Publications
Spina, H.A., Stothart, M.R.*, Hotchkiss, M.Z., Ko, W., & Newman, A.E.M. Seasonal dynamics in the mammalian microbiome between disparate environments. Ecology and Evolution. December, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10692
Taylor, L.U., Ronconi, R.A., Spina, H.A., Jone, M., Ogbunugafor, C.B., & Ayala, A.J. Limited Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Influenza A(H5N1) Virus at a Herring Gull Colony, Canada, 2022. Emerging Infectious Diseases. October, 2023. http://doi.org/10.3201/eid2910.230536
Wilson, H.A., Creighton, C., Scharfman, H., Choleris, E., & MacLusky, N.J. Endocrine insights into the pathophysiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder. The Neuroscientist. September 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073858420952046
Mendell, A.L., Creighton, S.D., Wilson, H.A., Isaacs, L., Winters, B.D., & MacLusky, N.J. (2020). Inhibition of 5alpha reductase impairs cognitive performance, alters dendritic morphology and increases tau phosphorylation in the hippocampus of male 3xTg-AD mice. Neuroscience, 429:185-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.01.011
Wilson, H.A., Martin, E.R., Howes, C., Wasson, C.S. Newman, A., Choleris, E., & MacLusky, N.J. (2020). Low dose prenatal testosterone exposure decreases the corticosterone response to stress in adult male, but not female, mice. Brain Research, 1729, 146613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2019.146613
Wilson, H. A. (2019) Effects of early, elevated prenatal testosterone on the HPA axis and hormone responsiveness in mice (Master’s Thesis). Retrieved from the Atrium Theses and Dissertations Database (http://hdl.handle.net/10214/16111).
Projects
PhD Work
I am a Doctoral candidate in Dr. Amy Newman's lab at the University of Guelph (2019-Present). Using a combination of field research and long-term data, I ask ecophysiological questions about a wild population of Savannah sparrows. I explore how ecological factors influence sparrow physiology, breeding success, and survival.
Bird Safe Guelph
I am the founder and one of the leaders of Bird Safe Guelph (2020-Present), a volunteer organization dedicated to keeping local and migratory birds safe. For the past two years, Bird Safe Guelph has run multiple campaigns, including the Bird Safe Window Initiative, the Bird Safe Campus initiative, an activism focused Seminar Series, and Guelph Bird Day, and has collaborated with the City of Guelph to become one of Nature Canada's Bird Friendly Cities. I was awarded MWMC’s Canada’s Next Top Sustainability Leader at the postgraduate level for my work with Bird Safe Guelph.
PhD Side Project
I contributed to a study investigating the effects of urbanization on stress physiology and the gut microbiome across the annual cycle in eastern grey squirrels. For this project, I processed and analyzed gut microbiome sequence data.
MSc Work
I completed a Master of Science degree in Dr. Neil MacLusky's lab at the University of Guelph (2017-2019). I explored the effects of early, elevated prenatal testosterone and prenatal dexamethasone (a synthetic glucocorticoid) injections on the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and hormone responsiveness in CD1 laboratory mice.
MSc Side Project
I contributed to a study investigating the effects of testosterone metabolites on amyloid beta deposition in the 3xTg mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. I conducted immunohistochemistry to quantify amyloid beta deposition in mouse's brains.
Photo by Dr. Dan Mennill