Stockholm International Partnership

Funder

Applied Research Collaboration (2010-12)
International Visiting Professor Scheme (2013-2015)
Research Collaboration Fellowship (2015)

Collaborators

Emeritus Professor Sonja Olin Lauritzen, (Stockholm University)

Project objectives

Coventry University internal funding has allowed for the development of a long-term relationship between Coventry and Stockholm Universities.

The collaboration between Dr Brady and Prof Olin Lauritzen (Department of Education, Stockholm University) is a useful example of a proactively sought research relationship that is international, cross-disciplinary, and has benefits for both academics and both universities. Possibilities for collaboration are many and varied as both partners are part of an international network of sociologists of health and illness.

Activities include

Organising and hosting themed seminars, workshops and conferences around sociological perspectives on children’s health and well-being, theoretical and methodological discussions;
Identifying research funding opportunities and collaborating on proposals (Dr Brady and Dr Robert Ohlsson leading);
Publishing an article, a special issue journal and an edited monograph with Wiley Blackwell;
Dr Brady mentoring early career researchers and PhD students at Stockholm and Professor Olin Lauritzen reciprocating at Coventry University;
Regular research meetings with other Swedish universities (Linkoping, Uppsala, Lund);
- Proposing a themed session at the Nordic Network of Health Research in Social Sciences and Humanities conference, subsequently issuing a call for papers. Conference in Bergen, Norway 4-5 May 2015, jointly led the session and presented the opening paper;
- Currently exploring opportunities arising from external contact with Stockholm academic colleagues and other Nordic universities. Network established with academics from Linkoping, Lund and Uppsala Universities to discuss future collaboration as authors or project partners;
During her visit to Stockholm in October Dr Brady was invited to a research meeting at the Erica Foundation in Stockholm to discuss her expertise in research with children diagnosed with ADHD.
The edited book launch event took place at Child Studies, Linkoping University, Sweden on13 October 2015. Brady, G. Lowe, P and Olin Lauritzen, S (forthcoming 2015) Children, Health and Well-being: policy debates and lived experience. Wiley Blackwell publishers. The book has potential applicability to health care policy development internationally and will significantly advance, both theoretically and methodologically, understanding of the role that children play in managing their own health care.

Impact statement

Stockholm University is internationally renowned for research within the humanities, social and natural sciences. The Department of Education has a thriving research culture with various research groups and programmes, they value the partnership with Coventry University and have honoured their commitment to the Visiting Fellowship by providing an office, pc, IT access and a welcoming introduction of Dr Brady to colleagues.

The overall purpose of the Fellowship is to support the internationalisation of CCSJ’s research with children and young people. The fellowship has enabled Dr Brady to develop relationships with Professor Olin Lauritzen and her colleagues at Stockholm and Linkoping universities and to explore potential areas of overlapping interest.

Publications

Brady, G. Lowe, P and Olin Lauritzen, S (2015) Connecting a sociology of childhood perspective with the study of child health, illness and wellbeing: introduction. Sociology of Health and Illness, 37, 2: ISSN 0141-9889, pp 173-183 doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.12260

Brady, G. Lowe, P and Olin Lauritzen, S (2015) Children, Health and Well-being: policy debates and lived experience. Sociology of Health and Illness, 37, 2

Brady, G. Lowe, P and Olin Lauritzen, S (2015) Children, Health and Well-being: policy debates and lived experience. Wiley Blackwell publishers.

The book draws together theoretical, methodological and epistemological interest across the sociology of childhood and multi-disciplinary research into child health. Contributions from Norway, Australia, Canada, Sweden and the UK are included. The book goes some way to seriously beginning the important process of addressing the migration of child health from the margins into mainstream sociology of health and illness.