About the Program

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical (PPGMedtrop)

The Program The Program

The Graduate Program in Tropical Medicine was created in 1973 offering a Graduate course at the Master's Degree level for Physicians. In 2000, it began to offer courses at the Master's and Doctoral level and became multidisciplinary, broadening its proposal to other professionals who conduct research and work with Infectious Diseases, such as Pharmacists and Biochemists, Biologists and Biomedicals. At this time, UFPE's Graduate Program in Tropical Medicine is made up of 16 professors/researchers (14 permanent and 02 collaborators). The majority of the professors/researchers are from the Department of Tropical Medicine, incorporated with researchers from other departments at UFPE (Pharmaceutical Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Clinical Medicine, Physiology and Pharmacology, Mycology). Consequently, the training and experience in the diversified research of permanent professors, encompassing the areas of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Immunology, Microbiology, Parasitology and Virology, Epidemiology and Public Health, allows for the development of research in several areas of expertise, integrating research from the clinical field, with the field of basic/experimental research, epidemiology and public health.

Due to this inter-disciplinarity, the research topics are based on clinical-epidemiological studies on infectious parasitic diseases and related studies in the basic field that underscores the host-parasite relationship. Within these two aspects, 07 research topics were described: HIV/AIDS; VIRAL INFECTIONS; MYCOBACTERIOSIS - TUBERCULOSIS AND LEPROSY; RESISTANCE/BACTERIAL AND FUNGIC VIRULENCE; PROTOZOONOSES; HELMINTHS; INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND INNATE IMMUNITY; BIOLOGY OF VECTORS AND RESERVOIRS OF INFECTIOUS AGENTS WITH MEDICAL IMPORTANCE. As a separate project, we would also like to point out the study involving gestational and congenital syphilis.

The Graduate Program in Tropical Medicine is now a benchmark for the training of human resources at the Master's and Doctoral levels. From the states of Paraíba, Alagoas and Ceará, there are several health professionals, professors from Federal, State Universities and/or Private Institutions, who seek the scientific and/or technological knowledge available at UFPE in order to confront local health problems.

The projects conducted by its professors and post-graduate students have resulted in publications in national and international journals, as well as some research funded by the Ministry of Health, CNPq, FACEPE and the World Health Organization. CAPES currently classifies UFPE at concept 5 and carries out annual selection processes. The deadlines for completing courses are 24 months for the master's and 48 months for the doctorate.

Objectives:

Due to the consistency and comprehensiveness of the teaching staff’s knowledge of infectious parasitic diseases, our goal is to offer courses for masters and doctors, along with the continual improvement of the teaching staff, reflected by the recognition of projects by national funding agencies. This includes the international insertion of professors/students and the internationalisation of the program. Consequently, attracting undergraduate students to academic/scientific education and permitting a continual renewal of scientific/technological knowledge.

1. Training qualified master's and doctors: The Program's basic aim is to provide students with a solid background in quantitative research. For this, the basic curriculum is composed of subjects directed towards the methodological deepening of research, while those related to a specific field are studied according to the project (dissertation or thesis) to be developed. With respect to research topics, those related to the health problems within the region are prioritised, and different focuses and approaches are sought. The studies conducted look to provide support to address local issues in-line with existing scientific and technological advances, enabling students to be trained to coordinate/collaborate on research projects or to manage/coordinate activities and sectors of state health institutions.

2. Continual improvement of its teaching staff: Because of the teaching staff's participation in the courses offered in the curriculum, they can stay updated regarding the topics, as well as national and international exchanges and collaborations, favoring the exchange of knowledge in a wider discussion of the application of knowledge gained from the results, where self-criticism and expertise are renewed.

3. Develop projects that seek excellence from the results, through a review of literature and methodology that are relevant and well-structured for recognition and financial support within the national and global scientific community.

4. Provide credibility and visibility through publications that have an international impact on the results of projects developed and linked to the thesis/dissertations for international insertion, recognised by a review of periodicals and participation in an editorial body and international projects.

5. Provide an exchange between students from different partner institutions, the involvement of members in the international scientific community for co-orientations, refresher courses given at our graduate level, with consequent officialisation of agreements between institutions.