2025 Award Recipients

Recipient of the 2025 President’s Award for Excellence in Student Leadership

From dual undergraduate degrees in psychology and mathematics to her groundbreaking research in social psychology, Dr. Brittany Lindsay has built a career defined by compassion, collaboration, and measurable community impact. Graduating with a PhD in Psychology, she has combined exceptional academic achievement with leadership that has transformed how UCalgary supports student mental health and well-being.

Dr. Lindsay has demonstrated that research excellence and community leadership can be mutually reinforcing. Under the guidance of her supervisor, Dr. Andrew Szeto, executive director of the Office of Institutional Commitments, she has advanced a body of work that brings empathy and evidence together to strengthen mental health supports for students.

Her journey began with what she describes as “wanting to do something that mattered—something that could improve lives.” A single psychology course was all that was needed to spark her passion for understanding human behaviour and the systemic factors that influence well-being. This led her to Dr. Szeto’s research lab, where her studies on stigma, help-seeking, and campus community care took root. As Dr. Szeto notes, “Brittany’s leadership is woven through everything she does. Her work has made our community a more supportive and compassionate place.”

As the co-creator of From Taboo to Talked About—one of the first suicide-stigma reduction programs in Canada designed by and for post-secondary students—Dr. Lindsay placed lived experience at the centre of her research. Working with a diverse advisory group of students, she emphasizes her collaborative ethos, explaining that “they’re not just my participants—they’re my research team.” The program is planned to expand its reach to other institutions through her SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Throughout her graduate career, she has mentored dozens of undergraduate and graduate students—co-supervising honours projects, guiding research assistants, and supporting peers through award and scholarship applications. As an instructor in the Embedded Certificate in Mental Well-Being and Resilience, and as a facilitator for the Community Helpers Program, she has helped students develop confidence, skills and a sense of belonging in academia. Her leadership as co-founder of the Open Science Student Support Group and Wellness Chair of the World Café Student Summit fostered inclusive academic spaces where mental health and compassion are central to learning. Many of her mentees now lead their own research and advocacy initiatives, a testament to her lasting influence as an educator and role model.

For almost a decade with the Community Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy, Dr. Lindsay has advanced transformative initiatives that embed wellness into teaching, learning, and campus culture. She helped design the Embedded Certificate in Mental Well-Being and Resilience, ensuring students gain lifelong skills to support themselves and others, and contributed to the Wellness Classroom Visits program, which has reached more than 20,000 students across faculties. She also co-developed evidence-informed well-being resources that are now integral to UCalgary’s approach to curriculum design and instructor development.

Dr. Lindsay’s achievements have earned her numerous honours, including the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship, the Killam Memorial Doctoral Scholarship, and the Lieutenant Governor’s Gold Medal. As she embarks on her SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship, she continues to lead research that reduces stigma and builds evidence-based strategies for supporting mental health. Her work will continue to make post-secondary communities across Canada more caring, connected, and resilient.