Fiocruz offers a mentorship program through collaborating researchers in topics related to epidemiology, clinical research, use of the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) platform, mathematical methods for surveillance, molecular modeling, and ethnopharmacology. This mentorship program is part of The Global Health Network Latin America and Caribbean (TGHN LAC) project, which aims to strengthen the research capacities of students, researchers, and health professionals, promoting their development and contributing to knowledge generation in the health field. Interested in our TGHN LAC Fiocruz Mentorship Program? Check the opportunities and contact the team at fiocruz.tghn@fiocruz.br.
Program description:Clinical research encompasses any scientific study investigating human health with the participation of individuals, from clinical trials on drug efficacy and safety to psychobehavioral studies. Regardless of the methodological design, all clinical research must be conducted under strict ethical precepts, known as Good Clinical Practices, and should aim to produce evidence supporting improvements in clinical practice and human health.
This clinical research mentorship program follows a 4-week full-time structure, during which one or two mentees integrate into the NeuroCOVID study (Association of SARS-CoV-2 with the onset, prognosis, and pathogenesis of cerebrovascular diseases). During this period, participants have the opportunity to learn about good clinical and laboratory practices, methodology, and scientific writing. After an in-person phase, the program offers individualized remote follow-up for up to 10 months. By the end of the program, the mentee is expected to develop at least one scientific abstract co-authored with the mentor, for submission and presentation at a national or international scientific event hosted in their own country or region.
Participating institutions: Fiocruz Pernambuco, Universities affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA)
This mentorship program began as a scientific exchange program for medical students worldwide seeking an immersive research experience in Brazil. The International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA), according to the country and thematic preferences of the candidates, assigns them to registered projects, including the NeuroCOVID study, coordinated at the Fiocruz unit in Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil.
Since September 2023, 8 mentees have been received, mostly women (6/8), from four continents: LAC (2 students from Peru and 1 from Chile), Asia (1 student from India), Africa (1 student from Egypt), and Europe (2 students from Greece and 1 from the Czech Republic). The mentorship program began with the study and discussion of the NeuroCOVID study protocol and an introduction to The Global Health Network (TGHN) in the first week, including the online courses Introduction to Clinical Research, ICH Good Clinical Practice E6 - R2, and Good Clinical Laboratory Practice from the TGHN Training Centre (https://rede.tghn.org/elearning/). During this initial period, the mentees were introduced to the institution and the neurology service at Hospital da Restauração, a co-participating center in the NeuroCOVID study.
The mentees accompanied the mentor in research activities, including observing clinical appointments and meetings in the neurology service at Hospital da Restauração, monitoring laboratory experiments at Fiocruz Pernambuco, collecting and managing data on the REDCap platform, participating in discussions on theoretical models, and analyzing data from the NeuroCOVID study. In the end, all mentees experienced the reality of "doing research" in a Brazilian public health service.
Additionally, five mentees continued to be supervised remotely while conducting other activities. With the two Peruvian mentees, the program led to a new collaborative research project, bringing together researchers from Peruvian universities and TGHN LAC-Peru and Brazil. The two Greek mentees presented an abstract at the European Academy of Neurology Conference (EAN 2024), while the Chilean mentee presented an abstract at the Congress of the Chilean Society of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Neurosurgery (SONEPSYN 2025) and awaits the result. The Czech mentee is analyzing data for a scientific paper on the experimental results of the NeuroCOVID study.
Chilean student investigates the genetic link between stroke and COVID-19 during an exchange programme with Fiocruz Pernambuco
Student / Exchange participant: Josefa Elmohrez Rosas
Supervisor: Cristiane Campello Bresani Salvi
Modality: in person
Language: English and Spanish
Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality in Latin America, and its complex relationship with infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has mobilised the international scientific community in the search for answers. It was within this context that the student Josefa Elmohrez Rosas, an exchange participant from Chile through the IFMSA programme (International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations), developed a highly relevant research project.
Under the supervision of researcher Cristiane Bresani, from Fiocruz Pernambuco, the study investigated the influence of a specific genetic polymorphism on susceptibility to COVID-19 in patients who had experienced stroke. The focus of the study was the angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE II), the gateway used by the coronavirus to enter human cells, analysing a variation in its gene previously associated with the risk of cerebrovascular diseases.
The research, entitled “Genetic susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with stroke: the role of an ACE II gene polymorphism”, was selected for presentation at the 79th Chilean Congress of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery, held in person in the city of Concepción between 5 and 7 December 2024.
This work is part of the NeuroCOVID study and integrates the TGHN LAC Mentorship Programme, serving as an example of scientific collaboration between research and teaching institutions and demonstrating how the researcher’s work in strengthening students’ scientific skills promotes professional and academic development.
ANALYTICAL METHODS FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEILLANCE
Program description: The analytical methods for epidemiological surveillance area involves the use of statistical, mathematical, and computational models to analyze, monitor, and predict phenomena related to public health, such as disease spread, epidemiological patterns, and health risks, to support decision-making and optimize intervention and prevention strategies.
This mentorship program covers the development and application of analytical methods to specific problems in epidemiological surveillance of communicable diseases, from data acquisition and harmonization, through descriptive analyses, the use of statistical and mathematical models, and the visualization and interpretation of results.
Modality: Hybrid - Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil
Language: Portuguese and English
Target audience: Graduate students and researchers interested in analytical methods applied to communicable disease problems.
Participating institutions: Scientific Computing Program - PROCC, Fiocruz Rio de Janeiro
In 2024, the program included two mentees, Argentinian researcher Rocío Sánchez (Regional Ecology Institute - IER, Tucumán, Argentina), and PhD student Alba Halliday (University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK).
Dr. Rocío Sánchez works on the CALMAS Climate in Latin America: Modeling Health Problems project. During the mentorship period, the harmonization of climate reanalysis data from Copernicus, the European Union's Earth Observation Program, which offers free and open data, was developed. The data were organized in collaboration with the Mosqlimate project (https://mosqlimate.org/). In addition to obtaining climate data, Rocío contributed population and bronchiolitis case data from Argentina, and during the period, they worked on harmonizing this data. By the end of the mentorship, a harmonized database of bronchiolitis cases, climate, and population in Argentine departments was obtained. The data are being validated for analyses to be conducted in 2025.
Alba Halliday, during a month of mentorship at PROCC, worked on developing an R language package for her PhD in statistics at the University of Glasgow. Her mentor Leonardo, along with Alba's supervisor, Dr. Oliver Stoner, proposed a problem related to the surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) cases. Alba's challenge was to work with the delay in reporting SARS cases confirmed by COVID-19. The package is nearly complete and will later be evaluated for application in the InfoGripe system.
MOLECULAR MODELING
Program description:Molecular modeling is a computational technique that simulates and predicts the properties of molecules and molecular systems using methods based on quantum physics, classical mechanics, and advanced algorithms.
This molecular modeling mentorship program is aimed at students and professionals interested in exploring advanced tools and methodologies in computational chemistry and bioinformatics. It covers topics such as comparative protein modeling, molecular docking, molecular dynamics, affinity calculation by computational methods, and drug design strategies. The mentorship combines theory and practice, offering personalized support to develop essential skills in research oriented toward drug discovery.
Modality: Hybrid - Rio de Janeiro/RJ and Fortaleza/CE, Brazil
Language: Portuguese, English, and Spanish
Target audience: Health professionals, such as pharmacists, chemists, biochemists, biologists, biomedical scientists, physicists, or computer scientists.
Participating institutions: Scientific Computing Program - PROCC, Fiocruz Rio de Janeiro
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
Program description:Ethnopharmacology is an interdisciplinary science that considers and values traditional knowledge about pharmacological therapies in the search for new drugs. This mentorship program aims to train new researchers in the different stages of ethnopharmacological research, with an emphasis on inflammatory and infectious diseases. The goal is to develop research in:
Evaluating the use of medicinal plants by rural communities in the sertão (Brazilian hinterland);
Preclinically investigating the effect of extracts and isolated compounds in in vivo, in vitro, and in silico models;
Conducting health communication and education activities focused on the rational use of medicines and other therapeutic products.
By the end of the program, the mentee is expected to be able to develop and present research projects, conduct field and laboratory research, and supervise other mentees in ethnopharmacological research.
Modality: Hybrid - Crato/CE, Brazil
Language: Portuguese, English
Target audience: Undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students, as well as professionals in biological and health sciences interested in developing research involving ethnopharmacology in the context of infectious diseases.
Participating institutions: Fiocruz Ceará, Regional University of Cariri (URCA)
This mentorship program currently includes two students. Ketlen Ohse is a FUNCAP Postdoctoral Fellow and conducts her research at the Regional University of Cariri (URCA) and Fiocruz Ceará. Hellena Garcia is a TGHN-LAC/Fiocruz grantee and a PhD student at the Federal University of Cariri (UFCA). As part of the training, we hold weekly meetings to discuss the group's activities, projects, and results, prioritizing TGHN-LAC demands. In this first year of activities, the main milestones achieved were:
Mapping of over 60 researchers working in infectious diseases across Ceará. This mapping is being progressively detailed and will include academic leagues and extension projects;
Organization of the First Workshop on Medicinal Plants, including an extract preparation workshop at URCA, with an audience of about 100 people;
Preparation and submission of a project on indigenous medicines to the INOVA Fiocruz Program. Unfortunately, we were not successful;
Hosting in Cariri the first meeting of the Infectious Diseases Research Club, with deliberations on activities for 2025 and an audience of about 50 people.
Promotion of the Research Club, with over 80 formal memberships.
Monitoring of student projects within the group, including 3 undergraduates, 2 master's students, and 3 PhD candidates.
The outlook is to increase the number of mentees as the Research Club develops, along with the training activities planned for 2025.
BIOINFORMATICS AND MOLECULAR DYNAMICS
Programme description: The Bioinformatics and Molecular Dynamics track aimed to promote participants’ training in the use and application of modern computational tools focused on the analysis of biological systems at the molecular level. The activities developed concentrated on the investigation of molecular interactions, the assessment of the structural stability of biomolecular complexes, and the prediction of pharmacokinetic properties, in addition to analysing the bioactive potential of compounds of scientific interest.
Throughout the activities carried out, special emphasis was placed on the study of natural products, particularly those originating from the Cariri region, considering their biological and pharmacological relevance and their potential to enhance local biodiversity. Participants engaged with both theoretical and practical approaches related to molecular modelling, computational simulations, and in silico methods, enabling an integrated understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved and strengthening their capacity for critical analysis and application of results in scientific research. Given this initial phase, it is expected that the group will be consolidated for the next stage, with meetings to be held periodically in the modalities mentioned.
Throughout the mentorship, participants carried out several practical and theoretical activities, including:
Bioinformatics research activities with an emphasis on molecular biology, supervised by mentee Silvio, enabling the integration of experimental knowledge with computational approaches;
Bioinformatics research activities supervised by mentee Ulisses, focused on the application of in silico methods for molecular analysis and prediction of bioactive properties;
Research activities related to the TGHN project, developed under the supervision of postdoctoral researcher Ketlen and researcher Ray, involving advanced bioinformatics analyses and molecular simulations.
The mentorship also promoted strong integration with partner institutions, including the Regional University of Cariri (URCA), the Centro Universitário Doutor Leão Sampaio (Unileão), and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). This integration allowed mentees to exchange experiences with experienced professionals, expand technical knowledge, understand state-of-the-art methodologies, and observe the impact of applied research in bioinformatics and pharmacology, as well as to transfer knowledge to undergraduate research and master’s students participating in the group. In this way, the mentorship structure combined theory, practice, and institutional integration, ensuring comprehensive training and preparing participants to face scientific challenges autonomously, collaboratively, and in an interdisciplinary manner.
