COLUMBUS, Ohio – Seven Ohio State College of Nursing faculty and students celebrated a variety of awards received and two faculty accepted new leadership positions at the 2023 Midwest Nursing Research Society’s (MNRS) 47th Annual Research Conference in Des Moines, Iowa.  

The Ohio State University College of Nursing hosted Masterminds: The Future of Health Transformed. The virtual event featured three faculty members as they gave short, engaging TED-style talks about their passions and research in the nursing field.

Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, APRN-CNP, EBP-C, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, university chief wellness officer and College of Nursing dean, moderated the event.

While studying for her PhD at The Ohio State University College of Nursing, new Assistant Professor Shannon Gillespie, PhD, RN, worked on a study that measured how a biomarker called brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) affects pregnant women. The study, now published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, shows that low BDNF levels precede depression in the mother and low birth weight in the baby.