Dr. Gillespie’s program of research employs a precision health approach to identify women at risk for complications of pregnancy, isolate the biological aberrations driving risk, and provide targeted preventive intervention. Her doctoral training, supported by a National Research Service Award and Summer Genetics traineeship through the National Institutes of Health, focused on delineating the biological pathways linking inherited and environmental exposures to early birth. Dissertation research included primary data collection among a prospective cohort of 96 African American women and focused on functional immunologic and endocrine pathways to early birth. Dr. Gillespie’s postdoctoral traineeship will expand her skillset to include assessment of epigenetic modifications of the genome, which are key upstream determinants of gene expression and therefore cellular function. By breaking down the pathways to early birth at the cellular and molecular level and focusing on upstream biological aberrations, Dr. Gillespie aims to uncover novel biomarkers of risk for early birth that can be assessed in early pregnancy and successfully direct preventive action among the clinical team.
