Brickley Megan, Professor | Graduate Chair | Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) Bioarchaeology of Human Disease
Megan Brickley
Professor | Graduate Chair | Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) Bioarchaeology of Human Disease
Faculty
Department of Anthropology
Area(s) of Interest:
Biography
As the Tier One Canada Research Chair in The Bioarchaeology of Human Disease, I have firmly established myself as a world expert on the paleopathology of metabolic bone disease with particular recognition for my work on vitamin D deficiency. My work is interdisciplinary and in addition to an ongoing research program on aspects of rickets and osteomalacia, recent work will facilitate exploration of the intimate relationship between maternal and fetal health. I led work on the first explicit investigation of co-occurrence of metabolic disease and have recently established a framework for consideration of anemia in archaeological human remains. All work has been undertaken with my team of graduate students and there are further openings for graduates wishing to join us.
Dr. Brickley will be accepting graduate students for entry into the program in September 2022 and is interested in hearing from potential applicants at both the Masters and PhD level who would like to be involved in her current SSHRC funded project Integrated approaches paleopathology and paleodiet: Insights into the diet-disease nexus in human health and disease.
This collaborative project with Dr. Andrea Waters-Rist, UWO, Dr. Isabelle Ribot of Université de Montréal and Dr. Rachel Schats of Leiden University, the Netherlands. We are using of the latest tools to investigate the nexus of diet and maternal-child health using integrated paleodiet and paleopathology investigations. The team will be working with five skeletal collections containing individuals with the broadest spectrum of potential maternal-child nutrition and linked disease patterns yet considered – with I (Dr. Brickley) am leading the paleopathology from McMaster.
Please get in touch if you would like to be considered for a place to undertake research on this project either as the basis for a thesis or as a research assistant.
For those at the PhD level please get in touch with a basic outline of the type of research you would like to undertake for a thesis project.
Education
PhD, University College London, 1998
Teaching
Courses (2022-2023)
Fall
- ANTHROP 707- Past Perspectives on Health
- ANTHROP 798A - Professional Development Works
Winter
- ANTHROP 798A - Professional Development Works
Research
Books
Brickley, M.B. Ives, R. & Mays, S. (2020). The Bioarchaeology of Metabolic Bone Disease, Second Edition. Academic Press: San Diego (328pp).
Brickley, M.B. & Mays, S. in press. Metabolic bone disease. In J. E. Buikstra (Ed.), Ortner’s Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains (3rd ed.). London: Academic Press. pp.
Roberts, C. & Brickley M. (2018). Infectious and metabolic diseases: a synergistic relationship. In Katzenberg, A. & Grauer, A. Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton, Third edition. Wiley: New Jersey. pp. 415-446.
Mitchel, PD. & Brickley, M. (eds.) (2017). Updated Guidelines to the Standards for Recording Human Skeletal Remains. Chartered Institute of Field Archaeologists / British Association of Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology: Reading (64pp).
Smith, M.J. & Brickley, M.B. (2009). People of the Long Barrows: Life, Death and Burial in the Earlier Neolithic. The History Press: Stroud.
Brickley, M. & Ives, R. (2008). The Bioarchaeology of Metabolic Bone Disease. San Diego: Academic Press.
Brickley, M. & Ferllini, R. (eds.) (2007). Forensic Anthropology: Case Studies From Europe. Charles C Thomas: Springfield Il.
Brickley, M. & Buteux, S. & Adams, J. & Cherrington, R. (2006). St. Martin’s Uncovered: Investigations in the churchyard of St. Martin’s-in-the-Bull Ring, Birmingham, 2001. Oxbow Books: Oxford.
Smith, D. Brickley, M. & Smith, W. (eds.) (2005). Fertile Ground: Papers in Honour of Professor Susan Limbrey, Oxbow Books: Oxford.
Brickley, M. Miles, A. & Stainer, H. (1999). The Cross Bones Burial Ground, Redcross Way Southwark, London, MoLAS: London.
