Professor Isabel Dyck, BA (Econ) Social Anthropology, University of Manchester, UK, MA (Econ) Social Anthroplogy, University of Manchester, UK, PhD Social Geography, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Profile

I am a social and health geographer. Migration, home and health are central themes in my research with recent studies focusing on (1) the gendered experiences of migration and re-settlement, including the re-constitution of home and health and (2) the home as a site of long-term health care. I am interested also in developing innovative qualitative research methodologies, including the use of visual methodologies. I have served on the editorial board of several scholarly journals and am currently an International Editorial Board Member of Health and Place. I am a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge.

Representative publications:

• Dyck, I & Dossa, D (2007) Place Health and ‘home’: Gender and migration in the constitution of healthy space Health and Place, 13: 691–701
• England, K. & Dyck, I. Managing the body work of home care, Sociology of Health and Illness, 33(2): 206–219, 2011
• Ortega-Alcazar, I. and Dyck, I. (2012) Migrant narratives of health and wellbeing: challenging ‘othering’ processes through photo-elicitation interviews, Critical Social Policy, themed issue ‘Images and inequalities: implications for policy and research’ 32(1):106–125
• Creese, G., Dyck, I. & McLaren, A. (2012) The problem of ‘human capital’: gender, place, and immigrant strategies of re-skilling in Vancouver. In: A. Kraler,, E. Kofman, M. Kohli and C.Schmoll (eds) Gender, Generations and the Family in International Migration Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press, pp.141–162

Teaching

GEG6118 Health, Body and Society

This is a final year health geography module, covering a variety of contemporary topics relating to different ways of understanding the interconnections between health, illness and everyday life. In the module I draw widely on my own research and use a combination of lectures, class exercises and videos to provide a forum for student learning that recognises both visual and aural learning styles. Interaction in the classroom is encouraged and students are given opportunity to relate the module content to contemporary life. The module scores highly in student feedback. Recent comments include: “enjoyed the module, very good lecturer”, “very relevant and current”, “engaging”, “interesting and excellently taught”, “the topics are up-to-date and all well debated”, “the instructor is extremely knowledgeable and always there to help”.

Research

Research Interests:

Recently completed:

2009–2011 The Leverhulme Trust. Research Project Grant £124,980. Place, Culture and Film: An Investigation of Migrants’ Health Making Practices. Co-PI Marta Rabikowska, University of East London

This interdisciplinary study concerns the cultural production and transformation of health knowledge and practices in the context of international migration. Visual methodology (film and photo-elicitation) and participant observation were used to enhance understanding of how the negotiation and articulation of health knowledge and practices are mediated by and constitutive of place and to stimulate dialogue among academics, community organisations, policy makers and health care professionals around migrants’ health needs. Participants were recruited from groups self-identifying as Polish, Nigerian and from the Indian diaspora. The primary output of the study was a film, as both a cultural product and educational tool (see public engagement section).

Current and future:

2013: Promoting breast awareness and early presentation among Black women 25–50: a pilot survey and intervention study in City and Hackney

£18,000 Barts and the London Charity Small Project Grant

Professor Stephen W. Duffy, Dr Beth Greenhough (Principal Investigators)

Mr Markus Ornstein, Professor Isabel Dyck (collaborators)

2013–2015: Promoting breast awareness and early presentation among Black women 25–50: a survey and intervention study in City and Hackney

£310,000 Barts and the London Charity Project Grant

Professor Stephen W. Duffy,  Dr Beth Greenhough (Principal Investigators)

Mr Markus Ornstein, Professor Isabel Dyck (collaborators)

Researchers at Homerton Hospital noticed that while black women are less likely to develop breast cancer than their white counterparts, when they are diagnosed with breast cancer it tends to be at a younger age, typically before the age of entry into the NHS Breast Screening Programme. Black women also tend to be diagnosed with the more severe and aggressive types of breast cancer. Evidence suggests for various social and cultural reasons Black British women are less breast aware and less likely to seek help from medical professionals. In response to these issues Homerton Hospital commissioned a six-minute information film.

This study will trial the film, sending it out as a DVD to Black British female patients aged 25–50 in ten GP practices in the area of City and Hackney. We will compare the numbers of people consulting their doctors about breast symptoms and being referred for further investigation for suspected breast cancer before and after the DVD is distributed. We will also compare practices with the DVD with those yet to receive the DVD. In addition, we will conduct group interviews with women at the practices to gain their opinions of the DVD and to see if it has changed their awareness of breast cancer. A final one-day workshop will bring patients and medical professionals together to discuss the study’s findings and decide how best to make use of the DVD.

