Principal Investigator

I am fascinated by Borrelia burgdorferi, as well as other pathogenic spirochetes, and have enjoyed working on these systems for 30 years. I enjoy training students—both undergraduate and graduate--as well as postdoctoral fellows for careers in biomedical science.  Trainees in the lab receive a strong foundation for professional positions in academia or industry.  In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and playing an occasional round of golf, preferably with my daughters or my son.

Research Scientist

I function as the Skare Lab manager and ordering wizard. In my free time, I enjoy gardening and spending time with my kids.

Research Scientist

My main project in the Skare lab is to identify bacterial genes important for Borrelia dissemination in the mammalian host, specifically genes involved in extravasation out of blood vessels and into surrounding tissues. I received my Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in Dr. Seth Bordenstein’s lab and pursued postdoctoral training in Dr. David Sibley’s lab at Washington University in St. Louis before joining the Skare lab as an assistant research scientist in 2021. Outside of lab, I enjoy raising my preschooler, who makes sure I have little time for anything else.

PhD Student

Hello! My name is Brittany, and I am a graduate student studying the interaction of borrelial small RNAs with a known virulence determinant in the pathogen. When I'm not working in the lab (and even sometimes when I am) I’m listening to Taylor Swift and talking about my cat, Winston.

PhD Student

I’m thinking about it.

Undergraduate Student Worker

Undergraduate Student Worker

Undergraduate Student Worker

Undergraduate Student Worker