Sharon G. Casavant

Ph.D., RN

Assistant Professor

She/Her/Hers

As a neonatal intensive care unit nurse, Sharon Casavant, Ph.D., RN, completed her doctorate as a Robert Wood Johnson Future of Nursing Scholar, examining the role of preterm infant pain on neurodevelopment. She was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein Research Service award entitled “Predicting Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Premature Infants With Multi-Omic Measures (PRENOP).” This study was the first to enroll more than 10 infants to determine that the telomere length of preterm infants was significantly longer than that of term infants. Her research trajectory changed in 2024 to focus on cannabis product use during pregnancy, beginning with a systematic review that was the first to examine how cannabis exposure affected birth outcomes in both preclinical and clinical models (Reck AM, Reilly T, Vanegas SO, Shook NJ, Kinsey SG, Casavant SG. Risks of Cannabinoid Exposure on Birth Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 2025 Jun 30. doi: 10.1089/can.2025.0027. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40589083). Thanks to a School of Nursing Dean’s Seed Grant, Casavant conducted a nationwide survey of women of childbearing age’s attitudes and beliefs regarding cannabis product use during pregnancy, as well as focus groups with healthcare providers to assess their attitudes and beliefs on the same topic. Based on the findings from the systematic review and Dean’s Seed grant, she was recently awarded internal funding by the Institute for Collaboration on Health Information and Policy to conduct a feasibility study. The study will examine the feasibility of recruiting and retaining pregnant women from the first trimester until one month postpartum. Women will complete short surveys and provide a urine sample for objective assessment of cannabis metabolites in urine monthly.

The primary goal of Casavant’s research is to identify the safety of cannabis product exposure during pregnancy and ultimately improve healthcare providers’ ability to initiate non-judgmental dialogue on this topic with patients.

As an educator and Director of the SON Honors Program, her overall goal is to help students advance critical thinking skills and develop an interest in research, policy and activism. She enjoys mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in research projects and serves as a peer reviewer for several scientific journals.

Research/Scholarship Interests: In utero cannabis product exposure, birth outcomes, infant neurodevelopment, and maternal health,

Selected Publications:
Balerna, C., Kilembe, N., Casavant, S.G. (2025, under review). Associations Between Neonatal Infant Stressor Scale Scores and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Diagnoses. Advances in Neonatal Care.

Reck, A.M., Reilly, T., Vanegas, O., Shook, N., Kinsey, S. & Casavant, S.G., (2025).
Risks of Cannabinoid Exposure on Birth Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, Volume 00, Number 00, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2025.0027 [R,D]

Brown J, Chang X, Matson A, Lainwala S, Chen MH, Cong X, Casavant SG. (2023). Health Disparities In preterm births. Front Public Health. 2023 Dec 15;11:1275776. doi:
10.3389/fpubh.2023.1275776. PMID: 38162611; PMCID: PMC10757361. [R]

Nist, M.; Casavant, S.; Dail, R.B.; Everhart, K.C.; Sealschott, S.; Cong, X. (2022). Conducting Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Research During a Pandemic: Challenges and Lessons Learned. Nursing Research (New York), 71(2), 147-152. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0000000000000564 IF: 2.381 [R]

Casavant, S. G., Li, H., Reese, B., Chen, M.-H., & Cong, X. S. (2021). Pilot Study of Absolute Telomere Lengths in Preterm Infants. Nursing Research (New York), 70(6), 481–486. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0000000000000535 IF: 2.381.