learning disabilities.  This project incorporates school-based intervention and is supported by AACES.

Awards

  • Carlson Family Research Award in ADHD, Carlson Family; 2011-present.
  • SSHRC Insight Development Grant Enhancement Grant, University of Calgary Understanding the Impact of Knowledge and Stigma on Children with ADHD ($4000) – August 2017-August 2018 (Primary Investigator, with co-PI Dr. Alan McLuckie), 2018
  • Campus Mental Health Strategy Grant, University of Calgary ADHD Skills: Building Capacity in Students with ADHD ($9,350) – September 2017-Sept 2018 (Primary Investigator),
  • University Research Grants Committee - University of Calgary Knowledge is Power: Student, Parent, and Child Understanding of ADHD ($13,191) – August 2014-August 2016 (Primary Investigator),
  • Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) – operating grant (Understanding and mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, youth and families in Canada) How is COVID-19 continuing to impact children with and without Attention- Deficit/, CIHR. 2021
  • Werklund School of Education Teaching and Learning Grant, University of Calgary Envisioning and Creating an Embedded Certificate in Child & Youth Development ($1,500) – December 2021-December 2022 (PI, with K. Hughes), 2021
  • Teaching and Learning Grant, University of Calgary Networked and neurodiverse strategies for teaching performance creation online ($7,499) – March 2020-September 2021 (collaborator, with P. Hansen [PI] and L. Radford), 2020
  • SSHRC Insight Development Grant Strength and Stigma in Individuals with ADHD ($64,224) – July 2018-June 2021 (Principal Investigator, with co-PI Dr. Alan McLuckie and collaborators G. Dimitropoulos, J. Landine, & R. Schachar) , 2020
  • VPR Catalyst Grant, University of Calgary A Virtual Behavioural Support Intervention for Children with ADHD ($11,160) – March 2021-March 2022 (collaborator, with J.F. Lemay [PI], G. Wilcox, & T. Hai), 2021

Publications