COM Phoenix College of Basic Medical Science

Taben Hale

Associate Professor, Clinical Translational Sciences
Professor, Basic Medical Sciences
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Department Affiliations
Contact
(602) 827-2139

Work Summary

The Hale lab investigates the causes and consequences of hypertensive heart disease. Specifically, the lab investigates early drivers of future cardiovascular disease risk that maybe programmed in utero, as well as the long-term consequences of high blood pressure on cardiac structure and function. Ongoing research examines the impact of prenatal stressors on the regulation of cardiovascular function and future disease risk in the adult offspring, as well as the degree to which targeted interventions in adulthood can protect against the development of heart failure.

Research Interest

Taben Hale, Ph.D. is a tenured Professor of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix (UA COM-P). Dr. Hale obtained her Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, Canada, followed by a Postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Montreal in Montreal, QC, Canada. Dr. Hale was recruited, as one of the founding faculty, to the UA COM-P in 2008. Research in the Hale laboratory investigates the early drivers and long-term consequences of hypertension. Specifically, she leads two research programs. The first examines the impact of prenatal stressors on the autonomic nervous system regulation of blood pressure and heart function in the adult offspring. Autonomic nervous system dysregulation is known to be an important risk factor for future heart disease and is also evident in individuals with major depressive and anxiety disorders. The second research program is focused identifying novel therapeutic targets to reverse the heart disease risk in the setting of long-standing hypertension. Specifically, her lab investigates mechanisms to target the cells that regulate the scar tissue formation that increases during hypertension, leading to declining heart function. Dr. Hale’s research program has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. Dr. Hale is also a member of the Translational Cardiovascular Research Center (UA COM-P), The Sarver Heart Center (UA COM-T), as well as the Clinical Translational Sciences graduate program. She currently serves as the Director and was a co-founder of the UA COM-P Women in Medicine and Sciences within the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Amelia Gallitano

Professor, Basic Medical Sciences
Professor, Psychiatry
Professor, Neuroscience - GIDP
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Contact
(602) 827-2131

Work Summary

The Gallitano Lab investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying the dual genetic and environmental risk for neuropsychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and mood disorders. We focus on immediate early genes that are activated in the brain by environmental stimuli, including stress, and regulate processes disrupted in mental illnesses. Ongoing studies examine how Egr3 regulates effectors including Arc and the serotonin 2A receptor to influence synaptic plasticity, memory, and behavior.

Research Interest

Amelia Gallitano, M.D., Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Basic Medical Sciences and Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine (UACOM) – Phoenix. Dr. Gallitano received her medical degree, and Ph.D. in Neuroscience, from The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She completed residency training in Psychiatry at Columbia University, New York, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, followed by a post-doctoral research fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where she was a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry. She is a board-certified psychiatrist. Dr. Gallitano joined the UACOM - Phoenix as one of the founding faculty members in 2007, the year it opened to its first class of medical students. Research in her laboratory investigates how genes activated in the brain in response to stress may mediate the interaction between environment and genetic variations to influence the development of psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and mood disorders. In addition to their molecular studies, the Gallitano Lab has recently initiated a translational research program to develop a biologically-based diagnostic test for schizophrenia emanating from their basic science findings. Since starting her laboratory, Dr. Gallitano has received numerous grants and awards, including one of the first National Institute of Health (NIH) R01 grants awarded to an Assistant Professor in the department of Basic Medical Sciences (BMS). Her laboratory has maintained continuous NIH funding since 2012. She is currently an Associate Professor with Tenure in the Department of BMS and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the UACOM – Phoenix, and a member of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience. She is also a member of the Arizona State University Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience and an Adjunct Investigator at the Translational Genomics Research Institute. Her research focuses on investigating how immediate early genes may mediate the interaction of environmental stress and genetic predisposition to influence the development of psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia. Dr. Gallitano has published under the names: Gallitano, Gallitano-Mendel, and Mendel. Dr. Gallitano is also a co-founder and director of the UACOM-Phx Women in Medicine and Science Committee. She is committed to supporting the advancement of women and under-represented groups in the sciences and to mentoring trainees from all backgrounds who have a passion for neuroscience.

Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz

Professor, Basic Medical Sciences
Associate Professor, Clinical Translational Sciences
Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Associate Professor, BIO5 Institute
Contact
(602) 827-2247

Research Interest

Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Basic Medical Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology and is Director of the Women's Health Microbiome Initiative at the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix. The Herbst-Kralovetz research lab is broadly interested in understanding innate mucosal immune responses to resident bacteria, pathogens (e.g HSV-2), and microbial products at mucosal sites, including the female reproductive tract. The mucosa provides a major immune barrier (physical, biological, and chemical) to microbial insult and her lab is interested in studying the mucosal barrier function of the lower female reproductive tract and its role in host defense against infection and inflammation as well as maintaining mucosal homeostasis. Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz has a long-standing interest and background in studying infections/conditions that impact women’s health.