MEET OUR TEAM

Dr. Zahra Clayborne
LAB DIRECTOR

Dr. Zahra Clayborne is a psychiatric epidemiologist and Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences and Pediatrics at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine. She completed a Canadian Institutes of Health Research postdoctoral fellowship in 2024 at the University of Calgary, where she worked with Drs. Suzanne Tough and Sheila McDonald with the All Our Families research team to understand flourishing from a developmental perspective. Dr. Clayborne completed a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Ottawa in 2022 under the supervision of Dr. Ian Colman. Concurrent with her doctoral studies, Dr. Clayborne worked as an epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Canada in positive mental health surveillance, where she developed a keen interest in better understanding how to cultivate positive health trajectories for Canadians from all walks of life. She is a co-Investigator of the All Our Families study, and a full member of the Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, the O'Brien Institute for Public Health, and the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.
As the director of the Flourishing and Inclusive Health Research (FAIR) Lab, Dr. Clayborne's program of research is centred on investigating optimal well-being and mental health outcomes throughout the life course via an intersectional lens, with a particular focus on the development of mental health, flourishing, and resiliency among children and youth. Prospective undergraduate and graduate students interested in population mental health and well-being research are encouraged to review the training and values sections of our website, and email Dr. Clayborne a brief statement of interest and updated CV. 

For more information, you can refer to Dr. Clayborne’s UCalgary profile page here

STAFF AND TRAINEES

Angie Uy
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Angie Uy joined the Flourishing and Inclusive Health Research (FAIR) Lab in 2025 to continue her work with Dr. Zahra Clayborne on a scoping review that explores the concept of flourishing in both adult and adolescent populations. She began this work in 2023 with the All Our Families team, where she also completed her senior practicum project on the relationship between physical activity and chronic pain in neurodivergent children. Angie graduated in 2024 with a Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies, with a minor in Health and Society. This fall, she will begin her Master of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan.

Over the past year, she has been based in Sudbury, Ontario, where she is working with Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada's Eye Van program, providing ophthalmic care to underserved rural communities in Northern Ontario. She has also been contributing to a project about homelessness and emergency room use with Health Sciences North. Angie hopes to carry these interests forward into her graduate studies, with a particular focus on pediatric myopia and health resource allocation within rural or remote contexts. In her spare time, she enjoys long walks, going to raves, and getting boba.

Josh Borja
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER

Josh Borja is an undergraduate student in the Bachelor of Health Sciences honours program at UCalgary, majoring in Health and Society with a concentration in Health Economics and Health Policy. His research interests focus on population health, psychiatric epidemiology, and the social determinants that shape health outcomes among children, youth, and marginalized communities. He began his research training under the supervision of Dr. Scott Patten, and is now continuing to develop his skillset with Dr. Clayborne as a trainee in the FAIR Lab. He aspires to pursue grad school in areas of epidemiology or public health. Outside academia, Josh is active in health promotion and advocacy, serving in various capacities leading or volunteering in youth-focused initiatives at the university or greater community. In his spare time, he enjoys reading; journaling; going out for food or shopping; and spending time with family and friends.

Zoha Asif
MD PRACTICUM RESEARCHER

Zoha Asif is a first-year medical student at the University of Calgary researching the concept of ‘flourishing’ in children and adolescents with the FAIR Lab. Her academic and clinical interests lie at the intersection of pediatrics and psychiatry, with a particular focus on understanding the full spectrum of pediatric development. Prior to medical school, Zoha obtained her BSc in Cellular, Molecular, and Microbial Biology, where she also completed an undergraduate thesis examining how a high-fat diet may influence the progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Outside of academics, she likes to spend her spare time travelling, going to concerts, and spending time outdoors! 


LAB ALUMNI

Rowan Chetner (2024), Tufts University
Undergraduate summer student