The Center for Health, Engagement, and Transformation (CHET) is thrilled to announce the addition of Laneshia Conner, PhD, MSW, CSW as Core Faculty Chair, effective February 9, 2026. Dr. Conner, an assistant professor in the UK College of Social Work, has served as a Core Faculty member with CHET since 2022 and has been passionate about further contributing to CHET’s mission.
Her primary research focuses on HIV prevention and intervention in older adults, developing culturally relevant sexual health programs and educational tools for aging communities, social determinants of health, racial disparities in healthcare and education, and adult learning principles. Dr. Conner’s analytic and methodological expertise include implementation science, mixed methods research, qualitative and quantitative analyses, and program evaluation. Her research and professional development have received funding support from both internal and external sources, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and, most recently, a 5-year research grant funded by the NIA and the Office of AIDS Research (1K01 AG092253-01A1).
Dr. Conner’s scholarship also explores innovative teaching methods using horror films and critical pedagogy to engage students on social justice issues. She is deeply committed to community engagement, serving in multiple leadership roles and coaching youth and high school track teams. She has established a strong record of mentorship and leadership, recently being honored as a 2025 Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence awardee, receiving the 2025 CSWE Mentor Award from the Council on Social Work Education, and delivering a 2026 TEDx talk.
Dr. Conner sees her purpose as Core Faculty Chair to “…clarify shared goals and benefits with Core Faculty and to strengthen networks beyond the College of Medicine. In a period when people need reassurance that their work and trajectories still matter, I intend to be candid about the environment we’re operating in, while being deliberate about strategies that keep faculty and staff moving forward. I’ll seek guidance from Core Faculty on how to serve best —but my throughline is simple: remember why you do the work, remember who brought you to it, do something small every day, and when the problems feel too big, break them into pieces you can carry. I look forward to working with the CHET Core Faculty and the larger CHET community in this role.”
As Core Faculty Chair, Dr. Conner will lead biannual core faculty meetings, engage in strategic planning efforts, recruit new core faculty members, and participate in center recruitment and other critical center activities.
“I am thrilled to have Dr. Connor’s insight and leadership as Core Faculty Chair. She is thoughtful, committed, and leads through example. I am grateful she has taken on this role and look forward to her partnership in fulfilling CHET’s mission and impact throughout campus and beyond,” CHET Acting Director, Shyanika Rose, PhD, MA.
Dr. Conner earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from the University of Kentucky in 2002, her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Georgia School of Social Work in 2008, and her PhD in Social Work from the University of Louisville in 2013. She joined the University of Kentucky as a tenure-track assistant professor in the College of Social Work in the fall of 2020, and brings institutional knowledge from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) and Spalding University.