Modality: Hybrid
Language: Portuguese
Target audience: Undergraduate and postgraduate students, health professionals, and researchers.
Participating institutions: Fiocruz Ceará, Regional University of Cariri (URCA), and Unileão
Mentees’ experience
The mentees’ experience was characterised by continuous monitoring of the activities developed by the mentors, enabling close engagement with research routines and the stages involved in the studies conducted. The mentees, affiliated with the Regional University of Cariri (URCA), the Centro Universitário Doutor Leão Sampaio (Unileão), and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), were able to integrate knowledge and experiences from different institutional contexts, contributing to broader and more interdisciplinary training.
Throughout the process, participants acquired new knowledge and faced significant challenges, notably the inclusion of a new line of research within the scope of in silico analyses. This challenge required training in content previously unfamiliar to the mentees, including familiarisation with new computational methodologies, the use of specific tools, interpretation of molecular data, and correlation of theoretical results with experimental evidence, promoting the development of technical and analytical skills.
Perceptions of the research experience and work environment were predominantly positive, highlighting a collaborative, organised, and knowledge-sharing space among participants, regardless of their institution of origin. This environment contributed to strengthening critical thinking, scientific autonomy, and integration across different areas of knowledge. Overall, a high level of satisfaction was observed among both mentors and mentees, demonstrating the effectiveness of the mentorship process, the achievement of proposed objectives, and the positive impact of the experience on the academic and professional development of those involved.
Impact and results
The mentorship generated significant impacts on strengthening research activities and expanding scientific collaboration networks. As a direct result of the process, partnerships and collaborative projects were established involving the Butantan Institute, through the Zebrafish Platform coordinated by Dr Mônica Lopes, UniVS/Icó, with the coordination of the medical course, and the Regional Study Group in Bioinformatics, promoting integration between different institutions and areas of knowledge. These collaborations contributed to the development of interdisciplinary research, particularly in the field of in silico analyses, expanding the reach and relevance of the studies carried out and supporting the consolidation of a new research line for the Cariri region, a territory that has shown gaps in this type of in silico approach, which is essential for studies seeking molecular targets from natural products. In this context, the proposal to establish this group coordinated by researchers Ernesto Caffarena and Jaime Ribeiro has proven to be a relevant tool for the region.
Regarding knowledge dissemination, the mentorship encouraged mentees’ participation in scientific conferences, academic activities, and scientific production processes, as well as fostering continued learning and deepening of acquired competencies. The experiences promoted engagement in new training stages and consolidation of a critical and investigative posture in addressing scientific research challenges.
Participation in the Knowledge Fair and the Workshop on Zebrafish studies is also noteworthy, as these activities provided spaces for scientific dissemination, exchange of experiences, and closer interaction between academic research and the community. These actions contributed to the development of scientific communication skills and to the appreciation of outreach and continuing education activities.
Conclusion and future perspectives
The mentorship programme had a significant impact on the academic and scientific development of participants, providing practical and in-depth experience in research, institutional integration, and application of advanced bioinformatics methods. The experience enabled mentees to acquire new technical skills, understand the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, and consolidate fundamental competencies for conducting complex scientific projects, as well as promoting decentralisation and regionalisation through collaboration between researchers and students from universities in the Cariri region.
As a continuation and expansion of the programme, an in silico database of bioactive molecules from the Cariri region will be developed and organised, bringing together compounds previously studied in academic research, dissertations, theses, and scientific articles. This database will include structural information, chemical data, botanical or microbial origin, and documented biological evidence, serving as a basis for in silico studies, virtual screening, and computational simulations.
The practical activities associated with the molecular database will include:
Curation and organisation of the molecular database;
Structural preparation of ligands and biological targets;
Molecular docking;
Molecular Dynamics simulations to assess the stability of ligand–receptor complexes.
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