Patrick Shannon
Patrick Shannon, Ph.D. MSW, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work. Patrick is also a faculty member for the New Hampshire Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NH-LEND) program. His academic preparation includes a BA in Human Services and a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York and a Ph.D. in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond Virginia. Patrick’s practice interests include supporting children with developmental disabilities through advocacy, family support, program evaluation research, and analysis of disability related policy. His research focuses on systemic barriers to services for children with developmental disabilities such as access to early intervention services, health care, behavioral supports in schools, and juvenile justice. His current research is focused on the child welfare systems ability to respond to and support children with developmental disabilities. He has numerous publications that focus on children with developmental disabilities who have been maltreated in child welfare, disability, and social work journals.
Professional Background
Dr. Shannon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work at UNH. He brings expertise in policy analysis, advocacy, development and implementation. He was the Director of Research and Evaluation for the Partnership for People with Disabilities (formerly Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities). He supervises social work trainees and is Coordinator of the Policy sequence for NH-ME LEND. His publications and research focuses on the interconnection between developmental disabilities and child maltreatment, with an emphasis on the child welfare systems ability to respond to and support children with developmental disabilities. Currently, he is the chief evaluator for the development and implementation of a new Practice Model for child welfare workers for the NH Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).
Courses Taught
- SW 525: Social Welfare Policy
- SW 820: Social Welfare Policy I
- SW 926: Social Welfare Policy II
- SW 992: Special Projects & Ind Study
Selected Publications
Shannon, P., & Anderson, P. R. (2008). Developmental screening in community health care centers and pediatric practices: an evaluation of the Baby Steps Program.. Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 46(4), 281-289.