The Institute for Advanced Training (IFA) of the Faculty of Medicine organizes Professional Specialization Postgraduate Courses with the duration of one year and assigning 60 ECTS. Successful completion of these courses is attested by a diploma.

IFA also organizes Master courses leading to the award of a master degree for students who complete 120 ECTS and pass the taught component of the degree, equalling 60 ECTS, and the viva voce examination of an original piece of work (dissertation, report or project), also worth 60 ECTS. The successful completion of the taught component of the master degree is attested by a certificate and the completion of the master degree is attested by a diploma.

Specialization Postgraduate Course in Pain Science

Pain is defined as an unpleasant multidimensional experience involving a sensorial component, as well as an emotional component on the part of the person who is suffering. Until the sixties, it was considered an inevitable consequence of tissue injury. Its affective dimension was not emphasized, and aspects such as genetic differences, previous experiences, anxiety, or expectations, were not discussed. In recent years, the advancement of knowledge in this field has provided a breakthrough in understanding mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of pain and has also led to improved approaches to therapy.

Pain is probably the most common symptom that makes people go to the doctor, as it is transversal to the majority of pathologies that require medical care.

The cost of treating chronic pain is significant, and the high social costs stemming from the inefficient approach of health professionals are difficult to ascertain.

Despite improved knowledge of the mechanisms associated with this phenomenon, and of new therapies, many people who suffer from acute or chronic pain continue to receive inadequate care. Effective pain management is a duty of health professionals, a right of patients who suffer from it, and a fundamental step towards the humanization of Health Units. The government has recognized that Portugal is long overdue in this field, both in terms of training and of provision of assistance. Accordingly, it decided to create a National Plan to Fight Pain, setting several objectives, including the training of health professionals.

The objectives of this course are: i) improve knowledge in pain therapy; ii) foster research in the field of knowledge of pain; iii) give professionals involved in pain therapy tools they can use in clinical, laboratorial, and organizational terms.
Students who successfully complete the specialization course in Pain Science and attain 60 ECTS can continue their studies up to master degree level. They will need to write and defend a 60 ECTS master degree dissertation, and complete 120 ECTS in total.

Specialization Postgraduate Course in Clinical Nutrition

The Specialization Course in Clinical Nutrition follows a problem-based educational methodology and has a very strong practical approach directed at hospitalized patients, outpatients, and at offering nutritional counselling to healthy individuals.
The faculty integrates Research /Reference Centres and Centres for the Provision of Care in different pathologies, and is involved in Clinical and/or Basic Research that will give students opportunities for contact with these activities. There is a close link to the Nutrition and Metabolism Unit, which is part of the Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), the latter being an entity of recognized merit in medical research in Portugal.

The objective is to enable professionals to develop skills in preventing and solving nutritional problems inherent to both general and sick population, namely those in hospitals. Professionals are expected to acquire skills in clinically-related nutrition, and also in very closely connected areas, such as public health and nutrition, food safety, nutrition-related psychology, in addition to acquiring skills in information and communication technologies and in research.

The objectives of this course are as follows: i) develop and deepen knowledge of human nutrition in healthy individuals and in sick people; ii) ability to recognize and evaluate the importance of clinical nutrition as a therapy in many diseases; iii) guide, advise, plan, implement, and monitor nutritional support in hospitals and on an ambulatory basis.

Once the Master Degree in Clinical Nutrition has been accredited by the A3ES, students who complete this Specialization Course will be able to proceed to the degree of master in Clinical Nutrition in 2012/13. To that end, they will need to write and defend a 30 ECTS master degree dissertation, and complete a total of 90 ECTS.

Specialization Postgraduate Course in Macroscopy in Pathological Anatomy

Pathological Anatomy is responsible for the multivalent analysis of organs, tissues and cells with the aim of contributing to diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic advice. This requires two levels of intervention: macroscopy and microscopy.
The macroscopic study of anatomical parts aims to analyse, describe, evaluate, and collect a representative sample that will subsequently be subject to microscopic analysis. This task is normally performed by non-senior anatomic-pathologists, or by specialist interns.
The Pathological Anatomy Hospital Referral Network has drawn attention to the insufficient number of anatomic-pathologist doctors (151 – which correspond to 63% of available places) nationwide, of whom 25% are over fifty years of age.
Given this fact, it is anticipated that in the short and medium term the number of medical professionals will not be sufficient to carry out all the tasks currently under their responsibility. Accordingly, other qualified professionals are expected to meet the needs ahead, particularly at the level of macroscopic analysis and description.

Given the current situation described above, it was decided to offer this course in the specific field of macroscopy aimed at Graduates in Pathological, Cytological and Thanatological Anatomy. The practical component of this postgraduate course will be enhanced through an alliance to be established with hospitals throughout the country. This synergy will make a wealth of knowledge and experience available to students, which only close local contact with experienced hospital doctors can provide.

Accordingly, this course aims to train postgraduate students in Macroscopy in Pathological Anatomy and confer them skills that will enable them to: i) plan and implement methodologies for the selection, description, and collection of biological material from human organs and tissue, be actively involved in anatomic-pathological analysis and offer macroscopic diagnosis; ii) plan and implement methods for conducting autopsies in the context of thanatology, including the collection of material and the application of techniques in tissue samples for analysis; iii) be able to describe simple and moderately complex surgical specimens, and collect and identify fragments in accordance with standardized protocols, recognizing internationally accepted criteria for determining prognosis.

