Paula received her veterinary degree from the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil in 2012, followed by a Master’s degree by the same institution for the study of toxic hepatopathy in ruminants. Paula completed a combined residency/PhD program in anatomic pathology at Texas A&M University in 2019. She became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 2018. Her PhD research focused on the study of bile acid metabolism and gastrointestinal microbiota in dogs with chronic enteropathy. Following completion of her PhD, Paula worked as an Assistant Professor at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil from 2019-2021. In 2022, Paula joined the GI lab as a Clinical Assistant Professor. She has a keen interest in gastrointestinal and hepatic pathology and has experience with diagnostic pathology and development of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization assays.