She holds a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (1985), a Master's degree in Biochemistry and Immunology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (1989) and a PhD in Molecular Biology from the National Institute for Medical Research, England (1994). She holds a postdoctoral degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (1996) and the University of Melbourne, Australia (2008). She is currently head of the Department of Parasitology and Full Professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. He has experience in Parasitology, with emphasis on molecular biology of parasites, working mainly on the following topics: genetic variability of hookworms, post-genome studies of helminths and generation of molecular markers for hookworms.

Use of molecular markers for diagnosis and population and drug resistance studies, Evaluation of immunological, parasitological and biochemical parameters resulting from different conditions of hookworm infection in an experimental model, Identification and characterization of genes and proteins, research project.