Meet Lindey Felske - MSc Public Health Sciences 2020 - Field of Study Epidemiology

| 1 May 2020

How did you come to be in your program?

I became interested in epidemiology after taking an epidemiology class as an elective during my undergrad. I have always gravitated toward health-related fields so epidemiology really caught my attention. I really enjoyed doing research during my undergrad, but as a chemist (I did computational chemistry where I modelled DNA mutations and repair enzymes), the human application of my research was far off. An MSc in epidemiology allowed me to continue doing research while being able to apply the results more directly to humans, specifically regarding health outcomes.

The biggest thing that attracted me to the epidemiology program at Queen’s was the ability to choose my supervisor once I arrived. It was beneficial to have the opportunity to meet my supervisor in person and make sure that I connected with them, as well as to find a thesis topic I was passionate about.

What challenges have you had with the pandemic, and how did you overcome them?

I am from Alberta and was actually in Edmonton for an interview when the pandemic really became a concern, and things started closing down. After many conversations with my supervisor and my family, I decided it was best to stay at home. This decision was quite stressful as I was unsure if I would be able to gain remote access to data so that I could complete my thesis work. Luckily, I was able to get the information I needed to work remotely. Being close to my family and having their support is helpful in these stressful times, and I am ultimately glad I made the decision to stay.

What are your hopes and plans?

I plan to defend my thesis by the end of June. After that, I hope to be accepted into medical school (I am currently waiting to hear back from the Universities of Alberta and Calgary - fingers crossed! I believe that this degree will provide me with much needed public health insight and skills which I can apply if I do become a doctor. However, if that does not happen this year, I plan to find a job in the meantime which will allow me to utilize the skills that I gained in this program.

Post-secondary Awards

Sept. 2018 – Aug. 2019 - CIHR – Canadian Graduate Student Scholarship ($17500, declined)
Nov. 2018 - SCI Canada Student Merit Award
May 2018 – Aug 2018 NSERC – Undergraduate Student Research Award ($7946)
May 2018 - Gold Medal Nominee
Jan. 2018 - Bill and Elsa Cade Student of the Year Award ($1500)
May 2017 – Aug 2017 - NSERC – Undergraduate Student Research Award ($7000)
May 2017 – Aug 2017 - Chinook Summer Research Award ($5625, declined)
May 2017 - Undergraduate Travel Award ($500)
Dec. 2017 - Louise McKinney Post-Secondary Scholarship ($2500)
Sept. 2017 – Apr. 2018 - Senate Award ($1500)
Sept. 2017 – Apr. 2018 - Kalen Brown Memorial Award ($500)
Sept. 2017 – Apr. 2018 - U of L Shining Student
May 2016 – Aug. 2016 - Chinook Summer Research Award ($5625)
Sept. 2016 – Apr. 2017 - Merv Leitch Memorial Scholarship in Chemistry ($700)
2015/16 & 2016/17 - University of Lethbridge Scholarship ($600)
Dec. 2015 & 2016 - Jason Lang Scholarship ($1000)
Dec. 2015 - Canadian Masters/ATB Financial Curling and School Scholarship ($1000)
Sept. 2015 – Apr. 2016 - Rogers Sugar Scholarship ($500)
Sept. 2014 – Apr. 2015 - University of Lethbridge Board of Governor’s Admission Award ($1000)
Sept. 2014 – Apr. 2015 - University of Lethbridge Achievement Scholarship ($1500)
Sept. 2014 – Apr. 2015 - University of Lethbridge Grade 11 Merit Award ($800)
Sept. 2014 – Apr. 2018 - Dean’s Honour List
Sept. 2014 - Rutherford Scholarship ($2500)

Financial Awards while in PHS Program

Sept. 2019 – Aug. 2020 - CIHR – Canadian Graduate Student Scholarship ($17500)
July. 2019 - Department of Public Health Sciences Graduate Student Conference Award ($160)
Feb. 2019 - Brian Yealland Community Leadership Award
Sept. 2018 – Aug. 2019 - Arthur B. McDonald Prize for Academic Excellence ($15000)

TA/RA Positions Held

BIOL 243 (Introductory Statistics), Fall 2019
EPID 803 (Public Health Systems in Canada), Spring 2020

Publications

Wilson, K.A., Garden, J.L., Wetmore, N.T., Felske, L.R., and Wetmore, S.D. (2019) “DFT and MD studies of formaldehyde-derived DNA adducts: Molecular level insights into the differential mispairing potentials of the adenine, cytosine and guanine lesions”. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2019, 123(29), pp. 6229-6240. (Invited Article for a Virtual Special Issue “in honor of Prof. Leo Radom on the occasion of his 75th birthday”; IF=2.836)
Felske, L.R., Lenz, S.P. & Wetmore, S.D. “Quantum Chemical Studies of the Structure and Stability of N-Methylated DNA Nucleobase Dimers: Insights into the Mutagenic Base Pairing of Damaged DNA”, J. Phys. Chem. A, 2018, 122(1), pp. 410-419 (Invited Article for a Virtual Special Issue “Manuel Yáñez and Otilia Mó Festschrift”.)

Volunteer Work

This is a description of my volunteer work in Kingston. In general, I would spend two hours a week at the hospital and 4-8 hours a week with Loving Spoonful. I met with RIOT for about an hour every other week, and with my QWiSE Mentee for 1-2 hours a week. I love to keep busy and involved with the community!

Oct. 2018 – Present - Research Information Outreach Team (RIOT), Canadian Cancer Society - Volunteer Coordinator

The RIOT team consists of university students interested in or actively participating in cancer research. The aim of RIOT is to bring awareness to communities about cancer research progress. As the volunteer coordinator, I am responsible for managing volunteers required for educational and community events.
Sept. 2019 – Present - Kingston Health Sciences Center - Endoscopy Volunteer

My role as a volunteer in the Endoscopy unit is to aid nursing staff in admitting and discharging patients.
Jan. 2019 – Aug. 2019 - Kingston Health Sciences Center - Phase 2 (Day Surgery) Recovery Volunteer

My role as a volunteer in the Phase 2 Recovery room is to aid nursing staff by providing quality, compassionate care to the patients and their families. This includes providing comfort measures and non-medical services/information to families as they wait for their loved ones and to the patient post-operation. Overall, this aims to increase efficiency and patient satisfaction.
Oct. 2018 – Present - Queen’s WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering) Mentor

QWiSE mentors are paired with a female undergraduate student based on scientific interests. As a mentor, I meet weekly with my mentee to assist with development of skills and knowledge aimed at facilitating professional and personal growth.
Oct. 2018 – Dec. 2018 - Kingston Health Sciences Center - Children’s Outpatient Centre Playroom Volunteer

My role as a playroom volunteer is to aid in reducing stress/anxiety that comes with hospital visits and making waiting time more meaningful as patients are being admitted to the clinic. To do so, I play games, color, and interact with the children.
Sept. 2018 – Present - Loving Spoonful - Program Assistant

Loving Spoonful is a local organization which envisions a healthy, sustainable, food secure community. I volunteer with the Community Kitchen programs as well as Circles Kingston (facilitated by the City of Kingston). Some of these programs work with low-income individuals, where we teach them how to prepare healthy, cost-effective meals. The Circles program, specifically, included programming to aid in their transition out of poverty. Other programs work with students from local elementary schools, teaching food literacy and safe kitchen practices. As a program assistant, I help prepare the meals, interact with the participants and ensure kitchen safety.

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Meet Lindey Felske - MSc Public Health Sciences 2020 - Field of Study Epidemiology

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