Patrick Shannon, Ph.D. MSW, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work. Patrick is also a faculty member for the New Hampshire Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NH-LEND) program. His academic preparation includes a BA in Human Services and a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York and a Ph.D. in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond Virginia. Patrick’s practice interests include supporting children with developmental disabilities through advocacy, family support, program evaluation research, and analysis of disability related policy. His research focuses on systemic barriers to services for children with developmental disabilities such as access to early intervention services, health care, behavioral supports in schools, and juvenile justice. His current research is focused on the child welfare systems ability to respond to and support children with developmental disabilities. He has numerous publications that focus on children with developmental disabilities who have been maltreated in child welfare, disability, and social work journals.