Amanda Lehning, PhD, MSS

Amanda Lehning is the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. She received a MSW with a concentration in Policy Practice and Advocacy from Bryn Mawr College, and a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. In 2013 she completed a National Institute on Aging-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan, School of Social Work. Her research focuses on the effects of policies, programs, and neighborhood infrastructure on elder health, well-being, and the ability to age in place. Her research on aging-friendly communities aims to advance the conceptualization, measurement, and evaluation of this type of community-level initiative. Additional research includes a national survey of Villages and NORCs, two community-based programs that aim to help older adults remain in their homes and communities; an examination of the effects of service coordination on the ability to age in place in low-income senior housing in Detroit; and a mixed methods study of cooperative senior housing as a site for aging in place. Dr. Lehning has published numerous articles on elder health, well-being, and the ability to age in place. She has received research support from the University of Maryland, School of Social Work; Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation; John A. Hartford Foundation; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and the Society for Social Work and Research.