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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 Keystone College.
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 Keystone College 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 – 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). 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: https://pattan.net-website.s3.amazonaws.com/images/partner/2012/09/24/EarlyInt_News_MEMO_Fall12.pdf) - Langan, F., & Shanks-McElroy, H. (2012, January). The Freshman Cohort: Facilitating Attachment and Persistence in First Year Students: Results of a Five Year Study. Paper presented at the Keystone College Faculty Symposium, Keystone College, La Plume, PA.
- Langan, F., & Shanks-McElroy, H. (2012, January). The Freshman Cohort: Facilitating Attachment and Persistence in First Year Students: Results of a Five Year Study. Paper presented at the Keystone College Faculty Symposium, Keystone College, La Plume, PA.
- Langan, F., & Shanks-McElroy, H. (2009, June). Evaluating Student Perceptions About the Educational Cohort Program. 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, International Journal of Health Sciences In –press.
- Melnick, J.A. & Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2016) Home and Community-Based Alternatives to Nursing Home Care, American Society on Aging 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 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, A Survey of Planning Models For Seniors (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 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. (2005, February). Rural Adult Day Services in Pennsylvania. Paper presented at the Annual Gerontological Conference, Council on Social Work Educators, New York, NY.
- Shanks, H.A. (1992). Factors related to well-being of caregiver of the cognitively impaired elderly. Unpublished master’s thesis, Marywood College, Scranton, PA.
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (1992). Altered behavior flow sheet for dementia patients: A biopsychosocial program for behavioral observation and environmental adaptation. Scranton, PA: Author. Copyright licensure granted – United States Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2011, October). Improving Academic Performance in At-Risk Students: Participation in the School Age Adventure and Explorers Program. Paper presented at the Pennsylvania Educational Research Association Annual Tri-State Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2001, Oct). Ethical issues in working with chronically ill clients. Paper presented at the Annual Conference on Chronic Illness, Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America, LaPlume, PA.
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (2000, April). Advocating for the rights of the chronically ill. Paper presented at the Conference of the Lupus Foundation of America Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter, La Plume, PA
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. (1999). The relationship between biopsychosocial factors and health status of caregivers of a spouse or life partner with Alzheimer’s 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 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.), Demenz in Der Ehe (pp. 431-439). Mabuse-Verlag: Frankfurt am Main.
- Shanks-McElroy, H.A. & Strobino, J. (2001). Male caregivers of spouses with Alzheimer’s disease: Risk factors and health status. Journal of Alzheimer’s Care, May-June.
- Chamberlin Chair for Distinguished Faculty Service – 2014
- Keystone College Faculty Research Mentor of the Month – 2/2012
- Keystone College Faculty Research Award – 2011
- Who’s Who Among America’s Teacher – 2003/2004 and 2004/2005
- McGowan Medal For Doctoral Excellence – 1999
- Hurley Doctoral Fellowship – 1996-1998
- Peer Reviewer – Council on Undergraduate Research, 2003- present
- Chair – Keystone College Institutional Review Board, 2005 – 2018
- Peer Reviewer – Alzheimer’s Association National Research Grant Program, 2000 – present
- Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA), National Caregiver Discussion Panel, 2013 – present
- Editorial Review Board, Editorial Review Board, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of The Alzheimer’s Association, 2012 – present