School of Geography
 

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Stephanie Coen

Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences

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Biography

I am an interdisciplinary health geographer using qualitative, arts-based, and participatory methods to identify and intervene in health disparities.

A core strand of my research investigates gendered inequities in physical activity and sport using creative qualitative approaches to bridge research and practice. I am Co-Lead (with Dr Joanne Parsons) of the Environments Designed for Gender Equity in Sport & Physical Activity Lab (EDGE Lab), where our mission is to reimagine equitable and inclusive sport and physical activity through a gendered environmental approach. Within this, I recently completed a British Academy Innovation Fellowship (2023-2024) with the UK Sports Institute entitled "Levelling the playing field: social innovations for addressing gendered inequities in sports injury." The project translated research insights into an arts-based intervention to support sport system stakeholders in gaining a deeper understanding of women athletes' experiences and identifying gendered environmental challenges that can be addressed ➡️ MoreThanMedals.co.uk

My other strand of research uses youth-driven participatory methodologies that are nimble and responsive to the health priorities young people identify as mattering to them. I am presently co-leading our 4-year CIHR-funded E-Prevention And Vaping (EPAV) Project to co-produce scalable vaping prevention messages with youth. This builds on our by-youth-for-youth Teens Talk Vaping project, where we developed a capacity-building programme to equip our youth collaborators with research skills to contribute as 'co-researchers' across all phases of the project, from data collection, to analysis, to knowledge translation. Check out this cinematic representation of our Teens Talk Vaping research findings created by our co-researchers.

My scholarship is underpinned by my commitments to equity, inclusion, diversity, justice, participatory practices, and mental health advocacy, within and beyond the academy. I previously served as Chair of the EDI Committee in the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham and Co-Chair of the Disability Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers.

Click here for my ORCID and here for my Google Scholar.

I serve on the editorial boards of Health & Place, Geography Compass, and Canadian Geographies.

My pronouns are she/her/hers.

Teaching Summary

I contribute to the following undergraduate modules:

  • Exploring Human Geography (Year 1)
  • Tutorials (Year 1)
  • Careers Skills in Human Geography (Year 1, module convenor)
  • Research Tutorial (Year 2)
  • Dissertation Preparation (Year 2)
  • Dissertation (Year 3)
  • Health Geographies (Year 3, module co-convenor)

Postgraduate supervision:

I'm open to supervising master's and PhD students across a range of critical health geographies topics using qualitative methodologies (especially participatory approaches and creative/arts-based methods). If you are interested in discussing potential supervision with me, please feel welcome to contact me via email.

Current postgraduate students:

  • Gabrielle Guy, PhD candidate (Geography, UoN), Thesis title: "Dry leaf don't rot same time it falls": Exploring wellbeing in contemporary Tobagonian family food practices. (Lead Supervisor)
  • Shawna Lewkowitz, PhD candidate (Geography, Western University, Canada), Thesis title: A Place to Pee: Examining Gendered Experiences of Public Spaces through the Lens of Public Toilets. (Thesis Advisory Committee Member & Comprehensive Exam Committee Member)
  • Gráinne Fay, PhD candidate (Geography, UoN), Thesis title: A matter of life and breath: A biosocial geography of Cambodian women garment workers experiences of respiratory ill-health (Co-Supervisor with Sabina Lawreniuk)

Completed postgraduate students:

  • Harriet Cameron, PhD (Computer Science, 2023), Thesis title: Outdata-ed Museums: Creating Ethical and Transparent Data Collection Processes in Museums. Part of the Horizon CDT and supported by the EPSRC [grant number EP/L015463/1] and the Nottingham Contemporary. (Co-Supervisor)

Research Summary

Principal Investigator. (2025). Beyond biology: Charting the impact of a gendered environmental approach on popular narratives about sports injury. University of Nottingham Faculty of Social… read more

Recent Publications

Select media coverage

  1. "Team ACL: The growing women's soccer club that no player wants to join." Interviewed by Ella Brockaway in The Washington Post (18 July 2023) https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/18/acl-injury-tear-womens-soccer-female-athletes/

