Biographical Sketch
Melissa L. Harry, MSW, LCSW Ph.D. Student
Boston College
Education
MSW, University of Minnesota Duluth
BA, The College of St. Scholastica
Career Goals
Continuing her research with adolescents and young adults with disabilities, as well as with people with disabilities
of all ages.
Emphasizing participatory and community-based methods combined with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed
methods research as appropriate.
In her teaching, emphasizing the NASW code of ethics, social and economic justice, and disability issues.
Integrating classroom learning with practice and community-based projects in a wide range of social work courses,
from research methods to policy and human behavior.
Research Interests
Participant-directed home and community-based services for people living with disabilities; program and
intervention evaluation; adolescent and young adult experiences with chronic health conditions and social
engagement; participatory action research; community-based research; policy outcomes
Publishable Paper Title
Long-term Experiences in Participant-Directed Home and Community-Based Services for Young Adults with
Disabilities (Successfully defended 2014)
Dissertation Title
Short-term Outcomes for Young Adults with Disabilities in Participant-Directed Home and Community-Based
Services
Organization Affiliations
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi; The Society for Social Work and Research; National Association of Social
Workers; Council on Social Work Education
Awards and Fellowships
Boston College Doctoral Fellowship; graduated summa cum laude from the College of St. Scholastica; recipient of
two financial awards for academic achievement from the University of Minnesota Duluth's Department of Social
Work.
Teaching Experience
Teaching Assistant (2015): SCWK 9960 Statistical Analysis in Social & Behavioral Research; Teaching Assistant
(2014): SCWK 8841 Program Evaluation; Guest Lecturer (2014): SCWK 7747 Research Methods; Teaching
Assistant (2013): SCWK 7747 Research Methods
Research Experience
Research Assistant (2015): Talent Management Study, Boston College Center on Aging and Work.
Research Assistant and Project Coordinator (2012-2014): Participatory Action Research on the Long Term
Experiences of Participant Direction for Adults with Disabilities, Boston College and the National Resource Center
for Participant-Directed Services;
Co-Principal Investigator (2012-2014): Participatory Action Research on the Long Term Experience of Participant
Direction for Young Adults with Severe Disabilities, Boston College and the National Resource Center for
Participant-Directed Services;
Co-Principal Investigator (2009-2010): Outcomes in an Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program, University of
Minnesota Duluth and Essentia Health-Duluth
Publications
Harry, M. L., Kong, J., MacDonald, L., McLuckie, A., Battista, C., Mahoney, E., … Mahoney, K. J. (in press). The
long-term effects of participant direction of supports and services for people with disabilities. Care Management
Journals.
Special Experiences
Vice President, University of Minnesota Duluth Master of Social Work Student Association
Selected Presentations
Harry, M. (January, 2015). Cross-cultural equivalence of the CES-D with Native American/Alaskan Native
and White youth over the transition to adulthood. Poster session at the 2015 Annual Conference of the Society for
Social Work and Research, New Orleans, LA.
Harry, M., Battista, C., Kong, J., MacDonald, L., L Mahoney, E., Mahoney, K., & McLuckie, A. (January,
2015). Participatory action research with people with disabilities self-directing home and community-based services.
Workshop session at the 2015 Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, New Orleans, LA.
Harry, M., Battista, C., MacDonald, L., Mahoney, E., Mahoney, K., & McLuckie, A. (June, 2014). Home
and community-based services for young adults with disabilities: A participant direction approach. Poster session at
the 138th AAIDD Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL.
Mahoney, K., Battista, C., Harry, H., Kong, J., MacDonald, L., & McLuckie, A. (June, 2014). The longterm effects of participant direction of supports and services for people with disabilities. Poster session at the
Academy Health Annual Research Meeting, San Diego, CA.
Testa, D., Harry, M., & Moorelock, J. (May, 2013). The pedagogy of mixed methods research. Paper
presented at the Ninth International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.