INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS' AND COMMUNITIES' RESEARCH LAB
Our Team
Our Team1
Adam T. Murry
Supervisor - Principal Investigator
Adam T. Murry (Ukrainian, Irish, Apache), PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of Calgary where he runs the Indigenous Organizations and Communities Development Research lab. He is co-principal investigator for the Alberta Indigenous Mentorship in Health Innovation (AIM-HI) network and Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR) in Canada, and conducts research on Indigenous employment, mentorship, allyship, education, Indigenous studies, substance use, mental health, sustainability, and ministry. Dr. Murry has multiple peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, serves on several diversity and Indigenous-specific committees, and consults with both the non-profit and Tribal sector.
Elaine Atay (she/her)
PhD Student (1st year), Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Born and raised in Moh’kins’tsis/Calgary by Filipina and Turkish immigrant parents, Elaine is grateful and honored to work and play on Treaty 7 Territory. Under Dr. Adam Murry’s supervision, she completed her master’s thesis in 2021 where she verified the applicability of an Indigenous Mentorship (IM) Model. Her doctoral work will continue this work to develop an IM evaluation tool that can be applied to academic and organizational settings. Beyond the Indigenous Organizations and Communities Research Lab, she serves on the Psychology Department’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, as well as various student groups (Graduate Pan-Psychology Partnership, Indigenous Students’ Circle). Outside of academia, Elaine enjoys hiking, playing board games, spending time with friends, and watching Netflix.
Research Interests: racial diversity; prejudice and discrimination; intergroup relations; organizational mentorship and leadership; EDI in organizations
Melanie Grier (she/her)
M.Sc. Candidate (1st year), Industrial-Organizational Psychology
A life-long Turtle Island visitor of Dutch-Ukrainian Mennonite and German ancestry, Melanie strives to center reparative strengths-based action research approaches in her work. As part of the broader Indigenous Employment project, Melanie’s master’s thesis research focuses on improving organizational support for Indigenous employees. Outside of the lab, Melanie is involved in student groups (Graduate Pan-Psychology Partnership, Indigenous Students’ Circle), sits on UCalgary and community committees (ii'taa'poh'to'p: Indigenous Strategy Student Advisory Committee; Suicide Awareness and Prevention Framework Advisory Committee; Psychology Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity Committee; Community Association Board of Directors), and writes articles about parenting and other things as a senior contributor to Birthing Magazine, a quarterly print publication.
Research Interests: critical methodologies; decolonizing institutions; inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) in organizations; perceived organizational support; value-congruence; job/community embeddedness; governance systems (matriarchy, patriarchy) and work
Alvan Yuan
Graduate Student
Alvan is going into their second year in the Industrial and Organizational Psychology Program at the University of Calgary. Alvan graduated their undergrad with a BA in Psychology and BA (Honours) in Sociocultural Anthropology. Alvan has research interests in human-technology interaction at work, meaning/meaningfulness of work, organizational culture/climate, system theories, network theories, and information management. Outside of academia, Alvan enjoys binge reading random non-fiction books, video games, and dreaming about owning a cat.
Lena Le Huray
Honours Student/Researcher
Lena Le Huray is a psychology major at the University of Calgary, currently working on getting her degree with honors under Dr. Adam T. Murry. She worked in the fitness industry for 10 years after obtaining her Personal Fitness Trainer Certificate from Mount Royal University and is also a certified Eating Psychology Coach. She runs her own nutritional coaching business and is the host of the podcast What the Health!? Lena has also published a book called Food Rehab: For Food Junkies.
Research Interests: Health, physical activity and mental health, nutrition and mental health, fitness, nutrition
Alicia Brozny (she/her)
Undergraduate researcher (PURE)
Born on Treaty 6 Territory to a mother of mixed settler ancestry and to a Nehiyawak (Cree) father, Alicia is grateful to learn and work on Treaty 7 Territory. Alicia is a senior undergrad student (UCalgary) working towards her BA in psychology. Alicia is currently working under Dr. Murry’s supervision on a PURE research project that centers Indigenous graduates. Alicia is committed to research focused on creating solutions for Indigenous people within organizations. Outside the lab, Alicia is a junior executive for the Indigenous students’ circle and loves to spend time with her family and dog.
Research Interests: Mixed methodologies, inclusivity, organizational support. Organization retention, Indigenization, and decolonization of organizations.