  2. 'Why Are Female Athletes At A Higher Risk Of ACL Injuries?' (1 July 2022). Interview with Ira Flatow on Science Friday (syndicated across 400 National Public Radio Stations in the US). https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/female-athletes-ACL-injuries/

  3. "A Gender Gap at the Gym Is Keeping Women From Working Out" (5 March 2019). Interviewed in article by Garnet Henderson in Glamour magazine: https://www.glamour.com/story/a-gender-gap-at-the-gym-is-keeping-women-from-working-out

Select blog posts & podcasts

"What is going on with ACLs in women's football?" Counter Pressed podcast interview with Flo Lloyd-Hughes and friends 12 Jan. 2023. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/23Le3l4xnyviafQ5IIU3kr?si=6a19a63151b14c37&nd=1

Challenging gendered norms in sport and physical activity: implications for injury prevention. British Journal of Sports Medicine. Part of the BJSM's #KnowledgeTranslation blog series: https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2021/05/17/challenging-gendered-norms-in-sport-and-physical-activity-implications-for-injury-prevention/

"Beyond biology: a gendered approach to injury with Joanne Parsons and Stephanie Coen. Ep #478." 4 June 2021. BMJ Talk Medicine podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/beyond-biology-a-gendered-approach-to-injury-with-joanne-parsons-and-stephanie-coen-ep-478?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/bjsm-1

"How you feel in the gym matters. It's a matter of social justice." Geography Directions (blog of the Royal British Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers publications): https://blog.geographydirections.com/2019/10/15/how-you-feel-in-the-gym-matters-its-a-matter-of-social-justice/

Current Research

  1. Principal Investigator. (2025). Beyond biology: Charting the impact of a gendered environmental approach on popular narratives about sports injury. University of Nottingham Faculty of Social Science Impact & Knowledge Exchange Funding. (£14,932).
  2. Principal Investigator. (2025). Socio-environmental determinants of women's sports injuries: Tailoring an e-learning tool for intervention along the athlete development pathway. University of Nottingham Medical Research Council Impact Accelerator Account (MRC IAA). (£21,904.75)
  3. Principal Investigator. (2024). Evidence, Art, Action: Developing a gendered environments of sports injury e-learning tool. University of Nottingham Faculty of Social Science Knowledge Exchange & Impact Acceleration Fund. (£10,000)
  4. Co-Principal Investigator. (2023-2027). E-Prevention and Vaping (EPAV): Mobilizing youth-generated evidence to co-produce a digital e-cigarette intervention. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Spring Project Grant Competition. (Co-PIs: Struik, Coen, & Martin). (CAD$695,141)
  5. Principal Investigator. (2023-2024). Levelling the playing field: social innovations for addressing gendered inequities in sports injury. British Academy Innovation Fellowships Scheme - Route A: Researcher Led. (£149,914.25)
  6. Principal Investigator. (2022-2023). Applying a gendered environmental approach in women's sport: A knowledge exchange workshop. University of Nottingham ESRC Impact Acceleration Account ES/T501992/1. (£4,992.26)
  7. Co-Investigator. (2022-2023). Mental health resilience and first aid across schools and departments of geography across UK higher education. (PI: N. Clare). Royal Geographical Society. (£1,980)
  8. Co-Investigator. (2021-2023). Gendered environments in sport settings: a scoping review. (PI: J. Parsons). Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. (CAD$6,875)
  9. Co-Principal Investigator. (2021-2023). QuaranTEENing: Understanding the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Wellbeing and Health-Related, Social, and Environmental Behaviours of Teens. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. (CAD$150,000)
  10. Co-Principal Investigator. (2020-2021). Teens talk vaping: A qualitative integrated knowledge translation study to co-produce vaping research and educational tools with teens. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). (CAD$100,000)
  11. Co-Investigator. (2020-2025). Examining the influence of a school travel planning intervention on children's travel behaviour, physical activity, and exposure to pollution around their schools. (PI: J. Gilliland). Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). (CAD$1,005,975)

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