Momina is a clinical psychology doctoral student at Dalhousie University, supervised by Dr. Megan Thomas and co-supervised by Dr. Isabel Smith at the Autism Research Centre (ARC). She completed her undergraduate honors degree at the University of Toronto, where she gained clinical experience working with children diagnosed with epilepsy and other neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). For her undergraduate research project, under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, Momina investigated language development in infants and toddlers during the COVID-19 pandemic in a study titled Infants’ and Toddlers’ Language Development During the Pandemic: Socioeconomic Status Matters.
Momina's strong interest in NDDs led her to conduct a study on the predictors of a community-implemented intervention, Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Her research specifically examined whether children's imitation abilities predicted their responsiveness to PRT beyond other established variables. She has presented her findings from this study at both local and international conferences.
Clinically, Momina has gained extensive experience working with children and families, including those with NDDs, through the IWK Autism Team and the Pediatric Rehabilitation Team at IWK. She also holds a special interest in adult clinical neuropsychology and has gained significant experience conducting neuropsychological assessments for patients with epilepsy, neurodegenerative disorders, and other neurological concerns.
Currently, Momina holds doctoral funding from the Maritime SPOR Support Unit (MSSU) to conduct her dissertation research. Her study aims to promote healthy sleep for children with NDDs and their parents, both in inpatient settings and at home, by supporting healthcare providers on the Pediatric Medical Unit (PMU) at IWK.
