Ryan D. Heath

Ryan Heath is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Syracuse University, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. His research seeks to understand how organized activities during out-of-school time (OST) and community schools promote the healthy development of students from under-resourced backgrounds, students of color, and other historically marginalized youth.

Heath pursues two related streams of research. One line of inquiry aims to identify the mechanisms through which OST programs (e.g., extracurricular, afterschool and summer programs) influence young people’s social-emotional development, physical health, mental health, and educational outcomes, including the differences in mechanisms across marginalized and minoritized youth. The second line of inquiry investigates community schools practices and policies, including how community coalitions, staff practices, school systems and data infrastructure affect the implementation of community schools. Throughout his work, Heath maintains a critical stance in interrogating the roles these programs, services and systems may play in perpetuating inequality and promoting equity in society. His work has been supported by multiple federal funding streams (U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Health and Human Services) and foundations (CNY Community Foundation, Wallace Foundation).

As part of his community-engaged research, Heath collaborates with local school districts and agencies on initiatives that expand and improve community schools across central and western New York, including co-founding the CNY Community Schools Collaborative and the New York State Community Schools Thruway Coalition. He has hosted multiple conferences at Syracuse University, bringing research and best practices to OST and community schools practitioners from across New York State.

In addition to impacting research and practice, Heath’s scholarship also aims to directly inform policy that affects children, families and schools. In 2018, he received a Policy Ambassadorship with the New York State Network for Youth Success, and currently serves on their Public Funding Policy Task Force. He also serves on School Mental Health Steering Committee for Onondaga County, and the Education Committee for the NAACP of Syracuse and Onondaga County.

Heath’s scholarship has been published in various social work, education, public health and human development journals. He currently serves as contributing editor of Children and Schools and edited the special issue, “Organized Activities during Out-of-School Time as a Tool for Social Justice.” He is on the board of the book series Current Issues in Out-of-School Time, and is co-editing the upcoming volume Addressing Collective Trauma and Marginalization in Out-of-School Time Spaces. He is also co-author of Foundations of Young Adult Success: A Developmental Framework published by the Wallace Foundation and University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. In recognition of his work, Heath received the Out-of-School Time Emerging Scholar Award in 2020 from the American Education Research Association.

In the School of Social Work, Heath teaches undergraduate and graduate classes on research methods, human development, human diversity, and clinical social work. He has also co-facilitated a seminar on applied statistics for doctoral students, and offers group seminars and independent studies on school social work.

As a clinical social worker, Heath previously delivered cognitive-behavioral interventions to adolescents and groups in schools and community settings, and directed various OST and experiential education programs. He currently co-facilitates an interdisciplinary supervision group for school-based mental health interns in Onondaga, Seneca, and Wayne Counties.

Heath earned a master’s degree in clinical social work and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. Heath also received a pre-doctoral fellowship and graduate certificate in interdisciplinary education sciences through the University of Chicago Committee on Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. He completed his bachelor’s degree with honors at Brown University.