Brazil, in the context of the global process of globalization, but certainly due to the economic growth of recent years, has exponentially intensified exchanges of different natures between its population and that of foreign countries. This phenomenon can be observed in business trips, tourism, but specifically in education and knowledge production. Although more recently there has been a decrease in this flow of people, due to the political and economic turmoil, the process started was maintained, with the necessary adaptations.
It has long been recognized that the production of scientific knowledge does not occur in isolation, but rather in exchanges between ideas, groups and people. The intense circulation of information and people between countries has been significantly expanded, but demands have also increased.
Recognizing the importance of the internationalization process, FCMSCSP is among the pioneers with the creation of a scholarship specifically for undergraduate students, the “Researchers of the Future” Program, which has been in force since 2008, a few years before the Science Without Borders, launched by the Federal Government in 2011.
The need for an organization that could improve this and many other initiatives led to the formalization of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Santa Casa de São Paulo (FCMSCSP)’s International Relations Center (NRI, in portuguese) in March 2010, by Prof. doctor Ernani Geraldo Rolim, through Congregation Resolution no. 05/2010 and Ordinance G.D. no. 023/2010. The NRI is a representative body of the Faculty’s Board of Directors, whose objectives are to formulate the FCMSCSP’s international action policy, to promote the dynamization and expansion of the institution’s international action and to advise the Director in matters of its competence, in the area of cooperation International.
The NRI does not have a formal structure, but currently has a coordinator, a deputy coordinator and a secretary (shared with other FCMSCSP commissions), who are responsible for developing the set of activities involved in student exchange, supporting student initiatives of international exchanges, especially those related by the Academic Center, organize events with the participation of foreign professors and researchers and organize the reception and activities for foreign students.
Coordinator of the International Relations Center: Prof.ª Dra. Ana Luiza Navas – ana.navas@fcmsantacasasp.edu.br
Prof. Dr. Wagner Ricardo Montor – wagner.montor@fcmsantacasasp.edu.br
Prof. Dr. Maria Amélia de Sousa Mascena Veras – maria.veras@fcmsantacasasp.edu.br
The core responsibilities of FCMSCSP‘s International Relations Office are:
Every year, the International Relations Center (NRI) of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Santa Casa de São Paulo (FCMSCSP) opens enrollment for the Future Researchers Program. The Program subsidizes air tickets, health insurance, housing and food for students selected for the two-month internship, in order to encourage the development of knowledge by professionals in the area of teaching, research or assistance. Those selected have the opportunity to strengthen ties with health professionals and foreign researchers, in order to open doors to different career opportunities in the future.
Students in the 2nd and 3rd years of undergraduate courses in Medicine, Nursing and Speech Therapy can apply for internships at international Universities and Research Centers. After the internship, which usually ends in February of each year, students also have the opportunity to report on how the exchange went to their FCMSCSP colleagues.
Prior to the departure of the selected students, planning meetings are held that include various guidelines, such as discussions related to the internship itself, obtaining a visa, travel expenses, housing, vaccines and other requirements.
According to professor Dr. Ana Luiza Navas, from the FCMSCSP NRI coordination, the program is innovative and has been improved at the Faculty since 2008, the year of its creation. “The initiative is very important because it allows students to have this international experience in research groups and, many of them, end up going on with the supervisors and colleagues they met”, he analyzes.
Also according to Ana Navas, despite the selection being very competitive, as there are few vacancies available, the project shows that the project transforms everyone who participates. “The Program improves the network of contacts and the experience as a student. He has the opportunity to learn about a laboratory and a research group in an institution, hospital or university abroad”, he explains.
In partnership with Fundo Areguá, an endowment fund that offers refundable scholarships to medical students, students selected to participate in the Researchers of the Future Program receive full, non-refundable scholarships.
The International Relations Center (NRI) of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Santa Casa de São Paulo has constantly promoted the quality and quantity of exchange experiences. Its performance has been the target of recognition both internally and externally to the institution.
Although the creation of the NRI formally took place in 2010, since 2008 the Faculty’s board has already been offering scholarships, in addition to letters of recommendation and internal support to students who sought international exchanges.
One of the exchange possibilities occurs during the internship, that is, in the fifth and sixth year of the medical course, where the student chooses which project and internship he wants to carry out, defining, still in graduation, the medical area that he will follow. Those who opt for the internship exchange will have the opportunity to study at Harvard Medical School, in the Exchange Clerkship Program, with the support of the NRI during the selection process, in particular with the exemption of the registration fee.
At this moment, with varying degrees of formalization, FCMSCSP has partnerships with the following institutions:
To enter FCMSCSP’s undergraduate and graduate courses, interested foreigners must go through the same processes as Brazilian candidates. For undergraduate courses, the only way to enter is through the Vestibular. As for postgraduate courses, simply enroll in the desired course and carry out the next steps of the selection process, as described on the course page. If approved, the candidate must revalidate the course conclusion diploma (high school or higher) for Brazil.
FCMSCSP also offers exclusive postgraduate courses for foreigners. For more information, contact us by email: zahnartz.peru@gmail.com
Founded in May 1951, the International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA) is the largest student organization in the world, bringing together medical students from over 120 countries. IFMSA operates in medical and social humanization, health promotion, medical education, academic mobility (exchanges), capacity building, representativeness and research, among other activities that include the university tripod: research, teaching and extension.
At the Irmandade da Santa Casa de São Paulo, the organization operates along three axes: activities axis; axis of exchanges and administrative axis. Thus, in addition to the meetings between the International Federation, the entity also promotes events and projects that aim to enrich the learning of medical students, benefiting them in the personal, academic, social and professional spheres;
FCMSCSP also receives medical students for a month of exchange from different countries, through the IFMSA program. In 2019, before the temporary closure of borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the exchange students included in the program came from the following countries: Peru, United States, Egypt and Italy.
For more information, contact us on Instagram.
PT
EN
ES
