Tanya Tran

Student

Tanya is currently a graduate student in Clinical Psychology, a program that applies the scientist-practitioner model in the study and treatment of mental illness. Her research interests are in the translational neuroscience of cognitive processes, motivation, and life functioning in severe mental illness, specifically depression and schizophrenia. On her spare time, she is a casual apprentice in Architecture, Old Masters of Fine Art, Photography, and Cooking. Tanya has been instrumental in the development and implementation of a community-based system of selecting speakers for TEDxQueensU. She has curated TEDxQueensU Pioneers (2012) and The Spark (2014). At this time, she serves on the advisory board for TEDxQueensU and is working towards making the student-led TEDx event sustainable.

Mental Health Advocacy, Evidence-based Mental Health Intervention, National strategies to support the aging population, Government investment in scientific research, Youth Leadership

We should write our obituaries once a year to provide us perspective on what we have accomplished so far, our failures, and how we want to flourish in our golden years ...#aginggoals

Clinical Psychology, Food Hacking, Neuropsychology, Research Methods, Statistics, Youth Leadership

The evolution of my affiliation for all things TED... 2008: I watched my first TED video in my Grade 10 biology class. It was about the many examples of bioluminescence found in nature. My biology teacher said, "This is a TED video, it's from a website that houses videos of a bunch of really smart people who give short talks on innovative ideas". I start to daydream of the day I make a break-through in science and give a talk on the TED stage. 2012: I was hired as the Speakers Coordinator for TEDxQueensU, a student-driven, independently organized TED event. I served on the organizing team for two years and curated TEDxQueensU Pioneers (2013) and The Spark (2014) While serving as the Speakers Coordinator for TEDxQueensU, I had the humbling experience and privilege to work with a speaker so passionate about an issue near and dear to his heart. I remember receiving several speaker nominations for a Queen’s alumnus named Eric Windeler. The nominations explained that Eric was the father of Jack, a Queen’s student who took his own life in his first year of undergrad due to his struggles with mental health. After meeting with Eric, I was blown away by the passion behind his story and his powerful message on addressing mental health stigma amongst youth. Eric told me, “One in five people have a mental health problem, but five in five people have mental health.” I remember Eric’s initial hesitancy to take his message to the TEDx stage as he was not sure if his story was ready for the public. However, after working long hours together, we shaped a dynamic talk that matched his powerful message. I still get chills thinking about the backstage moment before Eric walked on stage – he looked up and whispered “This one’s for Jack”. Eric’s TEDx talk created a wave of conversation on mental health at Queen’s and at campuses across Canada. TEDxQueensU became a spring board for Eric’s non-profit organization Jack.org, which now has nation-wide chapters and holds the Jack summit, a 3-day conference that brings together 200 students across Canada to build leadership skills and learn more about the issues and stigmas surrounding mental health. This is one of many memorable TEDx moments that shaped my life… 2016: First-time attendee of TEDSummit and leading a workshop titled "Moving from disability to ability" - a closer look at what it means to live with severe mental illness.

Arts and Crafts, Cooking