UNF Graduate School

Tuberculosis isn't a disease of the past, and Raphaela Macanas is working to make sure Florida is ready to fight it. Her research uses next-generation sequencing to identify drug resistance patterns in TB patients, cutting the six-to-eight week wait of traditional methods and enabling faster, more targeted treatment.

Raphaela presented her research at the 2026 Conference of Florida Graduate Schools, where she said it was meaningful to raise awareness that TB remains an active public health concern. She works full-time as a Medical Laboratory Scientist in the Mycobacteriology Department at the Bureau of Public Health Laboratories, bringing her research directly into her daily work. "Rapid detection of drug resistance is key to enabling timely, targeted TB treatment and improving overall disease control."

Raphaela graduates this summer and plans to continue advancing tuberculosis research through improved diagnostic methods and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

UNF Brooks College of Health