Stephanie Puig

Stephanie Puig, PhD, MS is an Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School with multiple affiliations across the institution. She holds positions in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (primary), Neurobiology, NeuroNexus Institute, and various graduate programs including the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, MD/PhD Program, Neuroscience, and Translational Science at the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Puig completed her MS in Learning & Memory Neuropharmacology at Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, France, followed by her PhD in Addiction Neuropharmacology at Paris Descartes University, also in Paris.

Her research focuses on the intersection of opioid pharmacology, circadian biology, and sex differences in addiction mechanisms. Dr. Puig's work explores how circadian rhythms influence opioid tolerance, withdrawal, reward, and analgesia, with particular attention to sex-specific responses. Her laboratory investigates molecular mechanisms underlying opioid use disorder, including receptor signaling pathways like EGFR and PDGFR that contribute to morphine tolerance and pain sensitization.

Analysis of Dr. Puig's publication record from 2020-2025 reveals a consistent focus on opioid neuropharmacology with increasing emphasis on circadian regulation and sex differences. Her research spans molecular, cellular, and systems neuroscience approaches, utilizing both animal models and human tissue analysis. The work demonstrates how transcription factors like NPAS2 mediate circadian influences on opioid responses and how sex-specific mechanisms contribute to differential vulnerability to opioid use disorder.

Dr. Puig maintains active collaborations with researchers including Ryan Logan, Zachary Freyberg, and colleagues across UMass Chan Medical School. Her work appears in high-impact journals including Molecular Psychiatry, Frontiers in Neuroscience, and eNeuro, with recent publications in 2024-2025 continuing to advance understanding of opioid mechanisms.

Within the academic community, Dr. Puig contributes to graduate education through multiple programs at UMass Chan Medical School. Her laboratory appears to focus on neurobiological mechanisms of opioid addiction, with particular emphasis on circadian regulation and sex differences that may inform more personalized treatment approaches for opioid use disorder.