When Dr. Gordon Asmundson isn’t writing top-notch research papers at his university lab, he’s busy at his other job — “taxi Dad.�

The 48-year-old strives to maintain a healthy work-life balance by splitting his day in the office and lab with spending time with his wife and driving their 13-year-old daughter and six-year-old son to numerous activities.

“I don’t work at home and I don’t do home at work, so it works well,� he said in a recent interview.

It is because of Asmundson’s strong work ethic that the University of Regina psychology professor has been ranked one of the most influential clinical psychologists in Canada — third on a list of 255 psychologists.

The rankings were determined by a study published in the Canadian psychology journal, Assessing the Publication Productivity of Clinical Psychology Professors in Canadian Psychological Association-Accredited Canadian Psychology Departments.

Psychologists were judged on the quality and quantity of their work based on a combination of measurements, including the number of times their research was cited by other researchers. In that category, Asmundson ranks second in the country.

He is also prolific in publishing research.

While most of the 255 Canadian clinical psychologist professors produce from zero to four publications per year, Asmundson averages 19.

“The top 11 men and the top 11 women would be the top one per cent of producers, so we’re producing way more than average,� he said.

Of his top ranking, Asmundson said: “This gives me a clear idea of the impact that the work we are doing is having both in the research and the clinical community.�

Most of the researchers on the list are from larger universities, including Dalhousie, McGill, Simon Fraser, the University of British Columbia and Western Ontario.

“I think it is a very positive statement about some of the research that occurs here at the University of Regina,� Asmundson said. “We have excellent researchers at this institution. It’s true many of them are at Canadian marquee universities, but a lot of important work happens at some of our smaller Canadian universities as well.�

His research focuses on chronic pain and anxiety disorders because they are so prevalent and linked to problems such as loss of function at work, depression, suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

“The message here is that not only my work, but the work of many Canadian clinical psychologists is being well utilized to move toward improving those lives,� Asmundson said.

He is upset by the stigma that surrounds mental health issues saying those problems should not be viewed any differently than other health issues that people struggle with.

“Our research, much like any branch of medical research, is designed to better understand those conditions and find the most effective treatments for them,� Asmundson said. “And there are effective treatments.�

He shares the honour of being recognized as an elite clinical psychology professor with his fellow U of R researchers.

“I have a lot of people who work with me, my students and my colleagues and students,� Asmundson said. “I might be leading it, but it’s a team effort. It’s a training effort producing the next generation of Canadian clinical psychologists that will help people with mental health problems.