Assistant Professor
Dr. Gayle Shipp completed her BS and MS in nutritional science at Michigan State University and Wayne State University, respectively. Dr. Shipp completed her PhD in Human Nutrition (2020) and became a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (2021) from MSU. She is an alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Health Policy Research Scholars program. She completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship (2020-2022) funded through Environmental Influences and Child Health Outcomes, ECHO program, focused on perinatal epidemiology and the design of intervention studies. A former WIC counselor, Dr. Shipp is passionate about reducing breastfeeding disparities, especially within the African American community. Dr. Shipp served as the chair of the statewide breastfeeding coalition (2019-2022) and continues to serve as a board member with Michigan Breastfeeding Network to support breastfeeding families within Michigan. ¬She received an RWJF, Health Equity Scholars for Action (2024-2026), award to evaluate a community-based maternity care model and engage partners in prenatal and antenatal initiatives supporting families in Flint, Michigan. Additionally, she leads a collaborative project focused on understanding the birthing experiences of Black women in Michigan. Her research interest with related publications spans diet and nutrition-related health disparities impacting vulnerable populations, food access, food choice in underserved areas, and community nutrition.
Selected Publications:
Shipp GM, Wosu AC, Knapp EA, Sauder KA, Dabelea D, Perng W, Zhu Y, Ferrara A, Dunlop AL, Deoni S, Gern J, Porucznik C, Aris IM, Karagas MR, Sathyanarayana S, O'Connor TG, Carroll KN, Wright RJ, Hockett CW, Johnson CC, Meeker JD, Cordero J, Paneth N, Comstock SS, Kerver JM; program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes. Maternal Pre-Pregnancy BMI, Breastfeeding, and Child BMI. Pediatrics. January 2024.
Shipp GM, Weatherspoon LJ, Comstock SS, Norman GS, Alexander GL, Gardiner JC, Kerver JM. Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy as a Predictor of Breastfeeding Intensity Among African American Women in the Mama Bear Feasibility Trial. Breastfeeding Medicine. January 2022.
Shipp GM, Weatherspoon LJ, Norman GS, Alexander GL, Kelleher D, Kerver JM. Factors Influencing Breastfeeding Outcomes: Semi-Structured Interviews with African American Women. Maternal and Child Health Journal. October 2021.
Jansen EC, O’Brien LM, Alexander GL, Shipp GM, Norman GS, Brogan-Hartlieb K, Gardiner JC, Kerver JM. Sleep and Diet in Urban Pregnant African American Women. Journal of Health Disparities and Research and Practice. April, 2020.
Earnesty D., Mphwanthe G., Shipp GM., Kelleher D., Plasencia J., Quilliam E., Rifon N., Weatherspoon L. The Association of Parental Views on Dietary Quality and Physical Activity Levels. Health Education Journal. September, 2019.
To request a comprehensive CV summarizing Dr. Shipps’s achievements, please email her at shippgay@msu.edu.
