“My vision is to help police officers become more resilient in the line of duty.”

I served as a police officer in Athens for almost 14 years, eventually obtaining the rank of police captain. After obtaining my master’s degree in mental health counselling at New York University, I worked as a clinician with military personnel and police cadets in Athens, Greece, and inmates in correctional facilities in New York state.

For several years I contributed as an expert to the Training the Trainers seminar held by the European Police College and the Federal German Police University in Muenster, Germany. I am a co-moderator of the European Police Psychologists Network (EMPEN), and I have presented at EMPEN Annual Meetings in Europe. I am a member of numerous academic organizations and honour societies. I am also a student representative at the International Committee of the American Psychological Association and a University of Toronto campus representative of the American Psychological Association.

I am a Psychology (clinical extension program) PhD candidate and Vanier CIHR scholar at the University of Toronto supervised by Prof. Judith P. Andersen. As a member of the University of Toronto Health Adaptation Research on Trauma (HART) Lab, my work focuses on the conceptualization of complex police trauma, first respondents’ resilience, police health promotion, and community-based trauma prevention through culturally relevant interventions. I have presented my work throughout North America and Europe and have numerous publications in peer-reviewed scholarly journals in police trauma, stress, resilience, and health promotion among police.

My supervisor and I have applied our resilience promotion training program in international venues. Additionally, we have been establishing research collaborations with various police forces across Canada, the U.S., and in venues in Europe and Asia.

The University of Toronto is a top-ranked institution with a global reputation and a remarkable impact in arts and sciences. In addition to that, the University of Toronto is located in the greater area of Toronto, which is a cosmopolitan and diverse metropolitan area. This gives me the opportunity to work with top scholars in my field and to collaborate with people from different cultural backgrounds. These are vital components that inspire a young scholar like me.

The University of Toronto offers numerous research and professional opportunities across Canada, the U.S., and abroad. Furthermore, over the academic year, our Psychology department hosts prestigious scholars who come to the University of Toronto and present their work. U of T gives an opportunity to graduate students to present at national and international conferences by providing funding support.

I intend to work in academia as a researcher. My vision is to help police officers become more resilient in the line of duty. Promoting health among policy officers allow us to help their families as well as the communities in which they serve.