Sanchita Sharma
Research Coordinator
Second-year M.A. in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University, Completed M.A. Psychology and B.A. Psychology Hons. at the University of Delhi.
Sanchita was born and raised in India. She joined the lab in 2021 and is working on projects on allyship, and trauma-informed therapy for Indigenous clients, along with providing administrative support. Apart from her work in the lab, she is working on a project studying the experiences of blended families in India. Sanchita enjoys long walks, calligraphy, meeting new dogs, and watching documentaries.
Tyara Marchand
Second year Medical Student at the Cumming School of Medicine, Completed BSc in Physical Anthropology
Tya grew up in the Okanagan Valley on the Okanagan Indian reserve before moving to Calgary. She is First Nations of Okanagan ancestry. Tya has worked with Dr. Murry since 2020 and has been involved in projects including Indigenous Studies curriculum and department research and currently is leading the Indigenous Readiness to Practice research project. Tya and Dr. Murry also are a part of the Indigenous Primary Health Care and Policy Research network and make up this network’s evaluation team. Apart from her work with Dr. Murry, she is a research associate with the Department of Surgery looking at equity and inclusion for Indigenous patients in surgical and emergency care. Aside from research and academics, Tya enjoys hiking, camping, taking her dog Luna for walks and spending time with family.
Research Interests: Indigenous health equity, emergency medicine, general surgery, curriculum design and development, Indigenous maternal child wellness
Devin Proulx (he/him) 
Research Assistant, incoming medical student at University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine, completed a Master of Business Administration at University of Calgary, Haskayne School of Business and a BMgt at University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus.
Of French Metis and Irish-English descent, Devin grew up between the traditional Red River Settlements parish 17 – Ste Anne, Manitoba and Peace River, Alberta. Working with Dr. Murry since 2021, Devin is currently a research assistant on the Indigenous Readiness to Practice research project through the Indigenous Primary Health Care and Policy Research Network. Outside the Indigenous Organizations’ and Communities’ Research Lab Devin also sits on the Canadian Journal of Physician Leadership’s editorial board, where he aims to bring Indigenous perspectives to medical leadership. On his spare time Devin enjoys hiking, skiing, and the pursuit of competitive athletics in the sport of powerlifting.
Research Interests: Indigenous health equity, public health and preventative medicine, sport and rehabilitation medicine.
Queenie Li (she/her)
Incoming Master’s student in Clinical Psychology
Queenie was born in Hong Kong and raised in Moh’kins’tsis/Calgary. She holds a BSc in biology from McGill University and a BSc in psychology from the University of Calgary. Queenie’s interest in psychology grew from her professional sales experience, where she found that connecting with clients about their wellbeing was the most meaningful part of her work. She was inspired to pursue further education in mental health and therapy, then became quickly captivated by the potential of research. Queenie is passionate about finding ways that we can live better together. She believes a key to achieving thriving communities is to support those in the most vulnerable positions, including children and marginalized individuals. As such, her breadth of research experience in psychology, public health, and education is connected by a focus on advocacy and justice. Queenie aspires to work as a clinical psychologist who specializes in sociopolitical influences on development and multicultural psychology.
Research Interests: Developmental psychology, pediatric pain, narrative intervention, program implementation & knowledge brokering
Allison Cormier
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Allison was born New Brunswick, Canada on the traditional territory of the Mi’Kmaq and currently lives and works in Moh’kins’tsis/Calgary. Working with Dr. Murry since 2020, Allison has been involved in the Policing Project, both as a research assistant and in coaching students working on the project as a component of UNIV 302. Currently, she is integrally involved in co-authoring a publication outlining the results and significance of PCCEP MapApp data. Allison is passionate about working with those who are most vulnerable, including children and marginalized persons. In 2022/23, she will be completing her honours thesis examining children’s memories of pain events and how these may influence future healthcare behaviours.
Research interests: developmental psychology, marginalization, pediatric pain, healthcare adherence
Hannah Mughal
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Hanna was born in Burnaby, Canada, the traditional land of the hən̓qəmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples. She currently lives and plays in Moh’kins’tsis/Calgary in Treaty 7 and Metis Region 3 land. Hanna is an undergraduate psychology student and has been involved in supporting research on the Readiness to Practice project since Fall 2020. She is currently helping to co-author a publication on the results of this content analysis. Hanna is passionate about community development, evaluation, and intersectionality.
Research interests: I/O psychology, community development, and EDI