PSU History
Shannon 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.
Experience
Shannon received her PhD in Social Welfare and MSW from the University of Washington School of Social Work. She recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan School of Social Work where she assisted with a randomized-controlled trial of a virtual job interviewing training tool to improve job acquisition for adults with serious mental
illness (SMI) in Chicago, IL. Prior to pursuing her PhD, she spent five years assisting with the development and evaluation of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams in Washington State and two years providing direct mental health services to primarily homeless adults in Seattle, WA.
Academic Interests
Her scholarly area of research is concerned with (1) improving public mental health services and practice to be more responsive to the poverty and oppression experienced by adults with serious mental illness (SMI) and disabilities; and (2) understanding the additional barriers to employment and education for BIPOC young adults with early psychosis. She applies critical theories (e.g., race, disability), and emancipatory frameworks such as anti-poverty and anti-stigma approaches to her work. Currently, she is studying the ways that young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds including those from BIPOC families, from low-income backgrounds, and those with low educational attainment, can improve their educational trajectories after developing psychosis and working with early intervention programs in Oregon, Michigan, and Washington.
Personal Interests
Shannon spends her non-academic life chasing her toddler and Labrador Retriever, enjoying the seasons and landscapes, and finding the perfect Northwest wine for the perfect weather.