Shannon DaSilva DNP, APRN, CNM
Clinical Assistant Professor
Education:
DNP-NM, Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing, Dallas, Texas
BSN, University of Texas at Arlington, School of Nursing, Arlington, Texas
Certifications:
CNM, American Midwifery Certification Board
Nurse-Midwife Sonographer, American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Work and Education
Dr. Shannon DaSilva is a board-certified nurse-midwife. She teaches in the DNP Nurse-Midwife track and core courses for all DNP graduate nursing tracks at Baylor University.
Dr. DaSilva has over five years of teaching experience in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Her instructional approach is rooted in her extensive clinical background, which encompasses years of practice in diverse healthcare settings. Dr. DaSilva's experience spans full-scope midwifery hospital practices, an out-of-hospital birth center, and a community hospital-based high-risk maternal-fetal medicine clinic. Moreover, her prior ownership of a birthing center, coupled with ongoing involvement as a quality assurance and accreditation consultant, gives her a unique perspective on the administrative, business, and regulatory facets of healthcare.
Dr. DaSilva's passion lies in empowering women, advocating for the vulnerable, and nurturing the next generation of nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives to become compassionate caregivers who positively impact the lives of the families they serve.
Committees
Dr. DaSilva is an active member of the following organizations: American College of Nurse–Midwives (ACNM), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Consortium of Texas Certified Nurse–Midwives (CTCNM), Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM)
Dr. DaSilva is committed to advancing healthcare initiatives by actively engaging in numerous committees. She has served on committees such as the Advanced Practice Provider Committee, Maternal-Fetal Medicine ICU Committee, and a system-wide Texas Aim Opioid Bundle Committee. Additionally, Dr. DaSilva contributed as a Stronger Together Peer support member, served in the ACNM Division of Global Health, and as a Fetal Infant Mortality Review member (Tarrant County). Dr. DaSilva also serves the Texas Maternal Mortality Task Force by abstracting cases of maternal mortality.
Dr. DaSilva's dedication extends globally. She has volunteered on medical missions in Sierra Leone, Spain, and Lebanon. Through the ACNM Division of Global Health, Dr. DaSilva collaborated with a Zambian midwife to secure an International Confederation of Midwives, Midwife for Life Grant to enhance midwifery education in Zambia.
Articles and Presentations
Outside the classroom, Dr. DaSilva is committed to promoting excellence in health care. She developed online learning modules to prepare student nurse-midwives for cross-cultural clinical experiences. In 2018, she delivered presentations at the Association of Texas Midwives annual conference on “Advanced Maternal Age: Evidenced-Based Practice” and at the American Association of Birth Centers Annual Conference on “Maternal Emergency Drills.”
Dr. DaSilva has served on panel discussions regarding vaginal birth after cesarean and how to start a birth center. She has helped lead several hospital-based system-wide practice changes regarding diabetes in pregnancy, hydrotherapy in labor, water birth, and nitrous oxide use for pain control in labor. Dr. DaSilva facilitated and presented at the 2023 and 2024 Midwife & Co Residency Symposium. In 2024, Dr. DaSilva authored two chapters in the Electronic Fetal Monitoring (c-EFM) Certification Review textbook, which focused on maternal, fetal, and placental complications and assessing fetal oxygenation and acid-base status.
Community
In addition to her professional commitments, Dr. Shannon DaSilva is deeply engaged in her community. Alongside her husband and four children, she actively participates in her local church. Dr. DaSilva has taken on leadership roles within the church, helping lead Bible studies and serving as a facilitator of a recovery ministry. Her dedication to community service extends beyond local endeavors, as she remains committed to participating in both local and international healthcare mission work. When she is not serving her church, her students, or her patients, she enjoys painting, creating art, snow-skiing, golfing, and spending time with her family.