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Abstract Introduction: Brazilian scientific production has shown substantial growth and achieved international visibility. However, in general, the participation of women in scientific activities remains limited. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the indicators of scientific productivity of women fellows of the Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in the field of Medicine. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 541 (211 women, 39%) researchers registered as recipients of CNPq research productivity (PQ) scholarships in Medicine according to a list provided in December 2022. Results: There was a predominance of male researchers (n=330; 61%). In both the male and female groups, most researchers were at level 2, with 62.5% women and 47.2% men (p=0.018). All 211 female PQ scholars were distributed among 37 different institutions and published 34,969 papers in scientific journals, averaging 165.7 articles per researcher. In the last five years of the study period (from 2018 to 2022), 9,679 papers were published. Over their careers, the 211 researchers supervised 5,440 undergraduate research students, 4,144 master’s degree students, and 2,923 PhD candidates. There was a significant difference between the scholarship levels for the development of human resources in undergraduate research (p=0.040), master’s degree (p=0.027), and PhD. (p

ABSTRACT Training in genetics is fundamental to understanding the biological aspects of the health-disease binomial. Moreover, with the change in the epidemiological profile, genetically determined disorders have become more relevant as a public health concern. Thus, managing these disorders in an ethical and diligent manner, both in patients and in their families, and considering the logic and policies of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), has become a desirable competency for all physicians, impacting on their undergraduate training. Viewing this issue as relevant, the Brazilian Society of Medical Genetics and Genomics (SBGM) defined the desirable competencies in genetics for Brazilian physicians, tied to the public policies related to medical genetics in Brazil. This paper is a theoretical essay that aims to contextualize and present the competency profile in Genetics for physicians proposed by the SBGM. The proficiency profile, presented and discussed in this essay, was structured based on four essential competencies: (1) to recognise the necessity for continuing education, regularly examining one’s own clinical competency, identifying learning gaps and the advances of genetics and of genomics over time; (2) to identify individuals that present or can develop a genetic disorder and know how and when to refer the patient to a specialist in medical genetics; (3) to manage patients with previously diagnosed genetic disorders and/or birth defects, employing established clinical guidelines in the scope of their professional role; and (4) to promote and stimulate clinical and education practices aimed at preventing genetic disorders and birth defects. The knowledge, skills and attitudes required for attaining these four competencies were identified. Therefore, a competency-based theoretical reference is presented to support the teaching of genetics during medical training. It is proposed that this essential competency profile in genetics should be adopted in all Brazilian medical schools with the purpose of training physicians better prepared for the current demands of the SUS. Furthermore, this competency profile can support continuing professional education actions in the area of Genetics, in order to qualify SUS staff in relation to genetic disorders and birth defects.

ABSTRACT The inclusion, adherence and success of low-income undergraduates are important goals in Brazilian higher education, as well as in other parts of the world, especially in busy and full-time courses such as medicine. This paper analyzes the performance of undergraduate medical students by comparing two groups: those who applied for and received a scholarship during the academic years (scholarship holders) and the others (without scholarship). We analyzed data from 417 medical students who graduated between 2010 and 2013, corresponding to four years of a retrospective cohort at a free public university in Brazil. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher’s exact test, Student’s t test, Mann-Whitney test, and linear regression to compare the scores of these groups in the sixth and twelfth semesters (middle and final semesters) and in the admission exam for medical residency programs, consisting of: total score, multiple choice test for knowledge assessment, simulated structured clinical assessment, interview and written questions. The independent variable was to receive a scholarship, while the control variables were age, socioeconomic strata, extra gratuities for high school in public institution and self-declaration of race, score in the vestibular entry exam (general and in each area assessed) and parents’ level of education. A total of 243 students (58.2%) received a scholarship, most of them as a scientific initiation grant (217 or 89.3%), while 10.7% received social assistance, the average income per capita was about 16% lower among students who received a scholarship (p = 0.01) compared to those who did not. Scholarship recipients achieved better academic performance in the sixth (p

Abstract: Introduction: The aim of this study was to describe the profile and scientific production of research fellows of the Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in the neuroscience area. Methods: We created a database containing 542 researchers who were CNPq fellows in Medicine, of which 94 (17.34%) worked mainly in the neuroscience area. Results: The researchers were distributed in eight Brazilian States: São Paulo (n=49; 52.12%), Rio Grande do Sul (n=22; 23.40%), Rio de Janeiro (n=9; 9.57%), Minas Gerais (n=5; 5.31%), Ceará (n=4; 4.25%), Santa Catarina (n=3; 3.19%), Espirito Santo (n=1; 1.06) and Paraná (n=1, 1.06%). Although the neuroscience researchers were from more than 20 institutions, 58.5% worked in only 3 of those, namely USP (n=30), UFRGS (n=15) and UNIFESP (n=10). The median time since obtaining the PhD degree was 18.27 years (range, 5-39). Throughout their academic careers, 94 researchers published 16,488 papers in scientific journals, with an average of 175.40 articles per researcher (ranging from 43 to 715 articles). Of the 16,488 articles,12,801 or 77.63% were indexed at Web of Science (mean of 136.18 articles/researcher), while 10,166 or 61.65% were indexed at Scopus database (mean of 108.14 articles/researcher). Overall, those researchers advised 1,279 undergraduate students (median of 13.60; range: 0-68), of which 1,329 were master’s degree students (median of 14.13; range: 1-49) and 970 PhD students (median of 10.54; range: 0-42). The fellows’ median H-index at ISI was 23.75. Conclusion: It is observed that the neuroscience fellows constitute a group with significant scientific production (the fellows’ median H-index at ISI was 23.75). Most of these scientific publications were indexed at the Web of Science (77.63%) and Scopus (61.65%) databases. Human resources training are also highlighted, including undergraduate students, master’s degree students and PhD students. Comparative studies with researchers from other countries, in similar areas of knowledge, are necessary to better understand the present results.

