Dr. Amelia Bailey
This blog is a Q&A with Dr. Amelia Bailey, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist who joined Fertility Associates of Memphis as Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery.
Why did you specialize in infertility?
I love how this field incorporates everything I enjoy doing: hearing personal stories from patients while getting to know them, offering both medical and surgical treatment as appropriate, and being a part of the ultimate success stories. Ironically, during my fellowship in infertility, I needed assistance conceiving. It was a scary time, but it made me a better doctor by pushing me past sympathy into personally felt empathy for those I am meeting. I see this not as a job but as a calling and feel fortunate to be in the position to help others.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Mississippi (Madison) and lived in that state for my first 27 years. Madison was a small town when we moved there, so I was able to safely run around outside and explore. It was a wonderful place in which to be young, and I still have childhood friends there that I see often.
Where did you complete your training?
I attended Ole Miss for my undergraduate degree and met my husband there during our freshman year. Following one year of research in the Physiology department at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, I spent four years in medical school at that same institution. This was when I decided to become a specialist in infertility. My first year of residency in ob-gyn was in Baltimore at the University of Maryland Medical Center. During this year, my husband was accepted into business and law school at the University of Virginia, and there was an opening open in the ob-gyn residency there. So we moved to Charlottesville for my second through fourth years of residency. Then I was accepted into Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which is part of Harvard Medical School, for a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Brigham was an amazing place to train due to the wonderful mentors, exciting research opportunities, and high volume of both in vitro fertilization cycles and minimally invasive surgeries including robot-assisted procedures. While in Boston, I also studied endometriosis as part of a collaboration among Brigham, Boston Children’s Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Boston Center for Endometriosis was founded during this collaboration, and I am currently writing a paper on the findings from the group’s initial study.
What do you enjoy doing outside the office?
I love playing with my kids Ellie, Catherine, and Nelson; it is amazing to watch them grow and learn new things. My husband and I enjoy trying new restaurants and are excited about the thriving Memphis culinary scene. We also love to travel and explore unique places, including those right here in Shelby County.
How does it feel to return to the Mid-South?
It feels amazing! I am a Southerner through and through and definitely did not lose my accent while in the Northeast. I joke that at least once a day in Boston someone asked me, “Where in the South are you from?” Being driving distance away from immediate family instead of flying distance is wonderful, and we are only walking distance away from some of our dearest friends! My husband Mike and I have spent so much time in Memphis during our lives that we feel we grew up here, too. I would have lived anywhere to join a practice as widely known and well-respected as Fertility Associates of Memphis, and I feel quite fortunate that I am able to do so as part of a move back home.
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