Dr. Elaine Power, Ph.D. (Toronto)

Dr. Elaine Power
Associate Professor
Area of Expertise: 
Sociocultural Studies
Contact Information
Email: 
power@queensu.ca
Telephone: 
613-533-6000 x74690
Facsimile: 
613-533-2009
Office: 
KHS 301G
Cross-Appointments
Gender Studies, Faculty of Arts & Science
Teaching

Undergraduate courses

HLTH 101 - Social Determinants of Health
HLTH 405 - Canadian Social Policy
HLTH 497 - Special Topics in the Social Determinants of Health

Graduate courses

KHS 869 - Sport/Exercise and Social Theory

Research summary

Elaine Power's research is focused on issues related to poverty, food, and health. Drawing on literature from the sociology of food, the sociology of health, the sociology of consumption, the sociology of childhood, and cultural studies, and using qualitative research methods, I explore social, cultural, political and symbolic aspects of food, eating, the body, and health. I am also interested in expanding the repertoire of qualitative research methods in the sociology of food, particularly the use of visual methods, such as photography and video, and in using documentary film as a vehicle for "knowledge translation" to change public policy. Current and forthcoming projects include:
  • Understanding Parents’ Perspectives on their Children’s Weight, Health, and Health Practices
  • The Relationship between Housing, Neighbourhood Characteristics and Food Security among Low-Income Families
  • Local Food Cultures and Socioeconomic Status as Social Determinants of Nutritional Health: Exploring Family Food Practices
  • Examining Canadian School-based Nutrition Programs as Social Policy Development in a Neo-liberal Era of Governance
  • "Life on the Cheque": A documentary film exploring the lives of single mothers living in poverty in Kingston, ON

In addition, I am a coinvestigator with the CAMBIO Project (Canada and Mexico Battling Childhood Obesity), a capacity-building program funded by a Teasdale-Corti Grant from the International Development Research Council on behalf of the Global Health Research Initiative. CAMBIO aims to enhance research capacity in the field of childhood obesity in Mexico through the delivery of an annual obesity short course; by providing training opportunities for Mexican-based graduate students and researchers; by administering a collaborative research program in obesity research and through the development of a Mexican obesity research network

Graduate student training opportunities

I am interested in supervising graduate students with an orientation towards critical sociology or cultural studies, particularly as applied to food, the body, or health.

Prospective students are expected to apply to the Ontario Graduate Scholarship programs, SSHRC, CIHR, and other agencies that fund graduate students.

Current funding

I have funding available for a graduate student interested in working on the multi-site, CIHR-funded project, Local Food Cultures and Socioeconomic Status as Social Determinants of Nutritional Health: Exploring Family Food Practices. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from Mexico who are interested in studying and working in my area of research may be eligible for CAMBIO funding. Please refer to the CAMBIO website www.cambio-red.net for more information.

Links

CAMBIO
Family Food Practices Research Project