Abstract: Introduction: One of the great challenges of a medical school curriculum is to offer training in basic surgical techniques, which allows graduates to develop competences to take care of simple cases presented in the primary care level of SUS. In order to approach the problem of the technical-surgical qualification of medical students and taking advantage of the interest raised by students’ leagues, a surgical care project directed at patients with inguinal hernia was proposed and carried out, based on the students’ academic leagues. The aim of this study is to disclose and discuss the results and the academic experience learned from a students’ league in surgical learning. Methods: This report encompasses the three-year experience of an academic league aiming to approach the problem of the technical-surgical qualification of medical students and which takes advantage of the academic leagues among undergraduate medical students. The participants comprised one general surgery professor, one anesthesiologist, and undergraduate medical students interested in the surgical clinic, from the School of Medicine, University of Pernambuco, Recife (PE), Brazil. Results: Twenty-four students were included. Ninety-six patients were submitted to surgery. Two seminars with nine lectures and one workshop on surgical skills were held. One paper entitled “League of Inguinal Hernia Surgery” was presented. We did not observe hernia recurrences; the surgical complications were minimum and small in number. The students showed fast development of surgical, interpersonal, and communication skills. However, this education model included a small number of students and offered heavy competition to the general surgery residents in their first year at the University Hospital. Conclusion: The academic league in surgery allows a rich pedagogical experience, offering the opportunity for human and technical qualification. However, the proposed model has limitations. In our opinion, it does not represent a solution for the flaws and omissions observed in the school’s curricular grid.

ABSTRACT Since the turn of the millennium, competency-based medical education (CBME) has become a new standard for medical training in many countries. CBME has been operationalized in detailed frameworks of competencies that every physician should demonstrate at graduation, and similar frameworks have been created for specialties. However, the competencies, describing qualities that physicians should possess, do not directly translate into everyday activities of physicians. For that reason, the Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) were introduced. EPAs are units of professional practice that may be entrusted to undergraduate students, once they show the competencies needed to perform them without supervision. EPAs have become a popular topic within CBME programs in many countries and hundreds of publications within only a few years. This paper was written to introduce the strengths and weaknesses of EPAs. After a brief historical overview, the reason why EPAs are a bridge between a competency framework and daily clinical practice is explained. While competencies are qualities of individuals, EPAs are units of work. The two can be seen as two dimensions of a matrix, showing that almost all activities in health care are based on multiple competencies, such as communication skill, collaboration, professional behavior, content knowledge. Next, entrustment decision-making as a form of assessment is created and a framework of levels of supervision is presented. Entrustment decisions focus on the level of supervision a student requires for a specific activity, divided into five levels (1: allowed to observe; 2; allowed to perform under direct supervision; 3: allowed to perform under indirect supervision; 4: allowed to perform the activity unsupervised; 5: allowed to supervise the activity performed by more junior learners). For readers interested in applying the concept to practice, a stepwise approach to the curriculum development is proposed. The paper concludes with an overview of the state-of-the-art of working with EPAs across disciplines, professions and countries.

ABSTRACT Introduction The construct professionalism is increasingly being recognized as an important component of medical education; fundamental to the physician’s role in society Objective: To group in a concise and systemized way the information available in scientific productions on the concept of medical professionalism and its applications in medical residency programs. Methods A total of 85 articles were found in 2018, of which 13 were excluded for duplication using the Mendeley platform. Of the 72 remaining articles, 35 were excluded for not answering the research question. Of the 37 articles selected for reading of the abstract, eight were not available, leaving 29 articles. After reading all articles for the final selection, 11 articles were excluded. Six papers did not fulfill the goals of the research, and five were opinion articles. Results The production included 18 articles, from which analysis emerged three thematic categories: (a) professionalism: multidimensional construct; (b) teaching of professionalism: role modeling and the curriculum; (c) evaluation of professionalism: multiple strategies in the curriculum. The most frequently cited domains were: altruism, responsibility, care, teamwork, self-control, ethical principles and clinic excellence. Ten articles highlighted the importance of role modeling by preceptors and members of the health team in the Medical Residency Program for teaching professionalism. Regarding the most commonly used strategies for the selection, feedback practices and the OSCE were highlighted in scenarios to evaluate the domains of professionalism. Conclusion Professionalism is a dynamic construct that is worked on in the form of teaching and assessment in Medical Residency Programs. There is no consensus on the professionalism concept, and thus, multiple strategies are used for the teaching, among which role modeling can be highlighted. The teaching of medical professionalism, as a construct, in the training of specialists can reduce lapses and foster assistance based on respect for the autonomy of people and social responsibility.