In the programme of my candidature to a new term as director of the Faculty presented at the end of the present year, I had the opportunity to highlight the importance of reorganizing the Portuguese university system, which I have summarized in the following concept: the country needs fewer and better universities. The merger between the University of Lisbon (UL) and the Technical University of Lisbon (UTL), which is about to take place, is a major step in that direction and will surely mark the beginning of the reorganization of the University of Lisbon. It is a challenge for our Faculty which, within the new university, should become a core area for the development of Life and Health Sciences and a reference in the practice of frontline clinical medicine at the service of the community. In line with the work carried out in recent years, I believe that the consolidation of the Lisbon Academic Medical Centre consortium is vital to support the affirmation strategy of the Faculty of Medicine in the future University of Lisbon, in order to foster the full exercise of our threefold institutional mission: to teach, treat and research. Accordingly, I find it essential to ensure the best cooperation with the partner institutions in this consortium, HSM-CHLN and IMM and, together, seek to obtain a new legal framework that gives the Lisbon Academic Medical Centre capacity for action, funding and effective recognition as an entity, so as to consolidate its top position in the national scientific context and ensure its international relevance.
The development of scientific research has been a priority for the Faculty in the last years, either through the work of the IMM, formed from research institutes and centres of the Faculty and which has contributed decisively to a new qualitative level in biomedical research, or through other research centres related to basic sciences and university clinics that are not part of the IMM.
Notwithstanding the financial constraints that affected the year 2012, which is public knowledge, the Faculty continued to ensure the financial and logistic support necessary for the normal operation of the IMM at the Egas Moniz Building (EEM). It has also supported the development of the new Bioterium, of the BIOBANK-IMM, equally located in the EEM, and the Clinical Research Centre of CAML, which is currently being set up and organized. The Faculty has also been actively involved in attracting and setting up new research groups at the EEM, in close collaboration with the IMM and the HSM.
The GAPIC Programme continued to deserve the full support and interest of the Faculty, and it succeeded to obtain additional funding for its work, which culminated in the Research Day at FMUL. This attests our commitment to research as an inseparable component of modern education that is active and mobilizes students to the scientific dimension of medicine.
The construction of the Câmara Pestana Building is considered a priority. Financial constraints unrelated to the Faculty led to the interruption of the works, which coupled with the delay of years in obtaining the ministerial permission and funding for its construction, is, indeed, an undesirable limitation to the growth of our institution and restrains our capacity to carry out planned new initiatives and increase our institutional capacity to attract new research groups and projects.
In close cooperation with the Rector’s Office, we have made all possible efforts to overcome this difficulty and resume construction at the earliest possible time in order to meet the ambitious goal of having the work completed in 2013, if possible, or in the first semester of 2014. There is a plan for the use of the new building that has been clearly defined in an action plan approved by the Faculty Assembly, which I have duly described:
• Provide a hub for the setting up of research teams in areas where there is convergence of Biosciences with Medicine and Bioengineering
• Create an Integrated Centre for Neurosciences, a Cardiovascular Diseases Centre and a Bio-image Centre with 3T functional MRI
• Install the Medical Simulation Centre with the objective of promoting training and the upgrading of practical skills of health professionals, aiming at patient safety and, simultaneously, becoming a research unit in this area.
• Locate the Clinical Research Centre in collaboration with the HSM and the IMM, as mentioned earlier, and with capacity to organize relevant clinical trials.
• Turn the building into headquarters for the setting up of new research groups. The year 2012 marked the first five years of the restructuring of the medical degree, which was converted into an Integrated Master Degree by legal requirement. The primary objective of FMUL is to teach the medical profession, educate through Science and Culture, promote knowledge and innovation through research, and educate free men and women who are able to contribute positively to the development of our country. Our mission was clearly stated:
The restructuring enabled the modernization of the curriculum with integrated educational areas, and aimed to facilitate the acquisition of professional skills, ranging from communication to clinical practice, and including ethical education and learning about the social dimension of medicine and public health, based on solid scientific knowledge and showcasing a unitary and integrated vision of undergraduate education focusing on clinical medicine.
The greater interconnection between basic science and clinical practice was fostered through the creation of pedagogical intervention areas, such as Neurosciences, Microbiology and Infection, Oncobiology, Introduction to Medicine for Women and Children, and Introduction to Ageing Diseases. The Faculty Board has monitored and evaluated the teaching effectiveness, the performance and satisfaction of students, whose collaboration through the Students Association’s own structures has been instrumental. This enables us to prove that the action strategy was correct and allowed FMUL to position itself as a leading institution in the process of modernizing education, ahead of other national counterparts that also chose to reform their undergraduate syllabi. It has been possible to keep the entire network of inter-institutional cooperation for undergraduate teaching through the maintenance, renewal and establishment of new affiliation and cooperation protocols that permit more diverse educational provision and ensure more and better pedagogical intervention capacity on the part of the Faculty.
