Assistant Professor
121C Frank Kennedy Centre
204-474-6296
stephanie.chesser@umanitoba.ca
Stephanie Chesser, PhD
Biography
I am drawn to the notion of aging as a continual process that takes place across the life course and, as a researcher, have explored leisure and health-related issues affecting individuals in early/mid adulthood through to late adulthood. I am particularly interested in the ways age intersects with other identity factors (e.g., gender, race, community membership, family role) to shape personal experiences, health-related decision-making, and social dynamics for individuals and communities.
Research Areas:
My research also involves questioning and disrupting notions of power and privilege that have traditionally existed within academic inquiry. As a consequence, my research approach typically involves:
- The exploration of research topics from historically underexplored perspectives.
- The use of research methods grounded in reciprocity, respect, and/or shared ownership (e.g., active interviewing; photovoice; collaborative citizen science; feminist methodologies).
- Inclusive approaches to knowledge translation for both academic and lay audiences (e.g., participant involvement in the presentation of findings; creative analytic practice).
Research topics:
- Aging
- Identity Roles
- Community-based Participatory Research
- Social Justice
- Qualitative Research
Education
- PhD, Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo (2017)
- Post-Graduate Certificate in Health Services and Policy Research, Lakehead University (2010)
- MPH, Lakehead University (2010)
- BScH, Biology, Queen’s University (2005)
Select publications
Chesser, S., Porter, M.M. Barclay, R., Menec, V.H., Ripat, J., Sibley, K.M., Sylvestre, G.M, & Webber, S.C. (In Press). Exploring university age-friendliness using citizen science. The Gerontologist.
Chesser, S., Porter, M. M., & Tuckett, A. G. (2019). Cultivating citizen science for all: ethical considerations for research projects involving diverse and marginalized populations. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 1-12.
Chesser, S., & Porter, M.M. (2019). Charting a future for Canada’s first Age-Friendly University (AFU). Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 40(2), 153-165.
Chesser, S., Parry, D., & Penny Light, T. (2019). Nurturing the erotic self: Benefits of women consuming sexually explicit materials. Sexualities, 22(7-8), 1234-1252.
Chesser, S. Intersection of family, work and leisure during academic training. (2015). Annals of Leisure Research, 18(3), 308-322.
Wiersma, E., Chesser, S. (2011). Masculinity, aging bodies, and leisure. Annals of Leisure Research, 14(2-3), 242-259.