Team Lead
Serena Orr
Serena Orr, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FAHS is a pediatric neurologist with a subspecialty in headache medicine, the principal investigator of the PeHRL lab, and the director of the pediatric headache program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is also an assistant professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Clinical Neurosciences, and Community Health Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary, and a clinician-scientist at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and the Mathison Centre for Mental Health at the University of Calgary. She has a strong interest in clinical research and is particularly interested in the acute treatment of migraine, in novel neuromodulation-based treatments for migraine, and in understanding psychosocial factors that impact migraine in children and adolescents. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, being active outside (running, skiing, kayaking), painting, reading, and baking.
Current Lab Members
Jonathan Kuziek
Jonathan Kuziek is currently Dr. Orr’s research assistant. He has received his Master’s of Science in Psychology from the University of Alberta. Jonathan enjoys anything related to electronics and computer hardware, along with coding in Python. Jonathan also enjoys going for walks and spending as much time as possible with his wife and his fat cat, Amaretto.
Kirsten Sjonnesen
Kirsten Sjonnesen, MD FRCPC, recently completed her Pediatric Neurology residency at the University of Calgary, and is currently pursuing her MSc in Community Health Science with the Clinician Investigator Program under the supervision of Drs. Serena Orr and Tamara Pringsheim. She is also undertaking Pediatric Neuropsychiatry training supervised by Dr. Kara Murias. Dr. Sjonnesen obtained her BSc from Queen's University and medical degree from the University of Alberta.
Her research seeks to improve the understanding of the interaction between longitudinal maternal and child mental health and migraine incidence in the peri-adolescent period. She also aims to explore the day-to-day experience of children and adolescents with migraine and psychological risk factors for migraine-related disability. She enjoys spending time with her family, and is passionate about sustainability and planetary health.
Kailey Penner
Kailey is currently a first year master’s student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Calgary. She is being co-supervised by Dr. Serena Orr and Dr. Melanie Noel. She is interested in the intersection of pediatric headaches and family mental health and service access. In her spare time, Kailey likes to be with her dog, Sparky, and spend time with friends and family.
Nynke van den Hoogen
Dr. Nynke van den Hoogen, MSc PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Orr. Originally from the Netherlands, Nynke completed a BSc in Biomedical Sciences and a Research MSc in Fundamental Neuroscience at Maastricht University. She defended her PhD degree in April 2018, and moved to Calgary to pursue her research passion in July 2019. Before joining Dr. Orr’s team in February 2024, she was a postdoc at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary, studying the long-term effects of pain and opioids on the development of the nervous system in translational models. Nynke’s major research interest lies in unravelling the developmental pathways that underlie individual differences in pain and touch perception. She is very passionate about science communication and knowledge mobilization, and is excited to contribute to the wellbeing of children and adolescents experiencing headaches and migraines.
Outside of work, Nynke enjoys live music shows, discovering new restaurants, and traveling. She holds several postdoc representation roles, and is passionate about social justice.
Rebecca Lindsay
Dr. Lindsay is a pediatric neurology resident at the Alberta Children's Hospital. Becca is interested in the effects of Botox on migraine outcomes in children and adolescents. She loves to ski in the winter, soak up the sun in the summer, and play recreational volleyball all year round!
Amira Kalifa
Amira Kalifa is an MD/MSc student in the Leaders in Medicine program at the University of Calgary. Amira is interested in all aspects of pediatric neurology and is currently looking at the effectiveness of Botox in the treatment of pediatric migraines. In her spare time, Amira enjoys being outdoors and spending time with her rescue cat, Loki.
Jordan Van Dyk
Dr. Jordan Van Dyk obtained his Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Lethbridge. He then acquired his MD at the University of Calgary and is currently completing his residency in Pediatric Neurology through the University of Calgary at the Alberta Children's Hospital. Dr. Van Dyk's research interests are primarily clinical with a special interest in transitional medicine as well as neuro-critical care. In Dr. Van Dyk's spare time he enjoys spending time with his three children (Finn, Norah, and Miles), as well as cheering on the Edmonton Oilers!
Elise Martin
Dr. Elise Martin is a general pediatrics resident at the Alberta Children's Hospital. She is interested in assessing patient and parent preferences for acute and preventive headache treatments. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and trying new restaurants.
Prachi Khanna
Prachi is an undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia. Prachi is interested in trying to understand headache disorders in children and adolescents through patient-oriented research. In her spare time, Prachi enjoys writing poetry and developing recipes.
Previous Lab Members
Bilal Rizvi
Bilal Rizvi is an undergraduate student within the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary who will be transferring to University of Buckingham for medical school beginning 2023. Bilal is interested in defining the relationship between migraine outcome and symptoms of mental health (anxiety and depression) in the paediatric population. In his spare time, he enjoys going on motorcycle cruises with his friends in the countryside.
Katherine Falla
Dr. Katherine Falla is a recent graduate of the Cumming School of Medicine and is currently a pediatric resident at the University of Manitoba. Her research topics include pediatric migraine and concussion. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors.
Syeda Rubbia Mahnaz
Rubbia is a student researcher interested in pediatric neurology and melanoma research. She recently completed her B.sc and is currently applying to medical schools. When not reading literature or working in a lab, she loves managing her non-profit called Youth Achieve and spending time with cancer patients at the Thrive center.
Mattea Lee
Mattea Lee is a third year medical student at the University of Calgary. Mattea is interested in understanding the patient experience during the transition from pediatrics to adult medicine, specifically in migraine management. Outside of school, Mattea enjoys playing tennis, traveling and cooking/eating good food.
Lydia Cho
Lydia is a master’s student in the Medical Science program with a specialization in Medical Imaging under the co-supervision of Dr. Serena Orr and Dr. Ashley Harris at the University of Calgary. Her research project uses magnetic resonance spectroscopy to examine how chemicals in the brain fluctuate throughout the migraine cycle in children and adolescents. Through her research, she hopes to further explore and understand the unique neurobiology underlying migraine in children and adolescents. Outside of the lab, Lydia enjoys pyrography and taking walks with her family.
Muhib Ali
Muhib Ali is a is a recent graduate from the University of Calgary with a bachelors in biology. He is interested in pursuing a career in medicine and he also enjoys working with Dr. Orr and Dr. Van Dyk on their research project. Muhib loves staying active along side his academics by going to the gym or being outside in the mountains or on a walking trail somewhere. He also loves to explore new foods with family and friends.
Alexis Espanioli
Alexis Espanioli is an undergraduate student majoring in Health and Society at the University of Calgary. Alexis is interested in studying the approaches to social determinants of health, learning about patient advocacy and participating in research. In Alexis' spare time, she enjoys volunteering within her community and is passionate about promoting the growth and well-being of children and youth.
Altamish Bukhari
Altamish is an undergraduate student majoring in biological sciences and minoring in psychology at the University of Calgary. He is interested in exploring the facets of mental health and improving the mental wellbeing of individuals of all backgrounds. In his spare time, Altamish loves to play video games, practice on the guitar, and spend time with his loved ones.