OUR TEAM

I was born in Olinda, Brazil. I earned my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE). Following that, I completed a Veterinary Residency in Laboratory Diagnostics at São Paulo State University (UNESP). I hold a Masters’ degree in Veterinary Sciences at the Federal University of Parana (UFPR) and a PhD from Londrina State University (UEL), Brazil.

In 2011, I started my tenure-track appointment as an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Zoonosis and Public Health at the Federal University of Paraiba (UFPB) in Brazil. I received tenure at UFPB in 2013. In 2014, I joined the faculty at the Federal University of Parana (UFPR) in Brazil as an Associate Professor of Zoonoses and Epidemiology of Vector-Borne Diseases (VBDs).

In 2023, I joined the faculty at UNC Charlotte as an Assistant Professor of One Health, being also a member of the Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER), where I established the Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases Laboratory.

My research focuses on One Health, emphasizing vector-borne (VBDs) and zoonotic diseases, particularly (re)emerging tick-borne pathogens (TBP), and pathogen discovery. I maintain a sustainable interdisciplinary research agenda to examine transmission pathways, integrating genomics and eco-epidemiological data to identify root causes, and promote One Health through applied education and prevention, training, research, and outreach.