The Multicampi School of Medical Sciences of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (EMCM/UFRN), based in Caicó (RN), was internationally recognized for its contribution to the transformation of the social and health reality of the communities it serves in Seridó Potiguar. The certification is issued by 'The Network Towards Unity for Health' (TUFH), an international entity that recognizes the work carried out by health institutions with the aim of promoting the development of local society. UFRN is affiliated with the Santos Dumont Institute, based in Macaíba (RN). The Institute welcomes undergraduate students and EMCM medical and multi-professional residency students for academic and in-service training internships at the Anita Garibaldi Health Education and Research Center (Anita).

“I express the pride we have in contributing to the training of EMCM/UFRN students and in sharing values and objectives based on community-based education and social responsibility. We also recognize the 'Social Accountability' as a need for Brazilian medical schools”, declares the general director of ISD, Reginaldo Freitas Júnior. The impact of the actions developed by EMCM/UFRN were measured using the Social Responsibility and Institutional Self-Assessment Tool (ISAT – Indicators for Socially Accountable Tool, in English).

ISAT is an assessment system that includes the following main components: student recruitment, selection and support; teacher recruitment and development; what, how and where students learn; whether research activities meet community priorities; governance and stakeholder engagement; academic results; and social impact. Each core component is divided into four phases of development and includes milestones, standards, and indicators. The ISAT verification process demonstrates an institution's dedication to meeting the priority health needs of people and society today and in the future.

“This certification represents important recognition for the work carried out by everyone who works at EMCM and also by partner institutions, such as ISD. From the planning stages to implementing the Medicine course, UFRN has a very explicit mission with this project, which is to contribute to the transformation of the social and health reality of the communities we serve. And certification is an assessment of this: whether the institution effectively guides its teaching, research and extension actions to meet the needs of the population”, says the director of EMCM/UFRN, George Dantas, who is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Santos Institute. Dumont.

To achieve current certification, the Multicampi School of Medical Sciences was invited, in 2014, to join a group of socially committed medical schools in Latin America. Since then, several actions to improve the mission have been carried out and, recently, the final stages of certification under the ISAT strategy were completed. This involved a self-assessment, information gathering, completion of forms and an interview conducted by an International Verification Committee. “Certification is recognition, but it is mainly a reaffirmation of EMCM’s social commitment, as it includes the development of a plan to move forward in this regard”, highlights George Dantas.

For the World Health Organization (WHO), the concept of Social Responsibility is the following: “the obligation (of medical schools) to direct their education, research and service actions towards addressing priority health concerns for the community , region and/or nation for which they must serve. It is a concept that starts from the perception that the search for health is also the search for social justice, understanding that the teaching, research and extension activities of the medical school must necessarily be oriented towards addressing the priority health concerns of the community , the region or nation in which it is located.

EMCM/UFRN was certified on July 23, 2021 in a virtual ceremony during the annual meeting of 'The Network Toward Unity for Health', in Indonesia.

About EMCM

The Multicampi School of Medical Sciences at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (EMCM/UFRN) was opened in Caicó, 280km from Natal, in 2014. The School, a pioneer in the training format for doctors, as they are trained on three interconnected campuses , but in different cities in the region, attracts candidates from different parts of Brazil every year. The entry score for the EMCM/UFRN Medicine Course is the highest in the country. Each year, 40 new places are opened.