Her ability to gain admission to the university had been made possible by an imperial decree only passed in 1879 that prohibited discrimination against women in higher education.

[1][2][3] Vasconcelos obtained a degree in medicine in 1888 with a thesis entitled Clinical forms of meningitis in children: differential diagnosis".

While not necessarily representing the majority view, after her graduation there were several letters of complaint in local newspapers and in medical journals.

For example, Sílvio Romero, a poet, writer, and historian, who would later become a member of the elite Academia Brasileira de Letras (Brazilian Academy of Letters), wrote: "Doctor, rest assured that your macho feet will not tread in my home."

Vasconcelos was also one of the pioneers of the Brazilian feminist movement, having founded, in 1922, with Bertha Lutz, the Liga Fluminense para o Progresso Feminino (The Rio de Janeiro State League for Women's Advancement).