Shannon is a senior research director in NORC’s Public Health department. With nearly 20 years of experience, her areas of expertise include designing and implementing program evaluations; conducting primary data collection and analysis using mixed methods, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups; synthesizing research and evaluation findings for various audiences; and providing actionable recommendations to inform federal and state programs and policies. Her research interests include health equity, stigma and discrimination, social determinants of health, behavioral health, early care and education, and social justice.

Shannon leads the Study of Disability Services Coordinators (DSCs) and Inclusion in Head Start for the Administration of Children and Families (ACF). This five-year study will provide a national picture of the DSC workforce in Head Start programs, including how they collaborate with program staff, families, and community-based service providers in support of children with disabilities. The study includes three phases of data collection—a survey of program directors, a survey of DSCs, and qualitative interviews with DSCs. 

She also serves as a senior member of the evaluation team for two projects – a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) study evaluating emerging interventions for improving health outcomes among people aging with HIV and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study evaluating the effects of anti-racism practices in health care settings on organizational- and patient-level outcomes.  

In addition, Shannon has designed robust, yet practical evaluation plans for numerous state and federal clients. For example, she developed a process and outcome evaluation plan with multiple design options and draft data collection instruments to evaluate the Office on Women’s Health’s Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Campaign, which sought to increase HPV vaccination rates among young adults in Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas by disseminating information about HPV and the vaccine to young adults and health care providers through print, digital, social, paid, and earned media. She has also designed process and outcome evaluation plans for the Vermont Department of Health’s asthma program, CHI Health’s Community Link Program, and Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace.