A School of Medical Sciences (FCM) Unicamp turns 60 in 2023. The institution, which brings together undergraduate courses in Medicine and Speech Therapy, as well as postgraduate, specialization and medical residency courses, has 3.269 enrolled students, 223 non-teaching staff and 285 teachers, according to A dataUnicamp Statistical Yearbook 2022. The director of FCM, professor Cláudio Coy, and the associate director, professor Erich de Paula, spoke about the institution's current situation, its challenges and future prospects.
Doctors and speech therapists in the SUS and supplementary health
The directors spoke about the qualities of professionals trained by FCM. “The doctor and speech therapist trained at FCM are generalists, who can work in the SUS, in basic health units (UBS), emergency rooms and in the private market, with quality, ethical precepts and good conduct. We really value this humanistic training”, says Coy. Erich highlights the importance of graduates' continued learning, based on very solid ethical and human training. “It’s a challenge we will always be looking for.”
Research, teaching, extension and assistance in Health
The college director highlights the main teaching guidelines, aiming to maintain quality at all levels. “The last reform of the Medicine curriculum was carried out over ten years ago. We are now adapting the structure we have to market needs, MEC guidelines and what we believe is necessary in training. Most graduating doctors, in general, are unable to access residency programs. Therefore, we have to offer the most complete training possible.” Coy also recalls that the degree in Speech Therapy changed its undergraduate catalog in 2020, also mentioning the good evaluation by Capes regarding postgraduate courses, as well as the relevance of the Medical and Multiprofessional Residency programs for complementing teaching. “These programs are very important for specialists who will work in public or private services,” he says.
Coy also emphasizes the strengths of the research area. “We are the headquarters of two Cepids (Fapesp Research, Innovation and Diffusion Centers), which have a very large impact and bring resources to FCM. The laboratories, in general, are also quite productive.” Commenting on the challenges of postgraduate research, the director highlights the importance of “maintaining high quality research at a time when funding is increasingly difficult and encouraging the entry of more professors into research”. Erich highlights the difference in the research carried out at FCM. “Institutions without the capacity to carry out research have aggressively entered the market. As continuous learning is a basic competence of doctors and speech therapists, people who generate knowledge through research increase the ability to teach how to have a critical view, transforming knowledge into actions”.
Regarding extension, the directors highlight the role of bringing what is produced at the university to society. “There are very relevant extension activities, one of the most visible being that of Vila Paula, in which Medicine and Speech Therapy students provide assistance to residents”, said Coy, remembering that there is a demand for “extension curricularization”, that is, for these activities to be included in the teaching schedule, facilitating student participation and meeting curricular guidelines. Professor Erich recalls that the SUS has, in essence, the expectation that it will also be a teaching field and a setting in which research is carried out.
“Teaching, research and extension are natural activities of courses in the health area. We value them and do them very well.”
affirmative vacancies
The directors consider the inclusion of affirmative vacancies, such as ethnic-racial quotas, the indigenous entrance exam and the ProFIS, positive for admission to FCM courses. “The great benefit for the university is the increase in the diversity of talent that comes to us. The issue of quotas has a series of justifications, historical and social, all very important." For Coy, affirmative places “have completely changed the face of college for the better. They are favorable and have a huge impact on society. It is a wise policy for the Unicamp. We welcomed two indigenous students for the Medicine course, in August last year. They will start the academic year in 2023, and this is a very important fact for our institution.”
Internationalization
Another point raised was the internationalization of college in the last years. “We have an important international insertion, with several professors in cooperation with institutions abroad”, says Coy. According to the director, the rectory has emphasized the establishment of these agreements, both for the development of joint research and for the integration of students and professors. Recently, a cooperation agreement was made with the University of Birmingham, in England, with outstanding work with Brazilian researchers, and the University of Cardiff, in Wales. “These institutions are very interested in areas such as cardiology, neurology, basic and family health. We have made contact with researchers available to strengthen these activities, which bring us a lot of productivity”, declares the director.
Ongoing projects
One of the ongoing projects at the college is the construction of the Study Center, which will include the library, as well as common and individual spaces, better meeting student demands. “The current library is close to the Hospital de Clínicas. After college came up, and due to internet access, it started to be less used. The activities carried out by the library are important and go far beyond making books available on the shelf: it is a place for socializing, studies and training”, declares the director, remembering that the project of the new building (which will be located in front of the main FCM building ) was made by Architecture and Urbanism students at Unicamp, under the management of professor Luiz Carlos Zeferino.
The director also points out that it is a challenge to insert students into the public health network, making adequate action and supervision difficult. “With the help of former FCM professor and current municipal secretary of Health, Lair Zambon, the college is formalizing an agreement with the City Hall for students to work at UBSs. In addition, a UBS dedicated to teaching should be built on City Hall land for this purpose, on Avenida José Bonifácio, close to the Iguatemi shopping mall. We are creating an architectural project, so that the City of Campinas can execute the UBS, very well structured, in an area of 1500m²”, says Coy.
Among the best in Brazil
The directors evaluated the recognition achieved by the institution. “If we consider the rankings, FCM is among the best medical schools; the Speech Therapy course is also highly rated. Unicamp as a whole is very well regarded on the national and international scene and is effectively concerned with the training of highly qualified people”, says Coy. The director also attributes the quality of the activities to the teaching staff, as well as the high qualifications of those entering the Medicine courses and Residency Programs, which are very competitive. “It is a strong college, which generates interest and demand from people. This naturally brings the best students here. On the other hand, it requires commitment from the institution to achieve its objectives with increasingly better quality”, says Coy. For Erich, “the high competition is a consequence of a past of recognition of a high-quality institution”.
At the head of the board
Both directors recognize their position at the management front (2022-2026) during FCM's diamond jubilee celebrations. “Being the director of the college in itself is a privilege. This date, in particular, makes us reflect on the role of FCM over these 60 years in the training of doctors and speech therapists, postgraduate students and residents. It started as a modest unit, with improvised facilities, then went to Santa Casa and, later, came to the campus in Cidade Universitária”, said Coy. “It’s a big responsibility, considering all the history and important people who built FCM before I got here. It is a very solemn moment, which needs to be celebrated in the correct way, recognizing the entire history and future potential of the institution. It is, at the same time, a responsibility and a privilege”, said Erich.
Agenda
Finally, Professor Coy recalls the activities commemorating FCM's 60th anniversary. “There will be a series of activities at college. The celebratory dinner in May the celebrations will officially open. We will hold events related to teacher training, graduation of both courses, 50 years of the 6th class of Medicine, 50 years of the Center for Studies and Research in Rehabilitation (Cepre), in addition to events that will discuss relevant aspects, such as the role of support foundations for state public Medicine courses and financing in the health sector, and a broad forum for discussion on the impact of teaching Medicine in the country”, he says.
Partners, sponsors and social counterpart
In the context of holding the 60th Anniversary Celebration Dinner, FCM has the support of the Association of Former Students and Friends of FCM (Alumni) and the Campinas Health Area Foundation (Fascamp) and the sponsorship of Unimed Campinas. Part of the amounts raised from the sale of invitations will be used to support the university training and extension project, coordinated by the faculty, in Vila Paula Project, in Campinas. Individuals and legal entities interested in supporting and sponsoring the annual program to celebrate FCM's 60th anniversary should contact the Public Relations and Press Office via email: rpfcm@unicamp.br.
