People | Hale Lab

Principal Investigator

Vanessa Hale MAT, DVM, PhD, hale.502@osu.edu, Twitter: @Hale_Microbes

Vanessa completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Georgia and then taught high school for 3 years and obtained a Masters in Teaching (Secondary) from Western New Mexico University. She got a DVM PhD (Ecology, Evolution, Environmental Biology) at Purdue University studying the gut microbiome and health of wild and captive colobine monkeys. She then did a postdoctoral fellowship in the Mayo Clinic Microbiome Program examining the relationship between the gut microbiome and diseases including colorectal cancer and Clostridioides difficile infection. At Ohio State University (OSU), she draws on her background in ecology and human and animal health to study the microbiome and disease using a One Health approach. Vanessa also serves as a Co-Director of the Microbial Communities Program within OSU’s Infectious Diseases Institute and the Acting Director of the Center of Microbiome Science.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Audra Crouch, PhD, crouch.115@osu.edu

Audra is traditionally trained microbiologist, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Lynchburg College in 2007. Per Audra: I honed my professional skills at American Type Culture Collection and as a contractor for the Air Force Research Laboratory, where I gained an appreciation for micro-ecology and environmental microbiology. I continued my education by earning my doctoral degree in microbiology at Ohio State University in 2024, where I focused on host-associated microbiomes, bioinformatics, and micro-ecology. Beyond my scientific adventures, I enjoy reading, photography, quilting, traveling, and hiking, all of which allow me to be creative and interact with the natural world.

Veterinary Students

Angela Scott, Lab Manager, scott.2289@buckeyemail.osu.edu

Angela is a veterinary student with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) and a minor in Animal Sciences. In the lab she is involved in studying metabolites present in urine of both healthy dogs and dogs with bladder cancer. She is also working on evaluating various extraction methods and host cell removal methods for optimizing urine microbiome profiling.

Danielle Curcio, MPH/VPH, curcio.17@buckeyemail.osu.edu

Danielle is a veterinary student with a Masters in Veterinary Public Health. During her Masters, she examined canine and feline bladder cancer rates around the state of Ohio and compared this distribution against agricultural pesticide use in Ohio. She continues to remain involved in lab research related to canine bladder cancer.

Undergraduates

Jordan is a biology major who wants to pursue small veterinary medicine. He is also a Biological Sciences Scholar within the University Scholars Program. Jordan’s research focuses on the studying gut and urobiome diversity and composition in healthy dogs.

Jaleea Gamble, gamble.220@buckeyemail.osu.edu

Jaleea Gamble has an Associate of Science Degree from Columbus State Community College and is a Stamps Eminence Scholar within the University Honors Program. She is pursuing a double major in Animal Sciences and Music on the Pre-Veterinary track. Within the lab, Jaleea studies how gut inflammation influences the types of microbes observed in urinary tract infections.

Madison Griffin, griffin.977@buckeyemail.osu.edu

Madison is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science with a minor in Spanish from The Ohio State University. Currently, she is participating in The Student Urinary Tract Program in Education and Research (SUPER) program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She focuses on assessing urothelial and microbial cell growth in the presence and absence of environmental chemicals.

Alumni