Shannon L. Gillespie

Shannon Gillespie, PhD, RN, is a nurse scientist and a clinical and translational immunobiologist. Her research aims to optimize the health of pregnant and postpartum individuals and the health of their children. She does this by designing and testing new ways to predict and prevent complications of pregnancy and postpartum, with special emphasis on preterm birth, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and prenatal and postpartum depression. As a nurse scientist, her experience includes patient-oriented and clinical data collection and use of cellular and molecular immunomonitoring methods, integrated into healthcare settings. As a faculty member, she has taught undergraduate (e.g., pathophysiology) and graduate (e.g., genetics and epigenetics) courses and mentors nursing and transdisciplinary students at all levels. 

Gillespie has always been motivated to help others, leading her to earn a BA in psychology from Ohio University, followed by RN licensure and an MS and PhD in nursing from The Ohio State University. Gillespie has advanced on projects funded by the National Institutes of Health for more than 20 years, from an undergraduate research assistant to a graduate research associate, individual pre-doctoral fellow, and career development awardee. Her transition into nursing was fueled by her family’s experiences with health and illness, which she reflects on often as a clinician, scientist and teacher. 

Laboratory and study websites:

• Maternal Immune Monitoring Laboratory
• Gillespie Lab

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