University of Missouri - Saint Louis

08/07/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/07/2026 15:54

Christina Castellano chosen to participate in 2026–2027 MNRS Leadership Academy

Christina Castellano chosen to participate in 2026-2027 MNRS Leadership Academy

by Steve Walentik | Aug 7, 2026

The assistant professor will join other promising researchers and scholars from the Midwest region in the leadership development program's sixth cohort.

Christina Castellano was chosen to be part of the Midwest Nursing Research Society's 2026-27 Leadership Academy. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

Christina Castellano has always been drawn to the work of the Midwest Nursing Research Society, which aims to foster research and innovation within the nursing profession to improve the health of all people.

It's one of the reasons Castellano decided to pursue her PhD at the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Nursing after originally enrolling in the DNP program.

Her first exposure to MNRS came during her years as a doctoral student, and she's continued her involvement with the organization since joining the UMSL faculty following her graduation in 2023. Castellano has become a regular attendee of MRNS's annual conference and joined a committee to help plan the 50th annual event held last spring in St. Louis. There, she and UMSL colleagues Michelle Barrier and Julie Bertram received a spring received a Distinguished Abstract award for their research.

Castellano's connection to MNRS is set to grow even more. She's been selected to take part in the 2026-2027 MNRS Leadership Academy. Her participation in the academy will begin this month and continue through next May.

"The MNRS Leadership Academy was established to identify, engage, and nurture future generations of MNRS leaders," Jennifer Doering, president of the MNRS Board of Directors, wrote to Castellano in a letter informing her of her selection. "This year's applicant pool was exceptionally strong, reflecting an impressive breadth of talent, accomplishment, and commitment to advancing nursing science. The selection process was highly competitive, and the reviewers faced difficult decisions among many outstanding candidates."

Doering's letter said Castellano stood out both in her application and in a subsequent interview for the leadership academy as she displayed a strong commitment to science and improving nursing care.

"Your selection is a testament to the distinction of your contributions, your leadership potential, and your vision for the profession," Doering wrote.

Castellano, an assistant professor, was elated to receive acceptance to what will be the sixth Leadership Academy cohort. Previous cohorts have consisted of between four or five researchers from nursing schools or programs across the country.

Members of the cohort member will attend all MNRS Board of Directors meetings as well as monthly meetings with the rest of their group. They will participate in a leadership book club, engage in collective cohort mentoring sessions and collaborative on a board update article for the Western Journal of Nursing Research, which serves as MNRS's official peer-reviewed publication. They'll also take part in a leadership project and be recognized at the MNRS annual conference, scheduled to be held March 31-April 3 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

"I'm really excited to learn how their board operates, to be involved in the board meetings, and to be part of that network and those relationships," she said.

Castellano believes strongly in the value of networking and collaboration to strengthen her research and its impact. A primary focus of her work is on perinatal postpartum mental health, an area where she sees large, systemwide breakdowns in care, both in Missouri and around the country. She prefers to take a qualitative approach to research, listening to the experiences of patients while working to identify changes that might better meet their needs.

"In qualitative research, I have found that I get lost in the words spoken," Castellano said. "I derive my own meaning, and I want to make sure that other people are hearing the same things and drawing the same meanings that I am. And that's just part of qualitative research. As a researcher in this role, it can also feel very alone sometimes or lonely sometimes. As long as I have a web of people that I can touch base with, who are still excited to do the work, it keeps pushing me forward, so it's important to me that I surround myself with people who I know are just interested in moving the needle for good."

Her collaborators include Agata Freedle, an assistant professor of counseling in UMSL's Department of Education Sciences and Professional Programs. The two first met and discovered their overlapping interests at New Faculty Orientation in 2023. They've recently partnered on a pair of pending publications in the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services and in Qualitative Social Work.

Castellano is always looking to expand her network, and she hopes her involvement with MNRS can also be a model for UMSL students.

"My wish is that our students, at least in the College of Nursing, would get more involved with organizations," she said. "I think it keeps like the excitement of the profession going."

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