Linda Pagani, PhD, worked as a registered nurse for ten years prior to becoming a psychologist. After earning degrees at both Concordia University (BA Psychology 1986-1989) and McGill University (MA, PhD Educational Psychology 1989-1993), she pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in child development at the University of Montreal and became a faculty member at that institution in April 1994. Since 2005, Dr Pagani is a full professor at the École de psychoéducation, and a researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, affiliated to the University of Montreal. From 1996 to 2005, she was the recipient of a Junior Research Award from the Conseil québécois de la recherche sociale. In the past several years, she has devoted energy to understanding the impact of poverty on children's adaptation potential and achievements. In 1997, she launched a major longitudinal-experimental study that evaluates the long-term effects of the Montreal Head Start Program on children from impoverished areas of the city. This work has been generously supported by the Fonds de la recherche sur la société et la culture, the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec, and Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

In collaboration with colleagues from the Research Center, Dr. Pagani published a study on the impact of family transitions (divorce and remarriage) on children’s behaviour. Later on, she carried out a study on the consequences of family transitions on delinquency, which in turn led to yet another concern, family poverty, which became the topic of her subsequent studies, frequently cited in manuals and journals such as American Psychologist. These studies confirmed that poverty may in fact lead to difficulties at school. However, given behavioural disorders often observed in previous studies in less fortunate populations, this outcome results from family transitions rather than poverty itself. In light of these results, Dr. Pagani became more interested in the fight against poverty through interventions in schools. In 2001, while using the development trajectory approach, she conducted a novel research project on the impact of repeating a school year. This study, recognized worldwide, was published in Development and Psychopathology. That same year, she co-edited with Dr. Georges-F. Pinard a book entitled Clinical Assessment of Dangerousness: Empirical Contributions, published at Cambridge University Press. This world-renowned book advocates the reliability of clinical decisions concerning dangerousness. It received the Achievement of the Year Award in 2001 from the Québec Order of Psychiatrists (AMPQ). It also received excellent reviews in professional journals, including the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) who was particularly praiseful.

Between 2003 and 2008, Dr. Pagani conducted research at the Center for Pathways from Childhood to Adulthood (CAPCA), based at the University of Michigan, a multidisciplinary research unit funded by the National Science Foundation (US). She is also a researcher in the Groupe de recherche sur les environnements scolaires, based at the University of Montreal. All her efforts are targeted at improving social and health policies regarding children.

• 2001 Junior Research Award (renewal), Conseil québécois de la recherche sociale (CQRS)

• 1997 Young Investigator Award (renewal), Infant and Child Mental Health Axis, Mental Health Network, Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec

• 1996 Young Investigator Award, Infant and Child Mental Health Axis of the Mental Health Network, Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec

• 1996 Junior Research Award, Conseil québécois de la recherche sociale