Her background is in psychology, with a BSc from the University of Manchester (UK) and a PhD awarded from the University of Wales College of Medicine. Her research interests are in bipolar disorder, seasonal and non-seasonal depression, quality of life, psychosocial functioning and the development of psychosocial assessment scales, as well as psychometrics and the development of outcome instruments for mood disorders.

Prof Michalak holds a Canadian Institute for Health Research New Investigator Award and Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award. Her research has also been supported by the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation, the BC Mental Health and Addictions Network and the Medical Research Council in the UK. Currently, she has studies underway examining maintaining wellness in BD, the clinical efficacy of mood monitoring, and she is developing a disorder-specific scale to assess quality of life in patients with BD.

Prof Michalak has approximately 40 peer-reviewed scientific articles published or in press, and has published several books and book chapters. She leads the MSFHR funded ‘Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial issues in Bipolar Disorder’