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ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´

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Kim Hellemans

Assistant Professor

  • PhD (Queen’s University)
  • 5302 Health Sciences Building, ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University
  • 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6
  • Email Kim Hellemans
  • 613-520-2600 ext 2973

Dr. Kim Hellemans is an award-winning educator, neuroscientist, and Associate Dean of Science at ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University. Recognized for her passion for teaching, she has earned prestigious awards, including the OCUFA Provincial Teaching Award. Her research focuses on the intersection of mental health, substance use, and academic outcomes among emerging adults, with recent work exploring problematic cannabis and social media use, graduate student mental health, and the experiences of gender and sexual minority students in higher education. A champion of knowledge translation, she has created widely viewed neuroscience animations on substance use and stigma. She also hosts the award-winning podcast , bringing cutting-edge neuroscience to the public.

Eligible to supervise 4th year capstone courses (NEUR 4907/4908) and independent studies (NEUR 4900).
Eligible to supervise at the graduate level. 

Courses taught: 

  • NEUR 1202: Neuroscience of Mental Health and Psychiatric Disease
  • NEUR 4306: The Neural Basis of Addiction

Scholarly Work & Research Interests:

The explores the complex interplay between stress, trauma, substance use, and mental health through an integrative neuroscience lens. We combine biological, psychological, and social approaches to understand how early adversity and systemic stigma impact well-being. Grounded in principles of equity, inclusion, and lived experience, our work aims to dismantle barriers to care and inform compassionate, evidence-based interventions. We are committed to meaningful knowledge mobilization and the training of interdisciplinary scholars equipped to transform mental health and substance use health systems.

Dr. Kim Hellemans and Dr. Jim Davies, co-hosts of the podcast, Minding the Brain

Selected Publications

Annie Zhang, Hongwei Zhou, Kim Hellemans, and Edward Melcer. 2026. Addressing Anxiety Through Games: A Review of Therapeutic Design Strategies. In Foundations of Digital Games (FDG ’26), August 10–13, 2026, Copenhagen, Denmark. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 4 pages.

Shannon, H., Montgomery, M., Bush, K., Griffiths, M. D., Stead, J., Lemieux, M., … Hellemans, K. G. C. (2026). Neurobiological and psychosocial correlates of problematic social media use: an addiction framework. Addiction Research & Theory, 1–12.

Holly Shannon, Matteo Montgomery, Clifford Cassidy, Marianne Lemieux, Jasmin A. Yee, Lisa-Sarah Brunier, Kim G.C. Hellemans, Synthia Guimond, Testing dopaminergic markers of problematic social media use using neuromelanin-sensitive MRI, Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, Volume 357, 2026, 112144, ISSN 0925-4927, .

Epp T, Peters B, Bartram M, Bacon BA, Weekes J, Hellemans K. Upvoting stigma? Analyzing themes in substance use stigma within Canadian subreddits. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Dec 1;277:112963. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112963. Epub 2025 Nov 14. PMID: 41274139.

Epp T, Hellemans K, Corace K, Garner G, Bacon BA. Lived Experience and the Need for Co-Leadership in Mental and Substance Use Health Care. Can J Psychiatry. 2025 Nov 25:7067437251398100. doi: 10.1177/07067437251398100. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41289269; PMCID: PMC12646944.

Prowse, Rebecca K.M. MPH1; Aubin, Keira C.M. MSc2; Gabrys, Robert PhD3; Abizaid, Alfonso A. PhD3; McQuaid, Robyn J. PhD3,4; Patterson, Zachary PhD3; Villeneuve, Paul J. PhD3; Hellemans, Kim G.C. PhD3. Hazardous Cannabis Use Among University Students: Understanding Differences in Modes, Patterns, and Motivations Related to Use. The Canadian Journal of Addiction 16(3):p 13-26, September 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/CXA.0000000000000246

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