Publications

(since 2005) A full list of publications is available here

Journals

• Dyck, I., Kontos, P, Angus, J., and McKeever, P, “The home as a site for long term care: Meanings and management of bodies and spaces,” Health and Place, 11 (2): 173–185, 2005.
• Dyck, I. “Feminist geography, the ‘everyday’, and local-global relations: hidden spaces of place-making.” The 2004 Suzanne Mackenzie Memorial Lecture, Canadian Association of Geographers. The Canadian Geographer, 49 (3): 233–243, 2005.
• Mortenson, W.B & Dyck, I. “An Exploration of Therapists’ Experiences with Power and Client-Centred Practice” The Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73 (5): 261–271, 2006.
• Dyck, I. Travelling tales and migratory meanings: South Asian migrant women talk of place, health and healing. Social & Cultural Geography, 7 (1): 1–18, 2006.
• Dyck, I. & Dossa, P. Place, health and ‘home’: Gender and migration in the constitution of healthy space. Health & Place. 13: 691–701, 2007.
• Creese, G., Dyck, I. & McLaren, A.T. (2008) The ‘flexible’ immigrant? Human capital discourse, the family and  labour market strategies, Journal of International Migration and Integration, 9 (3): 269–288, 2008
• England, K. & Dyck, I. Managing the body work of home care, Sociology of Health and Illness , 33 (2): 206–219, 2011
• Ortega-Alcazar, I. and Dyck, I. Migrant narratives of health and wellbeing: challenging ‘othering’ processes through photo-elicitation interviews, Critical Social Policy, themed issue ‘Images and inequalities: implications for policy and research’ 32 (1): 106–125, 2012
• England, K. & Dyck, I. Migrant workers in home care: responsibilities, routes and respect, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 102 (5): 1076–1083, 2012
• Dyck, I. and Dossa, P. Immigrant Health. The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Health,  Illness, Behavior and Society (forthcoming 2014).
• Dyck, I. Entry 72091, Qualitative Methods in Geography, Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area7). International Encyclopaedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Edited by James Wright. Updated entry (forthcoming 2015)                

Book Chapters  

• Dyck, I & Kearns, R.A. “Structuration theory: agency, structures and everyday life.” In: Stuart Aitken & Gill Valentine (eds) Approaches to Human Geography, (Sage, London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi) pp.86–97, 2006.
• Creese, G., Dyck, I. & McLaren, A.T. “Gender, generation and the ‘immigrant family’. In: B. Fox (ed) Family Patterns, Gender Relations (3^rd edition) Oxford University Press, pp.496–508, 2009.
• Sothern, M. and Dyck, I.” “…a penis is not needed in order to pee”: sex and gender in health geography.” In: T. Brown, S. McLafferty and G. Moon (eds) A Companion to Health and Medical Geography, Blackwell , pp.224–241(2010)
• Dyck, I. “Geographies of disability: reflections on new body knowledges.” In. Chouinard, V., Hall, E., Wilton, R. (eds) Towards enabling geographies  ‘Disabled’ bodies and minds in society and space, Ashgate, pp.253–263, 2010     
• Dyck, I. “Embodied Life”. In: V.Del Casino, M. Thomas, P. Cloke and R. Panelli (eds) A Companion to Social Geography, Blackwell, pp.346–361, 2011
• Dyck, I. & England, K. Homes for care: Reconfiguring care relations and practices. In: Christine Ceci, Kristin Bjornsdottir and Mary Ellen Purkis (eds) Perspectives on Care at Home for Older People, Routledge, pp.62–77 (2012).
• Creese, G., Dyck, I. & McLaren, A. “The problem of ‘human capital’: gender, place, and immigrant strategies of re-skilling in Vancouver.” In: A. Kraler,, E. Kofman, M. Kohli and C.Schmoll (eds) Gender, Generations and the Family in International Migration Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press, pp.141–162, 2012

Supervision

I have supervised a total of nine students to successful completion. Current PhD students include:

• Menah Raven-Ellison: Beyond detention: women, home and mental health (with Beth Greenhough)
• Subhadra Roy: Myriad life-journeys: spatial practices of international students from India in London and Toronto (with Alison Blunt)

Public Engagement

A number of my research projects have involved public engagement. From recent research funded by the Leverhulme Trust a DVD has been produced; Migration, Health and Well-bieng: Health Practices in Place. This is being used in university teaching modules on migration and health, by two mental health counselling groups in the Borough of Greenwich, London and by community organisations (AJODA and the Indian Cultural Centre) in promoting health among their members.