Recent Articles in Books and Journals
*** - undergraduate when submitted; ** - graduate when submitted; * - alum when submitted
** Avery LC, Brickley MB, Findlay S, Chapelain de Seréville-Neil C, & Prowse TL. (2021) Childhood and Adolescent diet in Roman Gaul: An investigation of incremental dietary stable isotopes in tooth dentine. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 31: 1226-1236
Brickley MB. (2021). Commentary: Pathological fractures in osteomalacia an underrecognized phenomenon. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. DOI: 10.1002/oa.3024.
*Gilmour RJ, Brickley MB, Hoogland M, Jurriaans E, Mays S, & Prowse T. (2021). Quantifying Cortical Bone in Fragmentary Archaeological Second Metacarpals. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 174, 812-821.
*Mant M, de la Cova C, & Brickley MB. (2021). Intersectionality and trauma analysis in bioarchaeology. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 174, 583-594. Veselka B, Brickley MB, & Waters-Rist AL. (2021). A joint medico-historical and palaeopathological perspective on vitamin D deficiency prevalence in post-Medieval Netherlands. International Journal of Paleopathology, 32, 41-49.
Morgan B, *Mant M, de la Cova C, & Brickley MB. (2020). Osteoporosis, Osteomalacia, and Hip Fracture: A Case Study from the Terry Collection. International Journal of Paleopathology. 30:17-21.
Brickley MB, Kahlon B, *D’Ortenzio L. (2020). Using Teeth as Tools: Investigating the Mother-Infant Dyad and Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Hypothesis using Vitamin D Deficiency. In press. American Journal of Physical Anthropology.171:342–353. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23947
*Mant M, de la Cova C, Ives R, & Brickley MB. (2019). Perimortem fracture manifestations and mortality after hip fracture in a documented skeletal series. International Journal of Paleopathology. 27:56-65.
**Avery LC, Prowse TL, Brickley MB. (2019). Dental Health and Dietary Difference at Late Roman Winchester. Bioarchaeology International. 3:157-174.
**Peacock T, Bourbou C, **D’Ortenzio L, Kahlon B, Prowse T, Brickley MB. (2019). Mobility and rickets: investigating vitamin D deficiency and regional mobility in Aventicum, Roman Switzerland (1st-3rd c. CE). International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 29: 654-664.
**Lockau L, Atkinson S, Mays S, Prowse T, George M, Sperduti A, Bondioli L, *Wood C, *Ledger M, & Brickley MB. (2019). Vitamin D deficiency and the ancient city: Skeletal evidence across the life course from the Roman period site of Isola Sacra, Italy. Anthropological Archaeology 55: 101069.
Veselka B, Brickley MB, Hoogland MLP, **D’Ortenzio L, Kahlon B, & Waters-Rist AL. (2019). Micro-CT assessment of dental mineralisation defects indicative of vitamin D deficiency in two 17th - 19th century Dutch communities. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 169 (1): 122-131.
*Gilmour R, Brickley M, Jurriaans E, Prowse T. 2019. Maintaining Mobility after Fracture: A Biomechanical Analysis of Fracture Consequences at the Roman Sites of Ancaster (UK) and Vagnari (Italy). International Journal of Paleopathology 24:119-129.
Colombo A, **D’Ortenzio L, Bertrand B, Coqueugniot H, Knüsel C, Kahlon B, & Brickley M. (2019). Micro-computed Tomography of Teeth as a Valuable Way to Detect and Analyze Vitamin D Deficiency. Journal of Archaeological Science Reports. 23:390-395.
Brickley MB. (2018). Cribra Orbitalia and Porotic Hyperostosis: A Biological Approach to Diagnosis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 167:896-902.
Brickley MB, Mays S, George M, & Prowse TL. (2018). Analysis and interpretation of patterning in the occurrence of skeletal lesions used as indicators of vitamin D deficiency in subadult and adult skeletal remains. International Journal of Paleopathology. 23:43-53.
Mays S, & Brickley M. (2018). Vitamin D deficiency in bioarchaeology and beyond: the study of rickets and osteomalacia in the past. International Journal of Paleopathology. 23:1-5.
**Jennings E, Buckberry J, & Brickley M. Radiographically Recognizable? An Investigation into the Appearance of Osteomalacic Pseudofractures. (2018). International Journal of Paleopathology. 23:26-31.
