Building Bridges Between Brazil and the US: Anatomical Sciences and Medical Education

Abstract

Brazil and the US represent the two most populous countries in the western hemisphere with the greatest number of medical schools and students in training. Over the past decade there has been considerable cross‐fertilization among anatomists in the two countries particularly in the American Association of Anatomists / Experimental Biology Meetings. Medical schools and universities in the US generally count on excellent infrastructure; high quality, motivated faculty; and cutting edge technology. The interplay of these assets results in flexible strategies that address the needs of millennial students and a modern way of learning that is interactive, multimodal and stimuli‐dependent. In Brazil, different educational settings have particular difficulties and needs. Building Bridges is an international initiative in medical education to foster collaborations and exchange experiences in anatomical sciences among students, researchers, and educators in Brazil and the US. Here we report the results from the first endeavor of our ongoing initiative. We organized three meetings that were held in Brazil, in November 2015, hosted by private, state and federal medical universities, respectively: Santa Casa School of Medical Sciences in Sao Paulo, University of Sao Paulo ‐ Ribeirão Preto, and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Each meeting consisted of lectures on both current research and educational topics in anatomy by faculty from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and local professors. In addition, there were discussions on medical curricula, and specific challenges faced by each school. Students representing academic organizations (e.g. “Anatomy Leagues”) had the opportunity to introduce their work, ask questions, and discuss subjects of particular interest, for example availability of cadaver dissection and the use of imaging technology in the gross anatomy lab. The active participation of over 300 students and professors showed a clear interest for this program. There were also meetings with the Deans and Course Coordinators in the different settings to exchange experiences, discuss current issues in medical curricula and specific difficulties in teaching anatomy from the different educational standpoints. These opportunities allowed for us to better understand specific needs of medical students in each type medical school in Brazil. Lastly, we met with Brazilian Government Officials in both Brazil and the US to give feedback. We are currently planning on student workshops visiting programs and meetings in both the US and Brazil as part of the ongoing Building Bridges initiatives.Support or Funding InformationSupport Sources: National Counsel of Technological Development – CNPq; Santa Casa School of Medicine of Sao Paulo; University of Sao Paulo ‐ Ribeirao Preto; Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; The Anatomical Record.