People

Dr. Desmond McEwan
Assistant Professor
Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow through the British Psychological Society
Academic Member of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association
Associate Editor at Applied Psychology: International Review
Editorial Board Member at Sport, Exercise, & Performance Psychology, Psychology of Sport & Exercise, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, and Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology

Growing up just outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Desi spent his childhood heavily involved in sport. He completed a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Grant MacEwan University (2005-2009), a Master’s degree in Kinesiology at McMaster University (2010-2012), and a PhD in Kinesiology at UBC (2013-2017) where he first began researching teamwork and team effectiveness in sport. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Victoria (2017-2018), Desi moved to the UK where he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Bath (2019-2022). He returned to Vancouver in 2023 when he began his position at UBC. He currently teaches Sport & Exercise Psychology (KIN 150), The Psychology of Team Effectiveness (KIN 457), and Performance Psychology (KIN 486y). When he’s not working, Desi is typically spending time with his wife, Alicia, crushing his friends at fantasy sports, or having his heart broken watching the hockey, Formula 1, and football/soccer teams he supports.

Danielle Dubé
Danielle is a first-year PhD student in the School of Kinesiology at UBC. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UBC (2012-2016) before completing a Master of Counselling at City University of Seattle in Canada (2021-2024). Alongside a 16-year career in the fire service, Danielle is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a focus on the psychological safety and resilience of first responders and athletes in high-performance environments. Her research focuses heavily on athlete wellbeing and performance. Growing up in Vancouver, Danielle’s early life was defined by elite sport as a dedicated ice hockey goaltender, competing with the Canadian Women’s National Team, the UBC Thunderbirds, and in men’s professional leagues. Outside of her clinical practice and fire service duties, Danielle usually spends time with her two kids and new puppy (Ron), or escapes to Victoria on the weekend for a well-needed break with her husband.

Stefanie Atkinson
Stef is a third-year Master’s student in UBC’s MA Kinesiology program. She completed her first Bachelor’s degree in Child, Youth, and Family at the University of Guelph (2012-2016) before returning for a second degree in Psychology (2022-2024). Growing up, Stef spent fifteen years dancing and has since competed in bodybuilding, powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and CrossFit. After reading Relentless by Tim Grover, Stef became enthralled by high-performance athletes’ minds and how they could push themselves to greater heights. Stef has spent over six years as a personal trainer and coach, supporting individuals pursuing their fitness goals and navigating how mindset influences engagement in sport and exercise. Stef is interested in exploring how trust in the coach-athlete relationship influences performance outcomes and athlete thriving. When not on campus, she can be found coaching Functional Fitness classes, training for the upcoming CrossFit season, or rewatching New Girl for the 12th time.

Johnathan Sherrard
Johnathan is a first-year Master’s student in UBC’s MA Kinesiology program. He completed his Bachelor’s of Recreation and Sports Studies, with a minor in Psychology, at the University of New Brunswick before moving to B.C. to pursue his Master’s. As an athlete, Johnathan began competing in wrestling at a young age and continued all the way through his undergraduate degree. Throughout his competitive career, he always found the mental side of sport to be where he could make the most gains and, over time, developed a fascination not only with how sport psychology could be used to optimize performance, but also with how it can build stronger and more resilient people. Johnathan’s research interests include athlete thriving, challenge and threat states, and applied sport psychology. In his free time, he can be found at Dairy Queen or anywhere else that has ice cream.