Mentoring Fiocruz
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.
- Clinical research
- Analytical methods for epidemiological surveillance
- Molecular modeling
- Ethnopharmacology
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.
Modality: Hybrid - Pernambuco/PE, Brazil
Language: Portuguese, English, and Spanish
Target audience: Medical students
Mentor: Cristiane Campello Bresani Salvi
Participating institutions: Fiocruz Pernambuco, Universities affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA)
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.
Mentor: Leonardo Soares Bastos
Participating institutions: Scientific Computing Program - PROCC, Fiocruz Rio de Janeiro
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.
Mentor: Ernesto Raúl Caffarena
Participating institutions: Scientific Computing Program - PROCC, Fiocruz Rio de Janeiro
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.
Mentor: Jaime Ribeiro Filho
Participating institutions: Fiocruz Ceará, Regional University of Cariri (URCA)