Shannon
R.
Lane
Associate Professor of Social Work
2495 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10033
Dr. Lane is an Associate Professor in the Wurzweiler School of Social Work and the Associate Director of Research for the WSSW PhD Program. She is the author (with Suzanne Pritzker) of Political Social Work: Using Power to Create Social Change (2018, Springer Publishing) and of Social Welfare Policy in a Changing World (2019, Sage Publishing) with Elizabeth Palley and Corey Shdaimah.
She began her career working for the United States Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle while still an undergraduate at the George Washington University. She received her MSW from the University of Michigan and returned to Capitol Hill to work for Senators Daschle, Pryor, and Nelson. In 2004, she moved to Connecticut to start a career in social work academia, research, and advocacy. She received her PhD from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work in 2009, and her dissertation examined the experiences of social workers who ran for political office.
Since 2004, she has been affiliated with the Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work. With that team, she helps to coordinate and evaluate the Campaign School for Social Workers, a two-day training that has trained nearly 3,000 social work students and professionals from around the country to run for political office and hold leadership positions in political settings.
At Wurzweiler, Dr. Lane teaches in the PhD and MSW programs. She coordinates dissertation research for the doctoral program and supports students, faculty, and alumni in conducting research. She also serves as chair of the MSW policy sequence. She is currently working with a group of WSSW MSW students to promote political justice in social work practice.
Political social work and political justice
Social policy
Macro practice
Social work education
Voting rights & voter engagement
Research and Teaching
Faculty Research Award
Influencing Social Policy, 2020
Article awarded: Hill, K., Lane, S.R., Powers, J. & Rhodes Smith, T. (2019). From the Empire State to the North Star State: Voter engagement in the 2016 election.
Voter Empowerment Research Award
Voter Empowerment Campaign/Influencing Social Policy, 2017
Research on Teaching Effectiveness in Policy Award
Influencing Social Policy, 2016
Article awarded: Pritzker, S.R. & Lane, S.R. (2014). Integrating policy and political content in BSW and MSW field placements.
Excellence in Teaching for Untenured Faculty Award Nominee
Adelphi University, 2010, 2011, 2012
Community Service
Jewish Federation President’s Award
Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, 2021
Kavod Key Community Service Award
Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, 2020
BOOKS
Lane, S.R., Palley, E. & Shdaimah, C. (2019). Social welfare policy in a changing world. Sage Publishing. (Second edition to be released in 2025)
Lane, S.R. & Pritzker, S. (2018). Political social work: Using power to create social change. Springer International.
REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES (* denotes publications with students)
*Conley, D., Lane, S.R., Rhodes Smith, T., & Bryant, A. (in press). Political social work’s role in competency-based social work education. Journal of Social Work Education.
McCardle, M., Sandler, A., Lane, S.R., & Rhodes Smith, T. (in press). Implementing a model for voter engagement among BSW students. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work.
*Lane, S.R., Newransky, C., Acquaye-Doyle, L., Furmanek, F., Keilty, M., Phanord, L., Quinn-Beers, J., & Roberson-Steele, J. (in press). Social workers as poll workers: Experiences in the 2020 and 2021 elections. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping.
*Chiarelli-Helminiak, C.M., Elias-Lambert, N., Lane, S.R., & Papanikolaou, M. (2024). Social work education leadership: Insights from faculty and staff. Advances in Social Work, 24(2), 481-502.
