Cultivating mentorship: Sheri Madigan’s decade in the Determinants of Child Development Lab

A variety of vibrant plants are carefully placed around the University of Calgary’s Determinants of Child Development Lab.

They create an ambiance you don’t necessarily see in other labs and serve as a metaphor for the lab’s dynamic work environment, growth and far-reaching impact.

The lab’s research focuses on planting the seeds for children’s development by addressing the most pressing issues that affect them such as mental health, digital media use and healthy family relationships.

To make this happen, Dr. Sheri Madigan, PhD, has been growing a collaborative community of dedicated child-development researchers over the past decade, including volunteers, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff.

It’s an approach that has had a profound impact on everyone who has worked with Madigan, a professor and Tier I Canada Research Chair in Child Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Arts.

“She is the definition of a generous mentor,” says Dr. Nicole Racine, PhD, who was Madigan’s first postdoctoral fellow. “I will never forget the first time we wrote a grant together. It was the most stimulating, collaborative and intellectually rich experience. I felt genuinely supported and challenged in ways that helped me grow as a researcher.”

Madigan’s leadership and vision have allowed her team to flourish as they contribute to research and practice that parents, children and families can benefit from.

It’s also a responsibility she reflects on during UCalgary’s 60th anniversary and beyond, as her lab is a shining example of how the university is embedded within the community, which Madigan believes will be even more essential in the decades to come.

Inspiration for a burgeoning academic

While Madigan’s path to academic research hasn’t been a straight line, being a mentor has always seemingly come naturally.

Growing up in northern Ontario, she initially wanted to become a teacher, eventually finding herself at Trent University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology.

That’s when a mentor pulled Madigan aside and asked whether she had considered pursuing a graduate degree.

“He saw something in me and encouraged me to consider a path I hadn’t imagined for myself,” she says. 

Madigan went on to enrol at the University of Western Ontario, where she earned a master’s degree in developmental psychology and a PhD in clinical psychology.

Transplanting to UCalgary

After completing postdoctoral research in 2015, Madigan was recruited to Calgary as a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development.

She and her family made the trek west as she set out to bring together her expertise in education, mental health, statistics and childhood development within a new research program.

Madigan quickly began building her team, emphasizing that, while each child and situation is unique, it is through identifying shared patterns that meaningful conclusions can be drawn. 

She brings that same balance to her mentorship, recognizing both common pathways to growth and the importance of tailoring her approach to each trainee. 

“Looking back, I can trace my own path to just a few key conversations with mentors,” Madigan says. “Those moments shaped how I see mentorship; a single conversation can impact someone’s trajectory.”

This was the case for her more than a decade ago when Dr. Jenny Jenkins, PhD, helped affirm Madigan’s commitment to academia as her Banting Postdoctoral supervisor at the University of Toronto.

Jenkins realized early on that Madigan had the potential to lead her own research program and consistently conveyed her belief in her.

“Her mentorship is beautiful to watch,” says Jenkins, who is now an intellectual partner as they work together and support each other in academic leadership roles. “Sheri is responsive, generous with her praise and encouragement, and she is goal directed.”

This responsive and supportive approach has resonated across Madigan’s lab over the last decade.

Haneen Salama, BSc’24, first joined the lab as a volunteer and is now pursuing a master’s in school and applied child psychology at UCalgary.

She credits Madigan’s mentorship with shaping both the research and practitioner she is becoming.

“Dr. Madigan consistently communicated a belief in my potential before I fully saw it in myself, and her guidance shaped not only the quality of my work, but also my confidence as an emerging researcher,” Salama says. “She has influenced far more than my skills — she shaped my confidence, resilience and belief in my future.”

Paolo Pador, BSc’21, began as an honour’s student in the lab at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now a graduate student at the University of Alberta, he recalls how quickly the uncertainty was replaced with a sense of belonging. 

“What stood out to me was how deeply she cared — not just about our work, but about our well-being,” Pador says. “During a difficult time, she managed to foster a genuine sense of community and purpose. I feel incredibly fortunate to have begun my academic journey with someone who brings such compassion and commitment to mentorship.”

Tools for a healthy garden

Nowhere has Madigan’s research been more visible than in her work on children’s screen time and mental health.

“One thing that has really interested me is the changes we’ve seen in mental health and how they coincide with the rapid rise and use of digital devices,” Madigan says. “As a lab, we aim to stay at the forefront of the issues affecting kids and families in real time so we can respond with research that has immediate, meaningful impact.”

As an example, she was the sole Canadian to contribute to the 2026 American Academy of Pediatrics digital media report, which emphasized the need for system-level change that goes far beyond parental engagement to limiting screen time.

The policy statement provided recommendations for families, pediatricians, practitioners, industry and policymakers to promote a more child-centred digital ecosystem.

Madigan, who is also a full member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (in the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education) and Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute in the Owerko Centre – both centres established through transformative philanthropic gifts to UCalgary – emphasizes the importance of sharing evidence with the public and engaging in ongoing discussions with families navigating these challenges.

“Even though I helped write the screen time guidelines, believe it or not, I still struggle with screen use with my own kids,” she says. “With so many families dealing with this issue, it’s so important to have open conversations and provide practical, evidence-informed guidelines.”

Through public engagement, whether in one-on-one conversations or through media interviews and editorials, Madigan also models the importance of knowledge translation to her trainees. 

This commitment is reflected in the work of her students. As an example, volunteer and honours student Abby Marsh was presented with an Office of the Vice-Provost (Libraries and Cultural Resources) Undergraduate Research Symposium Award in November 2025 for her presentation on the challenges of digital device use in parent-child relationships. 

Sowing the seeds of tomorrow

Whether it’s making an impact on the students in the lab or on children and families in the community, Madigan says she’s incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a positive influence in people’s lives.

“I often think of it as a three-legged stool,” Madigan says. “Research, knowledge mobilization and training all need to work together. Without one, the impact doesn’t hold.” 

Looking ahead, she sees an increasing focus on social innovation and patient-oriented research to ensure that her work is guided by the present-day needs of children and their families.

One example is the development of Caregiver Online PsychoEducation (COPE), an online resource for practitioners and caregivers supporting children who have experienced trauma. COPE was co-developed with community partners, caregivers and youth in response to the growing need to support families waiting for trauma-focused treatment.

“What we’ve tried to do is put the first few treatment sessions online so that families have somewhere to turn while they’re awaiting care,” Madigan says. 

Much like the plants she tends in the Determinants of Child Development Lab, Madigan is cultivating an environment grounded in empathy, curiosity and care — supporting both her team and the children and families they serve to grow and thrive.