Wendy Frisby

Wendy Frisby is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Kinesiology in the Faculty of Education and a former Chair of Women’s and Gender Studies in the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. She has worked with and learned from women living in poverty, immigrant women, various community partners, and graduate students. Their goal has been to foster social change by reducing social isolation, promoting physical and mental well-being, and pushing for more inclusive sport and recreation policy changes in different levels of government. Along the way, they explored various methodology issues associated with feminist participatory action research (FPAR) by problematizing concepts of ‘feminism’, ‘participatory’, and ‘action’ and considering how they and ethical issues play out in different research contexts.

Dr. Frisby and collaborators have been awarded 25 research grants from various granting agencies including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. In addition to publishing in traditional academic outlets, they have made a concerted effort to share insights gained and to disseminate findings broadly to promote knowledge transfer and policy change.

Wendy notes, “Awards are always dubious because our work is collaborative, but… being involved in FPAR received some recognition by mainstream organizations.” Wendy was singled out for the North American Society of Sport Management’s Earle F. Ziegler Lecture Award -its highest honor for research, teaching and leadership. In 2010, she was inducted as an International Research Fellow into the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, now known as the National Academy of Kinesiology. She was named to the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) Most Influential Women in Canada list.

Wendy wrote, “My regret is that others in our FPAR projects were not honored in similar ways. However, I was thrilled in an earlier project when a provincial organization gave individual award certificates to all 40 community members and partners in attendance at their awards gala. The award was for their work promoting the inclusion of women living on low income in community recreation programs offered by local government.”

Before retiring, she adopted a participatory approach to developing an ‘Interculturalism, Health and Physical Activity’ course with 4th year Kinesiology students at UBC. The course continues to be taught by former graduate students who later became community partners in FPAR projects.

In retirement, Wendy is active with two lively grandchildren.