**D'Ortenzio L, Kahlon B, **Peacock T, **Salahuddin H, & Brickley M. (2018). The Rachitic Tooth: Refining the Use of Interglobular Dentin in Diagnosing Vitamin D Deficiency. International Journal of Paleopathology. 22:101-108.
**D’Ortenzio L, Prowse T, Inskip M, Kahlon B, & Brickley M. (2017). Age estimation of the older adults: Use of pulp/tooth ratios calculated from tooth sections. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 165: 594-603.
**Horocholyn, K. & Brickley, M.B. (2017). The Pursuit of Famine: Investigating famine in bioarchaeology. Bioarchaeology International. 1:101-115.
**Emery M. Prowse T. Elford S. Schwarcz H. Brickley M. (2017). Determining the Geographic Origins of a War of 1812 Skeletal Sample, Stoney Creek, Ontario, Using Oxygen and Strontium Isotopes Coupled with GIS-based Multi-Criteria Evaluation Analysis. In press. Journal of Archaeological Science Reports. 14:323-331.
**Timmins S., de Seréville-Niel, C. and Brickley, M. (2017). Childhood Cranial Trauma from a late Roman and Merovingian context from Michelet, Lisieux, France. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 27:715-722.
Brickley, M.B. **D’Ortenzio, L. Kahlon, B. *Schattmann, A. Ribot, I. Raguin, E. Bertrand, B. Ancient vitamin D deficiency: long term trends. (2017). Current Anthropology 58:420-427.
Ives, R. **Mant, M. de la Cova, C. & Brickley, M. (2017). A Large-Scale Palaeopathological Study of Hip Fractures from Post-Medieval Urban England. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 27:261–275.
Brickley, M. **Schattmann, A., **Ingram, J. (2016). Possible scurvy in the prisoners of Old Quebec: A re-evaluation of evidence in adult skeletal remains. International Journal of Paleopathology. 15:92-102.
**D’Ortenzio, L. Ribot, I. Raguin, E. *Schattmann, A. Bertrand, B. Kahlon, B. & Brickley, M. (2016). The Rachitic Tooth: A histological examination. Journal of Archaeological Science. 74:152-163.
**Lockau L, **Gilmour R, Menard JP, Balakrishnan N, **Dragomir A-M, **Mant M, **Watamaniuk L, Brickley M. (2016). “Buck & Ball”: Identification and interpretation of buckshot injuries to the pelvis from the War of 1812. Journal of Archaeological Science Reports. 6:424-433.
Brickley, M. **Dragomir, A. & **Lockau, L. (2016). Age-at-Death Estimates from a Disarticulated, Fragmented and Commingled Archaeological Battlefield Assemblage. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 26:408-419.
**Schattmann, A. Bertrand, B. Vatteoni, S. & Brickley, M. (2016). Approaches to co-occurrence: Scurvy and rickets in infants and young children of 16th – 18th century Douai, France. International Journal of Paleopathology. 12:63-75.
**Emery, M.V. Prowse, T.L. Schwarcz, HP. & Brickley, M. (2015). Dietary Variability in a War of 1812 Skeletal Collection From Stoney Creek, Using Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes. Historical Archaeology. 49:54-70.
**D’Ortenzio, L., Brickley, M. Schwarcz, H. & Prowse, T. (2015). You Are Not What You Eat During Physiological Stress: Isotopic Evaluation of Human Hair. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 157:374–388.
Brickley, M.B. & Buckberry, J. (2015). Picking up the pieces: utilizing the diagnostic potential of poorly preserved remains. International Journal of Paleopathology. 8:51-54.
Ives, R. & Brickley, M. (2014). New Findings in the Identification of Adult Vitamin D Deficiency Osteomalacia: Results from a Large-Scale Study. International Journal of Paleopathology. 7:45-56.
Brickley, M.B. Moffat T. & **Watamaniuk, L. (2014). Biocultural perspectives of vitamin D deficiency in the past. Journal of Anthropology Archaeology. 36:48-59.
**Lockau, L. ***Dragomir, A. **Gilmour, R. **Mant, M. & Brickley M. (2013). Bioarchaeological investigation of sharp force injuries to the ribs and lower leg from the battle of Stoney Creek in the War of 1812. Anthropological Science, 121: 217-227.