Zuckerman, M., Lane, S.R., & Lee, S.R. (2024). Social work student perceptions of co-response: Implications for policy. Journal of Policy Practice and Research, 5, 119-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42972-024-00103-1
Conley, D.L. & Lane, S.R. (2023). Factors influencing policymaker decision making in the behavioral health-related legislative process: A scoping review. Social Work in Mental Health, 21(6), 587-605. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2023.2192318
*Hylton, M., Lane, S.R., Rhodes Smith, T., Ostrander, J., & Powers, J. (2023). The Voter Engagement Model: Preparing the next generation of social workers for political practice. Journal of Social Work Education, 59(2), 423-437. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2021.2009945
Kagotho, N., McClendon, J., Lane, S.R., Vanidestine, T., Bogenschutz, M., Flowers, T.D. & Wilson, L. (2023). “Challenge and hold one another accountable:” Social work faculty respond to incivility. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 47(4), 328-342. https://doi.org/10.1080/23303131.2023.2209754
*Krase, K., Lane, S.R., Fishman, A.C., Fuentes, F., & Wang, D. (2022). Influence of political ideology on coping and personal protection practices during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Policy Practice and Research, 4, 11-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42972-022-00060-7
Lane, S.R., Kagotho, N., McClendon, J., Flowers, T.D., Vanidestine, T., & Bogenschutz, M. (2022). In their own words: Social work faculty discuss incivility. Social Work Education, 41(6), 1183-1200. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2021.1935845
Meehan, P., Ostrander, J., & Lane, S.R. (2022). Who is a social worker? Lessons on sampling from political participation research. Advances in Social Work, 22(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.18060/25650
Lane, S.R., Hill, K., Krase, K., & Rhodes Smith, T. (2021). Political efficacy in social workers before and after 2016. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 48(4), 29-45. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol48/iss4/3
Pritzker, S., Barros Lane, L., & Lane, S.R. (2021). ‘Just one person in the middle’: Ethics and political social work practice. Journal of Policy Practice and Research, 2(1), 20-39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42972-020-00014-x
Sandler, A.K., & Lane, S.R. (2021). Diverse views of political empowerment among community college students who receive SNAP benefits. Journal of Policy Practice and Research, 2(4), 238-257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42972-021-00034-1
Hill, K., Rhodes Smith, T., Lane, S.R., & Shannon, S. (2020). Giving a voice to those with felony convictions: A call to action. [Commentary] Social Work, 65(4), 406-408. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swaa036
Lane, S.R., McClendon, J., Osborne-Leute, V., & Baxter, K. (2020). Interprofessional perspectives on faculty-to-faculty incivility from nursing and social work. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 35(4), 586-595. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2020.1787359
Marmo, S., & Lane, S.R. (2020). Social justice and advanced cancer patients: An analysis of key policies. Journal of Policy Practice and Research 1(1-2), 37-54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42972-020-00003-0
McClendon, J., Lane, S.R., Ostrander, J., & Rhodes Smith, T. (2020). Training social workers for political engagement: Exploring regional differences in the United States. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 40(2), 147-168. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2020.1724240
*Hill, K., Lane, S.R., Powers, J. & Rhodes Smith, T. (2019). From the Empire State to the North Star State: Voter engagement in the 2016 election. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 46(1), 91-112. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol46/iss1/7/
*Lane, S.R. Hill, K., Ostrander, J., Powers, J., Rhodes Smith, T., & Hylton, M.E. (2019). Creating a culture of voting in direct and generalist practice: Training field instructors. Advances in Social Work, 19(1), 86-105. https://doi.org/10.18060/22614
McClendon, J., Lane, S.R., & Flowers, T. (2019). Faculty-to-faculty incivility in social work education. Journal of Social Work Education, 57(1), 100-112. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2019.1671271
Ostrander, J., Bryan, J., & Lane, S.R. (2019). Clinical social workers, gender, and perceptions of political participation. Advances in Social Work, 19(1), 256-275. https://doi.org/10.18060/22609
*Hylton, M., Rhodes Smith, T., Powers, J., Ostrander, J., & Lane, S.R. (2018). The power of three: Infusing voter engagement in lower level BSW courses. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 23(1), 213-229. https://doi.org/10.18084/1084-7219.23.1.213
Lane, S.R., Ostrander, J.A., & Rhodes Smith, T. (2018). "Politics is social work with power": Training social workers for elected office. Social Work Education, 37(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2017.1366975
Kagotho, N., McClendon, J., & Lane, S.R. (2017). Student philanthropy: Connecting BSW students, schools of social work, and communities. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work Education, 22(1), 75-91. https://doi.org/10.18084/1084-7219.22.1.75
Lane, S.R., McClendon, J., & Matthews, N. (2017). Finding, serving, and housing the homeless: Using collaborative research to prepare social work students. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 37(3), 292-306. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2017.1317689
*Ostrander, J., Lane, S.R., McClendon, J., Hayes, C., & Rhodes Smith, T. (2017). Collective power to create political change: Increasing the political efficacy and engagement of social workers. Journal of Policy Practice, 16(3), 261-275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15588742.2016.1266296.
