Claude Pirmez graduated in Medicine in 1979 and had her medical residency in Pathology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ – 1980-82). She obtained her PhD in Immunology in collaboration with the University of Southern California and UCLA. She is a researcher at FIOCRUZ since 1986. During these years, she had the following positions: head of the Laboratory of Immunopathology (1992-2000), head of the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (2000-2003), deputy director of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (2005-2008) and Vice-President of Research & Reference Laboratories. She also has an MBA degree and was editor in chief of the Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz journal. Her scientific experience is mainly in the field of immunopathology of infectious diseases, focused in leishmaniasis.