Taben Hale

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.