Shawna J. Lee
Director, SSW Program Evaluation Group, Professor of Social Work, and Faculty Associate, Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research
Dr. Shawna J. Lee is a professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She is director of the Parenting in Context Research Lab and director of the Program Evaluation Group (PEG). Lee has published extensively on child maltreatment, fathers' parenting, father-child relationships, parenting stress and family functioning, and parental discipline. Recent research focuses on parenting and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of her career, Lee has been the PI or Co-PI of over $3 million research from entities such as the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Lee was appointed director of PEG in 2019. Since then, separate from her research funding, Lee has led PEG in obtaining over $2.5 million in externally and internally funded evaluation projects. As a result, PEG has transitioned to financial independence and is thriving. Lee articulated four pillars to PEG's evaluation work: (1) community-engaged evaluation capacity building, (2) evaluation of diversity, equity and inclusion, (3) Title IVE educational programs and (4) food systems and food insecurity. PEG's commitment to community engagement is evident through multi-year projects supporting Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development New Human Service Partnership Grantees, evaluation of the Fair Food Network Double Up Food Bucks program and evaluation support to community partners such as the National Association of Social Workers - Michigan and the Michigan Community Health Workers Alliance, among many others.
In statewide service in Michigan, Lee worked with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Services Agency (MDHHS CSA) to update the state child welfare certificate educational requirements. Lee established a collaboration with MDHHS CSA to support Title IVE funded educational programs for public universities in Michigan. She led the Michigan Child Welfare Inter-university Consortium to bring together 17 schools of social work in Michigan to ensure access to Title IVE funds for students across the state.
Research Interests/Focus
Father's parenting risk behaviors, child maltreatment, community-based interventions
Contact Information
| Phone | Room | Address | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (734) 763-6565 | shawnal@umich.edu | 4734 SSWB | University of Michigan School of Social Work 1080 S. University Ann Arbor, MI 48109 |
Education
| Year | Degree | School | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | PhD | Social Work and Psychology | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| 2003 | MS | Psychology | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| 2002 | MPP | Public Policy | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| 2001 | MSW | Social Work | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| 1997 | BA | Psychology | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
News
Research and community-based intervention focusing on the role of fathers in promoting child and family wellbeing.