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Heather Shanks-McElroy, PhD
Professor of Education, Program Director for ECE, Child and Family Studies and Graduate Program – ECE Leadership
About
Dr. Heather Shanks-McElroy is a Professor and Coordinator of Undergraduate and Graduate Programs in Education. Dr. Shanks-Mc Elroy was formerly employed as a long-term care social worker and a K-6 teacher. Her clinical and research practice has focused on the health and social support needs of cognitively impaired persons and their caregivers, and the academic and social support needs of young children. She chairs the Institutional Review Board at 糖心logo入口.
Education – Degrees & Certifications
- Ph.D. in Human Development – Social Work Specialization 1999 – Marywood University, Scranton, PA
- M.S.W. 1992 – Marywood College, Scranton, PA
- Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.)1986 – Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario Canada
- Bachelor of Arts (Honors) 1984 – Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario Canada
Recent Activity
In the News
The learning experience at 糖心logo入口 is genuinely a partnership between students and faculty. With small class sizes, and faculty who remain active in the clinical and practical worlds, students are able to engage in learning in a variety of settings while using a variety of learning approaches.
My Research
My research areas focus on two extremes in human development 鈥 young children and the elderly. I am interested in both groups because they are too often forgotten in the program development, implementation, and evaluation process. I think it is critical to include them in facilitating programs and services designed to maximize their well-being and as such, they are active partners in my research. They have so much to teach us.
- Developmental Assessment I and II
- The Helping Relationship
- Human Services Systems
- Human Services Field
- First Year Seminar
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology I and II
- Adolescence and Adulthood
- Research Methods for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Organizational Behavior
- Supervision and Leadership
- Child, Family and Community
- Seminar: Contemporary Ethics, Issues and Research in Education
- Langan, F., & Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2012).聽Campus-community partnerships yield benefits for children and families: An overview of two successful programs. Pennsylvania Early Intervention (A Publication of The Pennsylvania Interagency Coordinating Council), 24(1).
(available at:聽https://pattan.net-website.s3.amazonaws.com/images/partner/2012/09/24/EarlyInt_News_MEMO_Fall12.pdf) - Langan, F., & Shanks-McElroy, H. (2012, January).聽The Freshman Cohort: Facilitating Attachment and Persistence in First Year Students: Results of a Five Year Study.聽Paper presented at the 糖心logo入口 Faculty Symposium, 糖心logo入口, La Plume, PA.
- Langan, F., & Shanks-McElroy, H. (2012, January).聽The Freshman Cohort: Facilitating Attachment and Persistence in First Year Students: Results of a Five Year Study.聽Paper presented at the 糖心logo入口 Faculty Symposium, 糖心logo入口, La Plume, PA.
- Langan, F., & Shanks-McElroy, H. (2009, June).聽聽Evaluating Student Perceptions About the Educational Cohort Program.聽Paper presented at the Institutes of Higher Education Conference on Diversity, Grantville, PA.
- Melnick, J.A. & Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2017) Home and Community-Based Alternatives to Nursing Home Care,聽International Journal of Health Sciences聽In 鈥損ress.
- Melnick, J.A. & Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2016) Home and Community-Based Alternatives to Nursing Home Care, American Society on聽 Aging聽Conference, Washington DC.
- Melnick, J.A. & Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2015) Home and Community-Based Alternatives to Nursing Home Care, Aging and Society Fifth Interdisciplinary聽 Conference, Washington DC.
- Melnick, J.A. & Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2015). Home and Community Based Alternatives to Nursing Home Care, National Adult Day Services Association Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ.
- Melnick, J.A. & Shanks-McElroy H, (2014) Home and Community Based Alternatives to Nursing Home Care, 39th Annual National Institute for Rural Social Work Conference, Silver City, NM.
- Melnick, J.A, & Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2013). Home and Community Based Alternatives to Nursing home Care. The Center for Rural PA
- Melnick, J. A., Shanks-McElroy, H.A., & Chechotka-McQuade, D. (2005). “Adult Day Services in Rural Pennsylvania.” In A. Anderson,聽A Survey of Planning Models For Seniors聽(pp. 28-29). Toronto: Alzheimer Society of Ontario.
- Melnick, J. A., Shanks-McElroy, H.A., Chechotka-McQuade, D, Loyek, A, Cookson, M. (2005). Adult day care in rural Pennsylvania. 30th聽Annual National Institute for Social Work and Human Services in Rural Areas West Virginia University, West Virginia.
- Melnick, J.A., Shanks-McElroy, H.A., & Chechotka-McQuade, D.聽 (2005, February).聽聽Rural Adult Day Services in Pennsylvania. Paper presented at the Annual Gerontological Conference, Council on聽Social Work Educators, New York, NY.
- Shanks, H.A. (1992). Factors聽related to well-being of caregiver of the cognitively impaired elderly. Unpublished master鈥檚 thesis, Marywood College, Scranton, PA.
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (1992).聽聽Altered behavior flow sheet for dementia patients: A biopsychosocial program for behavioral observation and environmental adaptation.聽 Scranton, PA: Author. Copyright licensure granted 鈥 United States Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Washington,聽D.C.
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2011, October).聽Improving Academic Performance in At-Risk Students: Participation in the School Age Adventure and Explorers Program.聽Paper presented at the Pennsylvania Educational Research Association Annual Tri-State Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2001, Oct).聽聽Ethical issues in working with chronically ill clients. Paper presented at the Annual Conference on Chronic Illness, Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the聽Lupus Foundation of America, LaPlume, PA.
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2000, April).聽聽Advocating for the rights of the chronically ill. Paper presented at the Conference of the Lupus Foundation of聽聽 America Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter, La Plume, PA
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (1999). The聽relationship between biopsychosocial聽factors and health status of caregivers of a spouse or life partner with聽Alzheimer鈥檚聽disease. (Doctoral dissertation, Marywood University, Scranton, PA, 1999.
- Shanks-McElroy, H, & Melnick, J.A. (2017) Women In transition final report (analysis of data) EOTC Scranton PA
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. & Lee, S. (2000). Barriers to elder care service utilization: Consumer, caregiver, and provider perspectives. Proceedings of the 53rd聽Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, 40, 525.
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. & Strobino, J. (2006). Male caregivers of spouses with AD: Risk factors and health status. In L. Franke (Ed.),聽Demenz in Der聽Ehe聽(pp. 431-439). Mabuse-Verlag: Frankfurt am Main.
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. & Strobino, J.聽 (2001). Male caregivers of spouses with Alzheimer’s disease:聽 Risk factors and health status.聽聽Journal of Alzheimer鈥檚 Care,聽May-June.
- Chamberlin Chair for Distinguished Faculty Service 鈥 2014
- 糖心logo入口 Faculty Research Mentor of the Month 鈥 2/2012
- 糖心logo入口 Faculty Research Award 鈥 2011
- Who鈥檚 Who Among America鈥檚 Teacher 鈥 聽2003/2004 and 2004/2005
- McGowan Medal For Doctoral Excellence 鈥 1999
- Hurley Doctoral Fellowship 鈥 1996-1998
- Peer Reviewer 鈥 Council on Undergraduate Research, 2003- present
- Chair 鈥 糖心logo入口 Institutional Review Board, 聽2005 – 2018
- Peer Reviewer 鈥 Alzheimer鈥檚 Association National聽Research Grant Program, 2000 – present
- Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA), National Caregiver Discussion Panel, 2013 – present
- Editorial Review Board, Editorial Review Board,聽Alzheimer鈥檚 & Dementia: The Journal of The Alzheimer鈥檚 Association,聽2012 鈥 present