The president of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Denise Pires de Carvalho, visited the two units of the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD), located in Macaíba, this Saturday morning (6). The meeting took place one day after the ceremony commemorating the institution's 10th anniversary, where the president highlighted, during her speech, the importance of the work developed by the ISD for the scientific advancement of the country.
This Saturday's visit began at Anita, a unit where teaching, research and extension activities are developed for health professions, with a focus on people with disabilities, high-risk prenatal care and parasports.
A physician by training and a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Denise emphasized the impact of health research conducted by the ISD. This research contributes to interdisciplinary professional training, through the Multiprofessional Residency in Health Care for People with Disabilities (RESPCD), academic practices and the mandatory curricular internship for health courses, in partnership with UFRN.
At the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience (IIN-ELS), the CAPES president visited the laboratories of human electrophysiology and brain-machine interface, microscopy, neuroengineering and neurorehabilitation. She was able to talk to master's students who conduct research in neuroscience.
“The ISD is a reference for what Brazil is capable of and can do through the high-quality professionals that we already have in our country in different areas of knowledge. This is an example here, from health professionals to engineering and bioengineering professionals, who connect human needs to equipment that is important for the development of skills. The ISD is an example of the best that Brazil has to offer the world,” he said.
Accompanied by the ISD management, Denise discussed the possibility of expanding the Institute's postgraduate program. Since 2022, the ISD has been in talks with the Ministry of Education and CAPES to format the proposal for its creation. of the 'Doctorate in Neuroscience and Health'. Every year, vacancies are offered in the Master's Degree in Neuroengineering, the first in the country in this area, created in 2013.
“ISD has a master’s degree program and intends to offer a doctorate. There is no reason why postgraduate activities should not be expanded here. But, obviously, this needs to go through the evaluation board, through the course creation process, which we call APCN. I heard that an APCN proposal has already been submitted and I hope it is successful,” said Denise.
The new program, when accepted, will be offered by IIN-ELS. “It will be a way to retain knowledge that currently goes abroad and to continue the research carried out in our master’s program,” says IIN-ELS manager Edgard Morya.
In February of this year, Denise Pires took up a position on the ISD Board of Directors. She replaced former CAPES president Mercedes Bustamante. ISD CEO Reginaldo Freitas Júnior thanked her for her visit and stated that Denise can help the Institute achieve new goals.
“Professor Denise represents the Ministry of Education on the ISD Board of Directors. This is our most important decision-making body within the organization. Having her here with us to learn about our reality and see our work up close is essential to strengthening the ISD. As a physician and researcher, the professor has a lot to contribute to the fulfillment of our mission and vision for the future,” he predicts.
Also present on Saturday's visit were the ISD administrative director, Jovan Gadioli dos Santos, the ISD postgraduate coordinator and professor-researcher, Maria Carolina Gonzalez, and the ISD professor-researcher, Ramon Hypolito Lima.
About CAPES
The Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) is a Foundation of the Ministry of Education (MEC) and its mission is to expand and consolidate postgraduate studies. stricto sensu (masters and doctorate) in Brazil.
About ISD
The Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) is a Social Organization linked to the Ministry of Education (MEC) and includes the Edmond and Lily Safra International Neuroscience Institute and the Anita Garibaldi Center for Health Education and Research, both in Macaíba. ISD's mission is to promote education for life, forming citizens through integrated teaching, research and extension actions, in addition to contributing to a fairer and more humane transformation of Brazilian social reality.
