Written by Niya St.Amant
Bailey Milne is a first-year Ph.D. student in Epidemiology. After completing her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Bailey went on to do a Master of Public (MPH) Health at Brock University. During her MPH, she became inherently interested in Epidemiology and, after completion, sought out doctoral programs in the discipline. From here, Bailey got accepted into Queens University to complete an MSc in Epidemiology. After completing her mini master's in August 2022, Bailey progressed to the doctoral program, where she is now at the beginning stages of her research.
Bailey鈥檚 research focuses on endometriosis, an inflammatory condition, which as Bailey describes, is 鈥渃haracterized when the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus.鈥 This condition, can cause 鈥減ain with intercourse, chronic pain in general, and can lead to infertility.鈥 Endometriosis currently has no cure. Bailey investigates the role of endometriosis on infertility and congenital anomalies. Bailey's research also focuses on the role of the mode of conception in women who have endometriosis and seek infertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI).
Bailey鈥檚 research highlights the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of Epidemiology. She defines epidemiology as 鈥渓ooking at the distribution of diseases in a population.鈥 While epidemiology initially focused on infectious diseases, she explains that Epidemiology is very multi-disciplinary now and that 鈥渋t can be applied to many fields.鈥 Epidemiology allows a collaborative process between fields, where different disciplines can work together to understand how a particular disease is distributed among particular populations. For instance, her department strives to ensure this collaborative and interdisciplinary process by bringing various experts in the fields, such as a professor from anthropology, or a representative of KFL&A Public Health. Bailey explains, 鈥渂ringing in experts that will inform the research, from a clinical perspective, really helps understand the clinical component of the research.鈥 In her case, Bailey explains how she will work with an OBGYN to conduct her research.
Bailey's research is a testament to the importance of Epidemiology research. She will use health administrative data from the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) to explore the different modes of conception women with endometriosis use to get pregnant. In doing so, Bailey will be able to discern if a specific method might lead to a higher risk of congenital anomalies in infants. Since there is no cure for endometriosis, Bailey explains that her research "could help women make more informed decisions about the risks of different modes of conceptions." Her research could "contribute to the endometriosis literature about possible mechanisms or prevention techniques." Like Bailey's research, Epidemiology can help explain the exposure to risks from a particular disease and help modify or reduce those risks.
Outside of her research, Bailey enjoys spending time with her 1-year-old puppy, remaining active by hiking or doing yoga and is excited to try the new spin class that opened up in Kingston.
If you are interested in reading more about the mini-master鈥檚 program, you can click , or if you are interested in learning more about the Epidemiology department, you can click .