Congratulations to Eryn Tong, 2023 Vanier Scholar!

A huge congratulations goes out to Eryn Tong, first year Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) student in the Clinical & Counselling Psychology (CCP) program!

We sat down with Eryn to learn more about her current research and future goals. Eryn's research focuses on the experience of emerging adults caring for a parent living with advanced disease.

"I started my academic journey at McMaster University, where I completed my Honours Bachelor of Science with a double major in Biology and Psychology. During my summers, I worked at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, examining the end-of-life experience of patients and their families and the impact of psychosocial interventions to improve psychological wellbeing. Throughout my undergraduate training, I began to appreciate the intricate relationship between research and clinical practice. This eventually led me to pursue my Master of Science at the University of Toronto, where I led the development and implementation of a psychoeducational intervention for people affected by pancreatic cancer, an aggressive disease with low survival rates. I believe my cumulative experiences naturally led me to pursue research and clinical training in clinical psychology, to be able to both understand shared social experiences and directly support others. I am so grateful that I was able to pursue my training in the Clinical and Counselling Psychology (CCP) Program at OISE", says Eryn.

In the future, Eryn is looking forward to continue exploring her research and clinical interests as she completes the PhD program. She believes the most exciting aspect of the Clinical and Counselling Program (CCP) is how it can lead to many different paths, in clinical practice, research, academia, and beyond!

Eryn says "I hope that my next few years of training will help guide and shape what my ultimate career will look like. In the meantime, I am enjoying the journey and cannot wait to see where it takes me!".

The Government of Canada launched the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program in 2008 to strengthen Canada's ability to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. Vanier Scholars demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and/or engineering and health. Read more about the Vanier Scholarship here.