Shira Yufe | YUSHPP

Basic information

Name	Shira Yufe
Membership status	Program member
Biography	Prior to my studies at York, I completed a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at McGill University. I then enrolled in York's specialized honours program for Psychology and received my degree in May 2014 (Summa Cum Laude). I currently work as a research assistant at the University Health Network in the Inpatient Psychiatry Unit (Toronto General Hospital) and the Bariatric Surgery Department (Toronto Western Hospital). For my undergraduate thesis, supervised by Dr. K. Fergus and Dr. M. Taube-Schiff, I conducted semi-structured interviews with young adult bariatric patients. These patients recently transferred their obesity care from a pediatric to an adult hospital. The goal of my thesis was twofold: to understand the weight stigmatization experiences of young adults with obesity and to improve the transition process from a psychosocial platform.
Research interests	health psychology, obesity, eating disorders, bullying & stigmatization
Research experience	Research Assistant Toronto General Hospital, Inpatient Psychiatry August 2014-present Current project: -Evaluating behavioural activation (BA) intervention on the unit Research Assistant University of Toronto, Psychiatry May 2014-present Current projects: – Systematic review of web-based education for the continuing professional development of psychiatrists – Lifelong learning needs of psychiatry residents Research Assistant Toronto Western Hospital, Bariatric Surgery Department December 2012-present Current projects: -Weight loss outcomes and quality of life post-surgery for young adult and adult patients -Understanding psychosocial experiences and weight stigmatization in young adults with obesity Contributing Writer and Social Media Coordinator The Trauma and Mental Health Report May 2012-May 2014 -Composed monthly articles on mental health topics; articles reposted on Psychology Today -Disseminated mental health news via Facebook and Twitter daily Laboratory Assistant Centre for Vision Research, York University May 2012-May 2013 -Managed recruitment for target-memory and reaction time studies Research Assistant May 2012-August 2012 -Coded qualitative free association narratives into patterns and categories for a Canadian cultural stereotypes study CONFERENCES & PRESENTATIONS YUFE, S.,Taube-Schiff, M., Fergus, K., & Sockalingam, S. (2014, Septemeber). Thematic Analysis of the Bullying and Relationship Experiences of Young Adults with Obesity. Paper session presented at the 64th Annual Conference of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, Toronto, Ontario. Taube-Schiff, M., YUFE, S., Meaney, C. & Sockalingam, S. (2014, September). Does Age Matter? The Impact of Age and Psychiatric Factors on Bariatric Surgery Outcomes. Paper session presented at the 64th Annual Conference of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, Toronto, Ontario. YUFE, S., Taube-Schiff, M., Meaney C., & Sockalingam S. (2014, May). Does Age Matter? The Impact of Age and Psychiatric Factors on Bariatric Surgery Outcomes. Poster session presented at the 165th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, New York, New York. YUFE, S., Taube-Schiff, M., Fergus, K., & Sockalingam, S. (2014, May). Thematic Analysis of the Bullying and Relationship Experiences of Young Adults with Obesity. Poster session presented at the 44th Annual Ontario Undergraduate Psychology Thesis Conference, Kingston, Ontario.
Skill and resources	Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) N-VIVO HyperResearch TCPS 2: CORE- Tri-Council Policy Statement Tutorial Certification REB and Grant Proposals Manuscript Editing Clinical experience (bariatric patients, psychiatric inpatients) Microsoft Office Language Proficiencies: English & Hebrew