The study areas for undergraduate and postgraduate medical students have been improved, and the rehabilitation works of the Anatomical Theatre are nearing completion, which will represent a qualitative leap in the undergraduate and postgraduate teaching of Anatomy. Advanced training is a priority and also a responsibility of the Faculty. An analysis of the current situation of Advanced Training at the Faculty of Medicine was made at a recent meeting of the Scientific Council, and it revealed some stagnation in the demand and offer of new programmes addressing the real needs of the community. Indeed, it is paramount to encourage new initiatives in terms of Advanced Training Courses in interdisciplinary areas, strengthening the cooperation between basic science and clinical medicine, and meet the need for professional qualifications of health professionals. We should also reinforce our collaboration with the College of Health Technologies of Lisbon and establish effective links with the Nursing College of Lisbon
This is a challenge we have to win in 2013, for which the Institute for Advanced Training has the required organizational competences. The doctoral programme held under the aegis of the CAML, which embodies an objective clearly assumed by the Faculty, is an unambiguous example of the collaboration among the institutions that constitute the CAML and of its commitment to the promotion and qualification of biomedical and clinical research.
In this sense, 2013 will be a decisive year, albeit the financial constraints lying ahead. FMUL has been pursuing a strict policy of controlling bills, has renegotiated many contracts for services rendered and has implemented administrative modernization and the functional efficacy of its administrative staff, which will enable us to guarantee our key objectives: to provide quality teaching and quality in the support to scientific research, bearing the costs thereof. We need to be prepared to meet the challenge posed by the new University of Lisbon that will result from the UL/UTL merger. We need to increase our links with IST as part of the continuity of the Integrated Master in Biomedical Engineering and invest in the new Master Degree in Biomedical Technologies, which has been officially approved, as well as new partnerships and joint research projects.
However, it is also essential to strengthen cooperation with other UL and UTL schools in the area of Life and Health Sciences, for which reason we will propose the organization of a joint scientific event to be held in 2013. The need to boost the provision of education in Advanced Training, mobilizing university clinics and basic science institutes with the aim of improving professional skills and increasing interest in scientific activity, is undoubtedly a priority that I want to reaffirm and to which I ask for the support and commitment of FMUL’s lecturers.
The medical school model we advocate requires the real integration between basic biomedical science and clinical science, so it is crucial to have a modern nuclear hospital facility committed to education and research. Accordingly, we shall continue to work towards the consolidation of the CAML and the development of the HSM – CHLN as a national major reference institution essential to the progress of the Faculty. We will seek to strengthen the network of affiliated institutions, which is an additional opportunity for research. The implementation of this strategy will enable us to meet our objectives, which are to scientifically assert ourselves in the new University of Lisbon, to continue to be a reference institution in teaching and research, and to ensure the provision of clinical medicine of excellence to the community.
At the end of another year, I renew my best regards and wishes for a Happy New Year filled with personal and academic success for all lecturers, students and staff of FMUL.
Lisbon, 26/12/2012
José Fernandes e Fernandes
Director of FMUL
The development of scientific research has been a priority for the Faculty in the last years, either through the work of the IMM, formed from research institutes and centres of the Faculty and which has contributed decisively to a new qualitative level in biomedical research, or through other research centres related to basic sciences and university clinics that are not part of the IMM.
Notwithstanding the financial constraints that affected the year 2012, which is public knowledge, the Faculty continued to ensure the financial and logistic support necessary for the normal operation of the IMM at the Egas Moniz Building (EEM). It has also supported the development of the new Bioterium, of the BIOBANK-IMM, equally located in the EEM, and the Clinical Research Centre of CAML, which is currently being set up and organized. The Faculty has also been actively involved in attracting and setting up new research groups at the EEM, in close collaboration with the IMM and the HSM.
The GAPIC Programme continued to deserve the full support and interest of the Faculty, and it succeeded to obtain additional funding for its work, which culminated in the Research Day at FMUL. This attests our commitment to research as an inseparable component of modern education that is active and mobilizes students to the scientific dimension of medicine.
The construction of the Câmara Pestana Building is considered a priority. Financial constraints unrelated to the Faculty led to the interruption of the works, which coupled with the delay of years in obtaining the ministerial permission and funding for its construction, is, indeed, an undesirable limitation to the growth of our institution and restrains our capacity to carry out planned new initiatives and increase our institutional capacity to attract new research groups and projects.
In close cooperation with the Rector’s Office, we have made all possible efforts to overcome this difficulty and resume construction at the earliest possible time in order to meet the ambitious goal of having the work completed in 2013, if possible, or in the first semester of 2014. There is a plan for the use of the new building that has been clearly defined in an action plan approved by the Faculty Assembly, which I have duly described:
• Provide a hub for the setting up of research teams in areas where there is convergence of Biosciences with Medicine and Bioengineering
• Create an Integrated Centre for Neurosciences, a Cardiovascular Diseases Centre and a Bio-image Centre with 3T functional MRI
• Install the Medical Simulation Centre with the objective of promoting training and the upgrading of practical skills of health professionals, aiming at patient safety and, simultaneously, becoming a research unit in this area.
