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Harmehr Sekhon, MSc, PhD
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Division of Geriatric Medicine,
Department of Medicine, McGill University​
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ASSOCIATE SCIENTIST
St. Mary's Research Centre
About Dr. Harmehr Sekhon
Dr. Sekhon is an Assistant Professor at McGill University in Geriatric Medicine, and an Associate Scientist at St. Mary’s Research Centre. Previously, she was a CIHR and Alzheimer’s Society supported Postdoctoral Research Fellow at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School Affiliated, and at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), University of Toronto Affiliated. She has over 40 manuscripts published since 2017, and has been an invited speaker and presenter at more than 20 conferences and annual scientific meetings. In addition to her commitment to science she is also passionate about mentorship and training. Her research focus is technology based interventions (e.g.virtual reality, robotics, telehealth, wearables, etc.) for older adults.
Research Domains
Older adult care
Digital technologies (virtual & augmented reality, wearable, apps, AI/robotics)
Mental, social, & physical health
Community dwelling, long-term care, and in-patient care
Grants & Collaborations
Co-Principal Investigator
"Virtual Reality Mindfulness Meditation Intervention for Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia"
Funding agencies:
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Canadian Alzheimer's Society
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Competition Attracting Research Excellence (C.A.R.E.) Grant
Co-Principal Investigator
"Virtual Reality based Music Intervention in an Acute Geriatric Setting"
Funding agencies:
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Competition Attracting Research Excellence (C.A.R.E.) Grant
Recent Publications
Sekhon, H., Dickinson, R. A., Kimball, J. E., Cray, H. V., Alkhatib, F., Moore, I., ... & Vahia, I. V. (2024). Safety considerations in the use of extended reality technologies for mental health with older adults. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Sekhon, H.*, Lavin, P.*, Vacaflor, B.*, Rigas, C., Cinalioglu, K., Su, C.L., Bodenstein, K., Dikaios, E., Goodman, A., Coulombe, F., Ibrahim, M., Bein, M., Gruber , J., Se, J., Sasi, N., Sandra, D., Walsh, C., Nazar, R., Hanganu, C., Berkani, S., Royal, I., Schiavetto, A., Luxemberg, D., Alexopoulos, G., Looper, K., Launay, C., McDonald, E.G., Seitz, D., Kumar, S., Beauchet, O., Khoury, B., Bouchard, S., Battistini, B., Fallavollita, P., Miresco, M., Bruneau, M.A., Vahia, I., Bukhari, S.**, Rej, S.**. (2022). Isolating Together during COVID-19: Results from the Telehealth Intervention Program for Older Adults (TIP-OA). Frontiers in Medicine
Sekhon, H., Cray, H., Vahia, I., (2021). Robots in Geriatric Mental Health: Pipe Dream or Viable Solution? American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Sekhon, H.*, Sekhon, K.*, Launay, C., Afililo, M., Innocente, N., Vahia, I., Rej, S., Beauchet, O. (2020). Telehealth and the rural dementia population: A Systematic Review. Mauritas
Cinalioglu, K., Lavín, P., Bein, M., Lesage, M., Se, J., Gruber, J., Bukhari, S., Sasi, N., Noble, H., Beauchet, O., Andree-Bruneau, M., Launay, C., Battistini, B., Fallavollita, P., Bouchard, S., Khoury, B., Vahia, I., Rej, S., Sekhon, H. (2023). Effects of Virtual Reality Meditation in Older Adults: The Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Psychology
Elbaz, S.*, Gruber, J.*, Elberhoumi, K., Bukhari, S., Rej, S.**, and Sekhon, H** (2023). Evaluation of a Virtual 4-Week Digital Literacy Program for Older Adults During COVID-19: A Pilot Study. In press Educational Gerontology
Cinalioglu, K.*, Elbaz, S.*, Sekhon, K., Su. C.L., Rej, S.**, Sekhon, H.** Exploring Differential Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Among Younger vs Older Canadians: Results from the 2021 Canadian Digital Health Survey. JIMR
Lavin, P.*, Lesage, M.*, Monroe, E., Kanevsky M., Gruber, J., Cinalioglu, K., Rej, S.**, Sekhon, H.** (2022). Humanoid Robot Intervention vs Treatment as Usual for Loneliness in Long-term Care Homes: Study Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry
Elbaz, S.*, Cinalioglu, K.*, Sekhon, K., Gruber, J., Rigas, C., Bodenstein, K., Naghi, K., Lavin, P., Greenway, K., Ipsit, V., Rej, S.**, Sekhon, H.**. (2021). A Systematic Review of Telemedicine for Older Adults with Dementia during COVID-19: An Alternative to Face-to-Face Services? Frontier in Neurology
Paquin, V., Sekhon, H., Rej, S. (2022). Time to Think “Meta” – Risks and Benefits of Virtual Worlds in Mental Illness. JMIR Serious Games
