Brittain will soon cross the convocation stage to receive her diploma and doctoral hood as a Class of 2026 graduate. Ahead of this milestone, we caught up with her for this Scholars in Education series interview.
Tell us about your path to doctoral studies.
Near the end of my BA in psychology and mathematics at McMaster University, I began working with Professor Tracy Vaillancourt, which spurred my interest in research in childhood and adolescence that can have an impact. Since then, I’ve completed master’s degrees in education and statistics and, most recently, my PhD, all while having the privilege of co-ordinating the 16-year longitudinal McMaster Teen Study. This experience has shaped much of my academic and professional path. Through this work, I’ve combined my interests in research, statistics and youth development to understand the challenges young people face and how research findings can support them.
What’s the focus of your doctoral research?
My PhD project focuses on how school transitions shape students’ academic functioning, mental health and experiences with bullying. The transition from elementary to secondary school can be a critical period because students are not only adjusting to new academic and social environments but also navigating adolescence.
Using data from the McMaster Teen Study, where we followed Canadian students from Grade 5 into early adulthood, I examined how patterns of academic achievement, school attendance, anxiety, depression and bullying develop and interact over time. My research showed that students don’t all follow the same path. While many remain relatively stable, others experience worsening academic performance or mental health difficulties, and others improve. I also found that in both phases of schooling, higher bullying victimization was tightly coupled with poorer mental health. In secondary school, poor mental health led to lower grades and, in turn, higher absences. Overall, my work highlights that this period can serve as an important turning point, with risk and opportunity associated with the school transition, and underscores the need for timely, integrated supports that address students’ academic, emotional and social well-being.
What inspired this project?
I was curious about how young people’s developmental paths unfold over time and how those paths can look so different from one person to another. I was particularly interested in whether there are key moments, like major school transitions, where those trajectories shift in meaningful ways. If we can better understand when and why certain patterns change, we may be able to predict who might need additional support and when that support could be most effective.
Who could your research make a difference for?
I hope my work ultimately benefits young people, especially those experiencing peer problems or struggling to cope with the challenges of adolescence. By better understanding how academics, mental health and bullying interact over time, we can identify opportunities to provide earlier and more effective supports. And when we see improvements in such trends, like with bullying victimization across the transition to high school, it’s nice to be able to share the message that for many students experiencing difficulties, things do get better.
I hope this research is useful for educators, school boards and policymakers, who play important roles in shaping the environments where young people develop. Schools are often where these challenges first become visible, and research can help guide prevention and intervention efforts.
Is there anything unexpected or surprising you’ve found in your research so far?
One particularly encouraging finding was that a subgroup of students, about 10%, who experienced high levels of bullying in elementary school showed a substantial decline in victimization after transitioning to secondary school. This finding highlighted that for some youth, these transitions can create opportunities for positive change.
What’s one piece of knowledge that has stayed with you during your studies?
One idea that had a major influence on my thinking during graduate school is the concept of developmental cascades. This framework emphasizes how experiences in one area of life, such as peer relations, academics or mental health, can spill over into other domains over time, shaping broader developmental pathways. It can help us to understand how a group of individuals starting at the same point end up at very different end points and, in contrast, how those with very different beginnings can converge to a similar level of functioning years later.
This perspective changed how I approach the study of development. Rather than viewing academic performance, mental health or peer relationships as separate issues, I see that these are deeply interconnected processes that evolve together across adolescence.
Why did you choose uOttawa?
I chose the University of Ottawa for my doctoral studies because it was an ideal environment to learn about educational research and to continue the research path I began through my work with Professor Vaillancourt and the McMaster Teen Study. Having been deeply involved in this large-scale longitudinal project, I wanted to pursue doctoral training in a setting where I could build on that work and expand my research skills. Continuing to work with Professor Vaillancourt was especially important, as her mentorship has played a central role in shaping my academic journey. She truly champions her students and does everything possible to ensure their success. Through the Brain and Behaviour Laboratory, I learned about becoming a competent researcher and built long-lasting relationships. Now that I’ve completed my PhD, I’m honoured to continue working with Professor Vaillancourt and many amazing colleagues as a research associate on influential projects like the Health and Peer Relations Study and the uOttawa Youth Referee Abuse Study.
Learn more.
Heather Brittain holds a BA in psychology and math, as well as an MSc in statistics, from McMaster University. She also has an MA (’11) and a PhD (’26) from the uOttawa Faculty of Education. Brittain is a Vanier Canada graduate scholarship recipient whose research focuses on how adverse childhood experiences, including bullying, impact mental health and life outcomes.
