2026 Catalyst for Change Award

When Ohio State nurse scientist Shannon Gillespie ’12 MS, ’15 PhD sees challenges in maternal-infant healthcare, she doesn’t just study them — she brings people together to solve them.

Gillespie’s path to becoming a nurse scientist started at the bedside. After launching her career as a registered nurse in obstetrics and gynecology, she returned to Ohio State to earn her PhD in nursing, building a career that bridges patient care with scientific discovery.

She now leads teams of researchers, clinicians, students and community partners in efforts to identify pregnancy and postpartum risk earlier, giving mothers and babies the support they need to thrive before and after birth.

“My goal is to help moms and babies stay healthy,” says Gillespie, an associate professor in The Ohio State University College of Nursing. “That means recognizing risk as early and as accurately as possible, so the right intervention reaches the right person at the right time.”

That work starts with seeing patients as more than their medical records. Gillespie studies how lived experiences, including stress and environmental factors, affect a mother’s health during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

“My research has shown that lived experiences matter, and they affect health in profound ways,” she says. “My lab is focused on turning that knowledge into better care, stronger support and healthier outcomes for families.”

Gillespie also leads a team developing a blood test that could predict the risk of preterm birth. About 15 million babies are born prematurely each year worldwide, and earlier detection could give medical professionals the opportunity to intervene.

For Gillespie, creating change also means investing in the next generation of health care leaders. She mentors students and trainees in nursing, bioengineering and pre-medicine, helping them build confidence and discover their own paths in the field.

“Nurse scientists are uniquely positioned to see problems from the patient’s perspective and develop solutions that can be used everywhere — from the lab to the bedside to the community,” she says. “I’m really proud of my team and my mentees. If they have a vision for a better world, I want them to believe in it and go after it.”

Her work doesn’t stop at the university. Gillespie works with central Ohio organizations that support mothers and infants, helping translate research into care delivered in the community. She also collaborates with Ohio State professor Seuli Brill on MOMI PODS, an innovative program providing tandem maternal and infant care throughout the critical first year after birth.