Danielle Perro is pursuing a DPhil in Women’s and Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford, where she is specialising in the field of endometriosis-associated pain. Danielle’s quest for a better understanding of human physiology and biology started as an undergraduate at the University of Western Ontario, where she earned a first class honours degree (Double Major) in Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences and Physiology, made the Dean’s Honour List and was a Western Scholar.
Danielle first heard about endometriosis in passing during a physiology class. A common chronic inflammatory condition which affects up to ten percent of women, endometriosis is characterised by the presence of endometrium, the lining of the uterus, at sites outside the uterus, mainly within the abdominal area. It causes severe pelvic pain and reduced fertility for millions of women worldwide. There and then Danielle decided that she must learn more about this relatively little known condition that can have a debilitating effect on a woman’s physical, emotional, social and economic health.
When Danielle was a child her mother, an obstetric nurse, would often come home from work in the local hospital and regale Danielle with stories about what had happened during her shift. Her mother taught Danielle about women’s reproductive health and the miracle of bringing new life into the world including the good, the bad and the complications. As she grew older, Danielle came to appreciate the complexities of the female reproductive system
and how easy it is for things to go wrong.
Danielle’s DPhil project focuses on the role of pain in endometriosis and characterising Extracellular Vesicles and Psychophysiological Parameters of Widespread Pain Phenotypes in Endometriosis. She is supervised by Professors Katy Vincent, Christian Becker and Krina Zondervan, who jointly direct the Endometriosis CaRe Centre, a globally recognised centre of excellence which integrates state-of-the-art clinical care with world-leading research in endometriosis. Although endometriosis affects an estimated 180 million women globally, there is much to learn about this disease and Danielle plans to use the knowledge she acquires to better the lives of women who suffer from this disease in Canada and worldwide.
Once she graduates Danielle would like to stay in the field of women’s and reproductive health, but also branch out into science communications, journalism and health policy. Having spoken to her mother about women’s health from a young age, Danielle appreciates the importance of open and honest communications about all aspects of physiology and health issues.
Danielle is passionate about science communications and thoroughly enjoys talking about women’s reproductive health, so much so that she earned a place in the finals of Oxford University’s FameLab, a science communication competition, with her graphic and humorous explanation of menstruation and menstrual problems, a performance that has been described as an absolute classic by her professors.
