Maykeling Arauz is a second-year PhD student in the Neuroscience Program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Her research focuses on understanding how opioid exposure influences recovery after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the biological mechanisms underlying these interactions.
Her work uses preclinical mouse models to investigate how opioid exposure alters behavioral and biological outcomes following TBI. She combines behavioral testing with molecular and microbiome approaches to examine how opioids affect neuroimmune signaling and the gut–brain axis during the recovery process after brain injury. Her research incorporates microbiome profiling and transcriptomic approaches, including single-nucleus RNA sequencing, to better understand how opioids modify neurobiological responses to trauma.
Prior to beginning her doctoral training, May conducted biomedical research at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she gained experience in molecular and biochemical laboratory techniques. Her long-term goal is to improve understanding of how opioid exposure impacts brain injury recovery and to contribute to the development of more effective treatment strategies for patients affected by neurotrauma and substance use disorders.