He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Medicine from the Federal University of Bahia (1973), Master's degree in Medicine from the Federal University of Bahia (1977), PhD in Medicine from the Federal University of Bahia (1998) and post-doctorate at the University Claude Bernard Lyon-France (2002/03). He is currently a professor at the medical school and Postgraduate Programmes in Medicine and Health and in Health Sciences at the Federal University of Bahia. In medicine has worked in the areas of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology. His main areas of interest in research are: visceral leishmaniasis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, and viral hepatitis. He is a Member of the Technical Advisory Committee in the Viral Hepatitis Department of the Health Ministry (assessor).