Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, Ph.D.
Professor of Community Dentistry and Associate Director, Pain Research & Intervention Center of Excellence
College of Dentistry
Yenisel Cruz-Almeida is a distinguished neuroscientist whose expertise impacts pain research on a national and global scale. Throughout her career, Cruz- Almeida has received $47 million in research awards, including $23 million as principal investigator.
Her primary research focus is understanding the mechanisms involved in age-related pain perception and modulation in humans. Using multiple interdisciplinary and translational approaches, her research delves into the nervous system factors that contribute to the inter-individual differences in pain phenotypes in older adults and accompanying functional consequences such as mobility impairment and cognitive decline.
For dedicated pain researchers like Cruz-Almeida, the ultimate goal is to uncover the causes of pain so providers can treat pain, ideally without reliance on opioids or other addictive substances. As a neuroscientist, she focuses on how the brain influences pain perception and collaborates with multiple partners to explore various pathways that may lead to a deeper understanding of pain.
Cruz-Almeida’s strength is in forming relationships with researchers across the university, collaborating on various projects funded by the National Institutes of Health. She is part of the UF Institute on Aging team, which is using MRI technology to determine “brain age” to identify early signs of cognitive or physical decline. Together with colleagues from UF’s IFAS, the College of Engineering, and the College of Veterinary Medicine, she is looking at osteoarthritis pain and its progression in both humans and horses. In another project with engineering, she examines human tissue that would otherwise be discarded after surgery to understand why people experience pain differently.
Beyond her research efforts, Cruz-Almeida is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of pain researchers. In 2024, alongside Kyle Allen, from the UF College of Engineering, she established the NIH-funded UF Partnerships Across Interdisciplinary Networks: Training through Engineering, Epidemiology & Addiction Medicine, or UF PAIN TEAM. This innovative program trains four postdoctoral fellows and one postdoctoral associate annually. She also led the development and implementation of a hands-on workshop, Pain Testing in Humans, offered annually at the North American Pain School.
Cruz-Almeida earned her bachelor’s degree in microbiology and cell science from UF in 2001 and her master’s in epidemiology and public health with a concentration in biostatistics, and her doctorate in neuroscience, both from the University of Miami. In 2012, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship in translational pain research at UF.
“She is making outstanding contributions to the research, teaching, and service missions of our Department, College, and University, and is having an impact internationally in the area of pain research,” said Daniel W. McNeil, chair of the Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science.