Natalie Mota, PhD

  • Portrait of Natalie Mota

  • Associate professor and research director

    Max Rady College of Medicine
    Clinical Health Psychology
    PZ350-771 Bannatyne Avenue
    University of Manitoba
    Winnipeg, MB R3E 3N4

    Phone: 204-787-7424

Cross-appointments

Research interests

  • military mental health
  • population mental health
  • posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • suicide prevention
  • women’s mental health

Research affiliations

Member, Academic, Research, and Clinical Network (ARC Network), Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment

Research groups

Manitoba Population Mental Health Research Group

Research summary

Broadly, Dr. Mota’s research focuses on understanding the psychological and physical impacts of traumatic experiences on populations who are more vulnerable to their exposure, and on studying resilience factors that mitigate the negative effects of traumatic stress.

She is particularly interested in understanding the effects of trauma in the context of occupational stress, as they pertain to women’s health, and in their relation to engagement in negative health risk behaviours.

Ultimately, she aims for a research program where a population-based understanding of risk and protective factors for trauma-related psychopathology guides the development of innovative and accessible prevention and intervention initiatives.

Dr. Mota has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications, and her research has been supported by agencies such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Health Sciences Centre Foundation, and the Manitoba Medical Services Foundation/Winnipeg Foundation.

Biography

In addition to being a passionate investigator, Dr. Mota is also a clinical psychologist at the Operational Stress Injury Clinic in Winnipeg, Manitoba, a setting that serves members of the Canadian Armed Forces, RCMP members, and veterans of these organizations. Her clinical expertise is in the assessment and treatment of stressor- and trauma-related disorders, as well as in suicide prevention.

Education

  • Postdoctoral associate, Yale University School of Medicine/Clinical Neurosciences Division of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs National Center for PTSD (2015)
  • PhD in clinical psychology, University of Manitoba (2014)
  • Pre-doctoral psychology resident, University of Mississippi Medical Center/G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Veterans Affairs medical Center (2014)
  • Master of arts, department of psychology, University of Manitoba (2009)
  • Bachelor of arts (honors), department of psychology, McGill University (2006)

Awards

University of Manitoba’s Dr. John Arnett for Excellence in Teaching Award (2021)

Scientist-Practitioner Early Career Award (SPECA); Clinical Section of the Canadian Psychological Association (2020)

Contact us

Clinical Health Psychology
PZ350-771 Bannatyne Avenue
University of Manitoba, Bannatyne Campus
Winnipeg, MB R3E 3N4 Canada

204-787-7424
204-787-3755