Everyone is welcome to attend the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience's Jacob Hamilton Memorial Lecture on Thursday, October 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in LSC Room P4260. Guest speaker Dr. Laura Lambe, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at St. Francis Xavier University, will present a talk entitled “Bullying and Youth Mental Health: Supporting Healthy Relationships for Healthy Development.” The lecture is hosted by Dr. Sherry Stewart. A light reception will follow the lecture. We hope to see you there!

Talk abstract: Presented as the 2025 Jacob Hamilton Memorial Lecture, Dr. Lambe will share her research on bullying and youth mental health, highlighting the urgent need to support healthy relationships for healthy development. The talk will begin with an overview of current trends in youth mental health, emphasizing the growing crisis in adolescent well-being. Dr. Lambe will then introduce bullying as a serious public health concern, examining its prevalence across Canada and highlighting disparities in who is most affected. She will examine how bullying “gets under the skin,” affecting biological and psychological systems in ways that can lead to long-term challenges across the lifespan. The lecture will conclude by focusing on the power of the peer group in bullying prevention, offering insights into how fostering positive relationships can promote resilience and support healthy development.

Short bio: Dr. Laura Lambe (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. She is also a registered clinical psychologist and holds adjunct and affiliate positions at Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health, respectively. She completed her undergraduate degree at Dalhousie University and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University. Before joining StFX, she also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Dalhousie University. At StFX, Dr. Lambe leads the Interrupting Victimization in Youth (IVY) Lab, where her research centres on the intersection of youth relationships and mental health, with particular emphasis on bullying and bystander intervention.