Meet the Team
Dr. Tamara Williamson
Dr. Tamara Williamson is a Registered Provisional Psychologist and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Regina. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Calgary and completed her predoctoral internship in Clinical Health Psychology at the University of Manitoba, specializing in health psychology. She is also a member of the TotalCardiology™ Research Network in Calgary, Alberta.
Dr. Williamson’s research focuses on behavioral medicine and health psychology, particularly the psychosocial influences on health and illness. She is dedicated to developing and refining behavioral interventions for chronic diseases, with a special emphasis on cardiovascular disease and obesity. Her dissertation explored integrating a ‘Small Change’ weight loss approach into cardiac rehabilitation for patients with atrial fibrillation and obesity. Her current research interests include interventions to improve bariatric surgery outcomes, healthcare provider attitudes toward weight loss treatment in cardiac rehabilitation, and virtual interventions to enhance access to cardiac rehabilitation in rural communities.
Her doctoral research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Alberta Innovates, Alberta SPOR, and the Cardiovascular Network of Canada (CANet).
Lauren Unruh
Lauren Unruh is a first-year MSc. Clinical Psychology student interested in research pertaining to health psychology. Much of her work experiences involve supporting the health and well-being of underserved members in the community, and she would like to contribute to evidence-based practices that create real-world impact for them. Her master’s project focuses on virtual cardiac rehabilitation for patients with heart disease living in rural Saskatchewan and the factors that either help or prevent them from using this virtual care. Her goal is to continue working with these communities after graduate school as a registered Clinical Psychologist and researcher.
Tahir Zaman
Tahir Zaman is a fourth-year Psychology student at the University of Regina, currently completing the Honours Program. His primary interest lies in health psychology, specifically, how psychological factors influence physical illness and recovery. For his honours thesis, he plans to focus on cardiac rehabilitation psychology, exploring the emotional and psychological experiences of individuals with heart disease and how these factors impact recovery and overall well-being. His long-term career goal is to work in the medical field, ideally in a role that allows him to be directly involved in patient care, whether as a physician or in another healthcare capacity. Outside of academics, he enjoys playing soccer, going to the gym, and spending time with friends.
Matea Gerbeza
Matea Gerbeza is a 2nd year master's student in the University of Regina's Clinical Psychology program under the supervision of Dr. Kristi Wright. She also received her Bachelor of Arts Honours from the U of R in 2023. She has been working as a research assistant for Dr. Tamara Williamson since August 2025 on projects related to the use of GLP-1 RAs. Matea is interested in health psychology, specifically how children and families are impacted by chronic illness (i.e., congenital heart disease). She intends to enroll in the University of Regina's Doctorate in Clinical Psychology program and complete her training to become a registered child clinical psychologist. Outside of academia, she works at an autism centre for children.
