Melanie J Rock

Dr Melanie Rock is an anthropologist (PhD) and a social worker (MSW, RSW). As a postdoctoral fellow, Melanie studied health promotion in the context of inequities, and her concerns include the rights of children, Indigenous communities, and persons with disabilities. For more than 15 years, Melanie's research program has focused on people's pets as negative and positive influences on mental, physical, and social well-being. Throughout this time, Melanie has continually held competitive funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, or both, amongst other sources.

At the University of Calgary, Melanie's primary appointment is in the Cumming School of Medicine (Department of Community Health Sciences), and Melanie holds honorary appointments in the Faculty of Arts (Department of Anthropology & Archeology), the Faculty of Social Work (with an emphasis on Leadership in Human Services), and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Department of Ecosystem & Public Health). Additional memberships at the University of Calgary include the the Global Urban Research Group (known as UCCities), the One Health Research Group, the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and the O'Brien Institute for Public Health.

La professeure Rock a grandi dans la campagne albertaine, au sein d’une famille anglophone. Plus tard, elle a vécu plus d’une décennie au Québec, principalement à Montréal. Elle y a étudié l’anthropologie à l’Université McGill (en premier et troisième cycles), et a été chercheure postdoctorale à l’Université de Montréal, où elle a travaillé sur les inégalités socioéconomiques en mettant l’accent sur la santé urbaine. Lors de ses études de deuxième cycle, à l’Université de Toronto, la professeure Rock a étudié les politiques publiques, les services sociaux, et la promotion de la santé mentale en contexte urbain. Avant de commencer ses études universitaires, elle a obtenu un diplôme de baccalauréat international à Singapour.