Graduated in Medicine at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and obtained her Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences (Biochemistry) from the same Institution. Dr. Ashton-Prolla was avfellow in Clinical Genetics and Clinical Molecular Genetics in the Department of Human Genetics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York, USA). She is currently a Professor at the Department of Genetics and the Post-Graduate Courses in Genetics and Molecular Biology and Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). She is a faculty member in Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), where she currently coordinates the Institutional Research Activities. She also coordinates the Cancer Risk Evaluation Program at HCPA and the Brazilian Network of Hereditary Cancer. Her main research interests are in cancer genetics, with emphasis on genetic counseling and Molecular Diagnostics.