• Locate the Clinical Research Centre in collaboration with the HSM and the IMM, as mentioned earlier, and with capacity to organize relevant clinical trials.
• Turn the building into headquarters for the setting up of new research groups. The year 2012 marked the first five years of the restructuring of the medical degree, which was converted into an Integrated Master Degree by legal requirement. The primary objective of FMUL is to teach the medical profession, educate through Science and Culture, promote knowledge and innovation through research, and educate free men and women who are able to contribute positively to the development of our country. Our mission was clearly stated:
The restructuring enabled the modernization of the curriculum with integrated educational areas, and aimed to facilitate the acquisition of professional skills, ranging from communication to clinical practice, and including ethical education and learning about the social dimension of medicine and public health, based on solid scientific knowledge and showcasing a unitary and integrated vision of undergraduate education focusing on clinical medicine.
The greater interconnection between basic science and clinical practice was fostered through the creation of pedagogical intervention areas, such as Neurosciences, Microbiology and Infection, Oncobiology, Introduction to Medicine for Women and Children, and Introduction to Ageing Diseases. The Faculty Board has monitored and evaluated the teaching effectiveness, the performance and satisfaction of students, whose collaboration through the Students Association’s own structures has been instrumental. This enables us to prove that the action strategy was correct and allowed FMUL to position itself as a leading institution in the process of modernizing education, ahead of other national counterparts that also chose to reform their undergraduate syllabi. It has been possible to keep the entire network of inter-institutional cooperation for undergraduate teaching through the maintenance, renewal and establishment of new affiliation and cooperation protocols that permit more diverse educational provision and ensure more and better pedagogical intervention capacity on the part of the Faculty.
The study areas for undergraduate and postgraduate medical students have been improved, and the rehabilitation works of the Anatomical Theatre are nearing completion, which will represent a qualitative leap in the undergraduate and postgraduate teaching of Anatomy. Advanced training is a priority and also a responsibility of the Faculty. An analysis of the current situation of Advanced Training at the Faculty of Medicine was made at a recent meeting of the Scientific Council, and it revealed some stagnation in the demand and offer of new programmes addressing the real needs of the community. Indeed, it is paramount to encourage new initiatives in terms of Advanced Training Courses in interdisciplinary areas, strengthening the cooperation between basic science and clinical medicine, and meet the need for professional qualifications of health professionals. We should also reinforce our collaboration with the College of Health Technologies of Lisbon and establish effective links with the Nursing College of Lisbon
This is a challenge we have to win in 2013, for which the Institute for Advanced Training has the required organizational competences. The doctoral programme held under the aegis of the CAML, which embodies an objective clearly assumed by the Faculty, is an unambiguous example of the collaboration among the institutions that constitute the CAML and of its commitment to the promotion and qualification of biomedical and clinical research.
In this sense, 2013 will be a decisive year, albeit the financial constraints lying ahead. FMUL has been pursuing a strict policy of controlling bills, has renegotiated many contracts for services rendered and has implemented administrative modernization and the functional efficacy of its administrative staff, which will enable us to guarantee our key objectives: to provide quality teaching and quality in the support to scientific research, bearing the costs thereof. We need to be prepared to meet the challenge posed by the new University of Lisbon that will result from the UL/UTL merger. We need to increase our links with IST as part of the continuity of the Integrated Master in Biomedical Engineering and invest in the new Master Degree in Biomedical Technologies, which has been officially approved, as well as new partnerships and joint research projects.
However, it is also essential to strengthen cooperation with other UL and UTL schools in the area of Life and Health Sciences, for which reason we will propose the organization of a joint scientific event to be held in 2013. The need to boost the provision of education in Advanced Training, mobilizing university clinics and basic science institutes with the aim of improving professional skills and increasing interest in scientific activity, is undoubtedly a priority that I want to reaffirm and to which I ask for the support and commitment of FMUL’s lecturers.
The medical school model we advocate requires the real integration between basic biomedical science and clinical science, so it is crucial to have a modern nuclear hospital facility committed to education and research. Accordingly, we shall continue to work towards the consolidation of the CAML and the development of the HSM – CHLN as a national major reference institution essential to the progress of the Faculty. We will seek to strengthen the network of affiliated institutions, which is an additional opportunity for research. The implementation of this strategy will enable us to meet our objectives, which are to scientifically assert ourselves in the new University of Lisbon, to continue to be a reference institution in teaching and research, and to ensure the provision of clinical medicine of excellence to the community.
At the end of another year, I renew my best regards and wishes for a Happy New Year filled with personal and academic success for all lecturers, students and staff of FMUL.
Lisbon, 26/12/2012
José Fernandes e Fernandes
Director of FMUL
