Melanie McConnell

Investigator, BC Children's Hospital

Academic Affiliations

Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

Research Theme

Brain, Behaviour & Development

Research Group

Implementing Knowledge for Equity and System Change

Mental Health and Behaviour

Neurodevelopmental and Neurological Disorders

Research Areas

Anxiety

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Contact

melanie.mcconnell@ubc.ca

Phone

(604) 875-2345 ext. 5576

Mailing Address

4500 Oak St
Vancouver, BC
V6H 3N1

Research: Tic Busters group pilot study
This pilot study evaluates treatment outcomes of a group adaptation of an evidence-based treatment for tics in school age children.

Facing Your Fears treatment outcome study
This study evaluates creative ways to assess anxiety in children with high-functioning autism. It also aims to better understand parent and child factors that increase treatment response to a cognitive-behavioural anxiety treatment group for children with high-functioning autism.

Grants

2012
Mental Health Research Grant ($30,000)

Honours & Awards

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
2001-2004

Stories See all

Congratulations to the 2025 Outstanding Achievement recipients

The Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes the remarkable accomplishments of our trainees in research aimed at improving the health and well-being of children and families. Generously funded by the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, this program plays a pivotal role in acknowledging and nurturing excellence within our research community. Each year, awards are given to trainees whose research skills and analytical abilities demonstrate strong potential to contribute meaningfully to the scientific community.

Continue reading Congratulations to the 2025 Outstanding Achievement recipients

BCCHR laboratories hosting Indigenous students for seed2STEM program

For the first time, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) is participating as one of the host institutes in the seed2STEM program — a research summer program that aims to increase participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) among Indigenous youth.

Continue reading BCCHR laboratories hosting Indigenous students for seed2STEM program

Congratulations CIHR Spring 2025 Project Grant recipients

Congratulations to the investigators and their teams who were awarded funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Spring 2025 Project Grant competition.

Continue reading Congratulations CIHR Spring 2025 Project Grant recipients

Redefining self-care for a more communal and inclusive experience

Self-care is the ability to promote health, prevent diseases, and cope with illness, with or without the support of health-care workers. If expanded into more communal and equitable activities rooted in joy and connection, it could feel more inclusive and realistic, especially for children and youth experiencing tough circumstances.

Continue reading Redefining self-care for a more communal and inclusive experience

Study reveals that sucrose may not reduce the impact of neonatal pain exposure on long-term outcomes

Infants born two to four months early are exposed to mildly painful procedures in the NICU that are essential to monitor their health. As research shows that exposure to daily pain is associated with poorer behavioural and cognitive outcomes later in life, a common pain management strategy is to give those babies sucrose, but a BCCHR study shows evidence that a sugar solution doesn’t reduce these negative effects of pain exposure in the long term.

Continue reading Study reveals that sucrose may not reduce the impact of neonatal pain exposure on long-term outcomes

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