Dr. Maria Di Stasio (she/her)

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Maria Di Stasio is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Services and Early Learning at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology, an MEd in Family Life Education from McGill University and a BA in Psychology from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec.

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Her research interests include social emotional development, relational problems including bullying in schools and ecological factors that influence social and academic outcomes. Maria has also conducted research on inclusive education, teaching practices and early literacy development. Her dissertation research was entitled Exploring the relationship between classroom characteristics, student characteristics and bullying and victimization in junior high school. Maria completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta in the Department of Educational Psychology studying the effects of indirect aggression and bullying in emerging adults and children.

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Maria has traveled to northern Quebec to teach and counsel teachers in First Nations and Inuit communities. She has worked as a specialized educator with students with developmental disabilities, and for many years, she has been a substitute teacher in elementary and high school. She is presently conducting research on Gay-Straight Alliances in junior high schools and the impact of these support groups on the well-being of sexual and gender minority students.

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