Master Degree in Bioethics

Health professionals who are essentially prepared to carry out clinical, research, or teaching activities are increasingly playing leading roles in decision-making processes in which the interests of the various actors not always coincide. By creating this Master Degree in Bioethics, the University of Lisbon, through its Faculty of Medicine, aims to offer students the opportunity to develop the necessary competencies for a skilled performance.

This master degree aims to i) facilitate the exchange of ideas and training in bioethics in several professional and scientific areas; ii) contribute to the prevention and resolution of concepts in care provision and research; iii) contribute to improving the quality of care in health services; iv) promote the study and research in bioethics in the health services.

The objectives of this degree is to train master students to properly use knowledge, skills, and attitudes inherent to major aspects of bioethics: i) to collect, analyse, and critically apply all relevant information in the various fields of bioethics that provide a multiple view of decision making in the health services, and at the level of teams, departments, services; and institutions; ii) to become experts (at Ethics institutional committees, as clinical bioethics consultants…) in ethical conflict resolution in clinical, hospital, and community practices; iii) to master the methodology that enables designing and conducting bioethical research in the health services.

Master Degree in Palliative Care

This master degree leads to the attainment of an academic and professional qualification in Palliative Care with a view to a more efficient provision of health care and to fostering research in health services.

Students should acquire: i) relevant and updated theoretical and practical information in the field of palliative care; ii) capacity to manage evaluation and therapeutic techniques enabling a clinical approach to palliative care; iii) methodological preparation enabling research in health care; iv) pedagogical capacity to develop in-service training plans in palliative care for health professionals; v)ability to carry out ethical reflection and question human and technical issues required for the exercise of palliative care.

Master in Emerging Infectious Diseases

The Master Degree in Emerging Infectious Diseases seeks to address the growing concern about the scientific importance of emerging infectious diseases, and integrate epidemiological, microbiological, parasitological, molecular biology, immunology, and infectionology aspects.

This master is aimed at a broad and diverse range of professionals in the fields of Medicine, Veterinary, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Nursing. The Master Board may accept students with other qualifications provided their applications are well-founded.
The overall objective of this degree is to enable students to acquire and deepen their knowledge and develop skills in this biological phenomenon of the microbial universe.

Master Degree in Metabolic Disorders and Food Behaviour

Increased life expectancy and environmental changes in terms of food availability and sedentary lifestyle have created the conditions for a profound transformation at the level of morbidity and risk of mortality of humans in developed countries. This finding requires further knowledge and research in this area, from a multidisciplinary perspective.

These changes need to be studied at university level transversally and in all related areas of knowledge – public health, biology, biochemistry, genetics, psychology, psychiatry, nutrition, clinical obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular surgery.

Accordingly, the main objective of this degree is to advance knowledge and research in a field that is becoming very important in terms of the new pattern of morbidity and causes of mortality of population in developed countries. This is a theme that cuts across several disciplines, such as public health, psychology/psychiatry, biochemistry, genetics, endocrinology, medicine and surgery.

Master Degree in Epidemiology

The Master Degree in Epidemiology aims to provide students with knowledge and skills that are essential to the understanding, analysis, and proposals for epidemiological and clinical studies. To this end, the master includes 12 courses (11 compulsory plus at least one from 8 electives) integrating knowledge and practice of epidemiology, research methods, statistics, and health sciences.

This degree will enable students to: i) deepen, systematize, and apply knowledge and skills in epidemiology, statistics and research methods; ii) acquire a multidisciplinary and global perspective of applying several epidemiological methods to several areas of research and clinical practice; iii) gain high quality theoretical and practical experience with the support and guidance of qualified researchers and mentors; iv) promote research excellence in epidemiology and related areas.

The overall objective of this degree is to help students develop skills and qualifications in epidemiology, epidemiological and clinical research, and give them the competence to identify, analyse, intervene, and communicate the health problems of groups and populations.

Master Degree in Neuroscience

The main objective of sciences focusing on the study of the nervous system, called neuroscience, is to study the nervous system as a whole, taking into account its relationship with the external and internal milieus, and involving perception, action, behaviour, cognition, as well as internal homeostasis systems.

Recently, sciences devoted to the study of the nervous system have been designated neuroscience, whose main goal is to study the nervous system and its interactions.

Over the past years, neuroscience has progressed significantly due to the use of innovative technologies. Neuroscientists are now in a position to better understand the brain, either when it is working normally or when it is affected by disease.

The Master in Neuroscience aims to promote knowledge of the nervous system using a multidisciplinary and complementary approach, through the application of rigorous scientific methods and the contribution of clinical and laboratory research.

Master Degree in Adolescent Health

Various health professionals involved in adolescent health have called for the need for comprehensive and interdisciplinary training of technicians that can allow more effective responses to the multiple health needs of this age group.

This course will offer general training in adolescent health from a multidisciplinary perspective, leading to the use of scientific methodology in its epidemiological, public, and clinical health aspects.

The general objectives of this degree are: i) provide acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge and training of competences in terms of gestures and attitudes in the field of adolescent heath; enable the acquisition of scientific methodology leading to autonomy at research level.

Maria João Paulo
Institute for Advanced Training
instfa@fm.ul.pt