Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Outreach Programs in the College of Health and Human Development

Dennis G. Shea is the Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Outreach Programs in the College of Health and Human Development, responsible for strategic planning, development, advising, recruitment, academic affairs, and other elements of the College’s 8 undergraduate schools and departments and all of its online World Campus programs. The College of Health and Human Development (HHD) is the fourth largest of Penn State’s University Park colleges with over 5,000 undergraduates studying in its eight academic departments. HHD has 4 undergraduate programs and 2 master’s degree programs fully online in the World Campus and offers 4-year degree programs in collaboration with 17 of Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses. Strategic efforts of the Associate Dean’s office in recent years have focused on recruitment, transition, orientation and first-year seminar programming, student engagement and engaged learning, curriculum development for student success, and career, financial aid and related student support services.

Dr. Shea is also a Professor of Health Policy and Administration in the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State where he has worked since 1990. He served as Department Head of Health Policy and Administration (HPA) from 2004 to 2013, and was professor in charge of undergraduate HPA programs prior to that. Dr. Shea holds a master’s degree and doctorate in economics from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in economics from Jesus College, Cambridge University. His research focuses on the economics of health and aging, particularly in the impact of economic factors on insurance coverage and the use of long-term care, mental health, and physician services by the elderly. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, research reports and related manuscripts. His work includes estimates of the determinants of retiree health insurance coverage among the elderly, factors influencing mental health service use and outcomes in long-term care settings, patterns of physician referrals in the Medicare program, and policy simulations of proposed prescription drug benefit plans for Medicare.