Since joining IGS, Tracy Hazen, PhD, has focused her research on the diversity of enteric and nosocomial pathogens using comparative genomics and transcriptomics. She is investigating E. coli associated with childhood diarrhea or multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogens from patients in intensive care units. Dr. Hazen has also continued to research plasmids from her graduate studies, describing the genetic diversity of virulence plasmids from E. coli as well as antibiotic resistance plasmids from E. coli and other species, including Klebsiella.  

Currently, Dr. Hazen’s goal is to develop feasible molecular and sequencing-based approaches to enhance infection control in health care settings. The approach includes the use of culture-independent sequencing for real-time detection and tracking of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in hospitals.  

Dr. Hazen completed her PhD in Applied Biology focused on Microbiology from Georgia Institute of Technology. Here, Dr. Hazen studied microbial ecology and the contribution of plasmids and phages to the genetic diversity of bacteria in coastal marine environments. She also compared the genetic diversity of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from clinical and environmental specimens using molecular methods. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Institute for Genome Sciences and joined the faculty of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Institute for Genome Sciences.