Faculty Profiles
Dr. Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick
Professor and department chair
Email: Shaunessy@usf.edu
Phone: 813-974-7007
Dr. Shaunessy-Dedrick is a professor in the Exceptional Student Education Program and coordinator of the Gifted Education Program. She also serves as Chair for the Department of Language, Literacy, Ed.D., Exceptional Education, and Physical Education and coordinator of the Ed.D. in Educational Program Development.
Dr. Shaunessy-Dedrick received her BA in English from the University of Miami, a Master of Arts in English from Florida State University, and a PhD in Special Education with an emphasis in Gifted Education from The University of Southern Mississippi. At USF, she teaches in the fully-online Gifted Education program, which offers courses leading to the Florida Endorsement in Gifted Education and a master's degree in Gifted Education, and in the Ed.D. in Educational Program Development.
Her research interests include underrepresented groups of gifted children and social-emotional needs of International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement students. She was the primary investigator on a Javits Gifted Education Award, 鈥淩ecognizing Extraordinary Accomplishments among Children (REACH)鈥� and was the co-PI (with colleague Shannon Suldo, Ph.D.) on an Institute for Education Sciences award to study 鈥淚ntrapersonal Factors Associated with Academic Success among High School Students in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate (AP-IB) Programs.鈥