DR. SHANNON BLAJESKI
Shannon Blajeski joined the School of Social Work as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Fall 2022. She had previously collaborated with both the Regional Research Center for Human Services (2021–2022) and the EASA Center of Excellence with the PSU-OHSU School of Public Health (2013–2018) on early psychosis research with young adults and families. Prior to joining PSU, Dr. Blajeski completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, where she received training in mental health intervention research. She earned her Ph.D. in Social Welfare and her MSW from the University of Washington School of Social Work. Her scholarly work is deeply informed by seven years as a practicing MSW in both micro settings (homeless services, psychiatric inpatient, and community mental health) and macro settings (implementation of the Assertive Community Treatment model).
Broadly, Dr. Blajeski's work aims to improve psychosocial outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum conditions. Her research applies an anti-poverty, critical lens to existing treatments. Her current work focuses on: (1) developing an early engagement phase for Supported Employment and Education models targeting young adults not in education, employment, or training (NEET), and (2) improving social work training for serious mental illness.