Pritzker, S.R., & Lane, S.R. (2017). Political social work: History, forms and opportunities for innovation. [Commentary] Social Work, 62(1), 80-82 (special issue on Civil Rights and Social Justice). https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/sww072
McClendon, J., Kagotho, N., & Lane, S.R. (2016). Preparing social work students for leadership in human service organizations through student philanthropy. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership, and Governance, 40(5), 500-507. https://doi.org/10.1080/23303131.2016.1173159
*Lane, S.R., & Flowers, T. (2015). Salary inequity in social work: A review of the knowledge and call to action. Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 30(3), 363-379. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109915572843
Lane, S.R., & Humphreys, N.A. (2015). Gender and social workers’ political activity. Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 30(2), 232-245. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109914541115
Pritzker, S.R., & Lane, S.R. (2014). Integrating policy and political content in BSW and MSW field placements. Journal of Social Work Education, 50(4), 730-739. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2014.947905
Kim, T.K., & Lane, S.R. (2013). Government health expenditure and public health outcomes. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 3(9), 1-13. http://www.aijcrnet.com/journals/Vol_3_No_9_September_2013/2.pdf
Lane-Toomey, C.K., & Lane, S.R. (2013). U.S. study abroad in the Middle East/North Africa: Factors influencing growing numbers. Journal of Studies in International Education, 17(4), 308-331. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315312447572
Lane, S.R., Altman, J.C., Goldberg, G.S., Kagotho, N.K., Palley, E., & Paul, M. (2012). Inspiring and training students for social action: Renewing a needed tradition. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 32(5), 532-549. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2012.722598
Lane, S.R. (2011). Political content in social work education as reported by elected social workers. Journal of Social Work Education, 47(1), 53-72. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23044434
Lane, S.R., & Humphreys, N.A. (2011). Social workers in politics: A national survey of social work candidates and elected officials. Journal of Policy Practice, 10(3), 225-244. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15588742.2011.582809
Lane, S.R., Humphreys, N.A., Graham, E., Matthews, N., & Moriarty, J. (2007). Voter registration: Empowering clients through agency-based voter registration. Journal of Policy Practice, 6(4), 79-94. https://doi.org/10.1300/J508v06n04_06
BOOK AND ENCYCLOPEDIA CHAPTERS
Lane, S.R. & Bryant, A. (in press, publication 2025). United States: Opportunities and barriers for social work members of Congress. In Social workers in political office: A comparative perspective on recruitment, career patterns and social advocacy. Bristol Policy Press.
Pritzker, S., & Lane, S.R. (2021). Political social work. In Encyclopedia of Macro Social Work and Encyclopedia of Social Work. National Association of Social Workers and Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.295
Pritzker, S., & Lane, S.R. (2017). Political social work. In Encyclopedia of Social Work. National Association of Social Workers and Oxford University Press.
McClendon, J., & Lane, S.R. (2014). Homeless people. In A. Gitterman (Ed.), Handbook of social work practice with vulnerable and resilient populations (3rd Ed.). Columbia University Press.
2495 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10033
MEDIA RELATIONS
To request an interview, please contact Media Relations at 212-960-5400 x5488 or publicaffairs@yu.edu
Doctoral
SWK 8010 Grant Writing and Administration
SWK 8296 Social Policy
SWK 8421 Strategies of Inquiry I
SWK 8422 Strategies of Inquiry II
SWK 8904 Dissertation Proposal Seminar I
SWK 8920 Dissertation Proposal Seminar II
Masters
SWK 6033 Advanced Community Practice I
SWK 6034 Advanced Community Practice II
SWK 6210 Advanced Policy Advocacy
SWK 6201 Social Welfare and Social Change
SWK 6252 Leading for Social Change
SWK 6135 Cultural Diversity