Alison Shea

Alison Shea is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McMaster University's Faculty of Health Sciences. Her research focuses on women's mental health across the reproductive lifespan, with particular expertise in menopause, perinatal mood disorders, and hormonal influences on psychological wellbeing.

Her primary research interests include:

• Menopause and its psychological/physiological impacts
• Depression in midlife women and perinatal populations
• Hormone therapy effects on mental health
• Cannabis use during pregnancy and lactation
• Primary ovarian insufficiency and multimorbidity
• Childhood maltreatment as a risk factor for depression

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a strong focus on menopause-related mental health (31.8% of activity), with significant contributions to understanding depression in midlife women, hormone therapy interventions, and the intersection of reproductive health with psychiatric conditions. Her work increasingly incorporates large cohort studies like the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Dr. Shea has contributed to major clinical guidelines including Guideline No. 454 on Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders and Guideline No. 422c on Menopause: Mood, Sleep, and Cognition. Her research has been widely disseminated through high-impact journals including Menopause, Fertility and Sterility, and the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.

She maintains an active clinical research program investigating:

• Behavioral interventions for menopausal symptoms
• Neurobehavioral outcomes of prenatal cannabis exposure
• Implementation gaps in menopause hormone therapy
• Association between childhood trauma and midlife depression