From April until August 2016 the School of Rehabilitation Therapy is hosting a visiting scholar from Scotland, Dr. Michael Roy. Dr. Roy joins us from the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health at Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland, where he holds the post of Senior Lecturer in Social Business. The Yunus Centre is named after the Nobel Peace Prize holder, Professor Muhammad Yunus, the microfinance pioneer, and founder of Grameen Bank, who is also the Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University. In the last five years the Yunus Centre has grown to be the largest and one of the most important centres for the study of social enterprise in the world.
An economic sociologist and public policy specialist, Dr. Roy’s expertise lies primarily on the health and well-being impacts of social enterprise-led activity, in how social enterprises can potentially work to address ‘upstream’ social determinants of health through impacting upon various aspects of social vulnerability.
During the visit Dr. Roy will be working primarily with Drs. Rosemary Lysaght and Terry Krupa, who have a longstanding research interest in social enterprise, particularly as a potential model to advance economic and occupational justice for people with disabilities. They are discussing ways to further advance the emerging social enterprise/health and well-being sub-field, particularly through joint grant applications and co-authored articles. Dr Roy’s visit allows them to extend the relationship they have built up over the last few years, which commenced when Dr. Roy was undertaking a systematic review on the topic, and which was subsequently published in Social Science and Medicine.
The Canadian Institutes for Health Research: Institute for and Population Health (CIHR:IPPH) has an active interest in this work: Dr. Roy and his colleagues at Glasgow Caledonian University co-hosted a workshop in Toronto in February 2015 entitled ‘New Pathways to Health and Wellbeing through Social Enterprise’ which brought together scholars throughout the world working in this area, including Drs. Krupa and Lysaght. Dr. Roy arrived at Queen’s via Ottawa, where he was presenting at the CIHR:IPPH Sparking Population Health Solutions international summit.
Beyond the School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Dr. Roy will also be taking the opportunity to build new partnerships and enhance existing relationships with other scholars throughout the University with an interest in social enterprise and the social economy, particularly with Dr. Tina Dacin, E. Marie Shantz Professor of Strategy and Organizational Behavior in Smith School of Business.
Dr. Roy’s visiting scholarship has been made possible by a project entitled “For a Better Tomorrow: Social Enterprises on the Move” (FAB-MOVE) funded by the European Union’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE). This project brings together researchers and practitioners from 17 countries worldwide in order to explore the question of how social enterprises can grow and flourish.
Thank you to Dr. Roy for curating this piece for the School’s News Blog.