Professor Francisco Tarazona-Santalbina, Geriatrician and Professor at the Universidad Católica de Valencia, was at NOVA Medical School between 13 and 17 January as part of the Erasmus+ Programme to explore the challenges and innovative practices in the area of ageing from the perspective of clinical care, teaching and research.
The geriatrician, a former member of the Board of the European Geriatric Medicine Society, was invited to take part in discussions on ageing during his visit, as part of an initiative by the NMS and CHRC, through the EpiDoC Unit and teachers from the “Elderly Patient” Curricular Unit of the Integrated Master's Degree in Medicine, led by Professor Ana Rodrigues.
The workshop “Challenges of Healthcare among Older Students” was attended by Portuguese doctors dedicated to geriatrics, who shared their experiences and work in a clinical context, namely at ULS São José and Hospital do Mar. The initiative fostered an enriching discussion and brought academia closer to clinical practice.
In the session “Healthcare among Older Adults”, Professor Francisco Tarazona-Santalbina presented his remarkable work on physical exercise and ageing, in an initiative where the ongoing research projects in this area by the EpiDoC Unit's researchers were also shared. The RADAR Project was also presented by Dr. Mário Rui André, a community approach led by Santa Casa da Misericórdia in collaboration with various partners, including NOVA Medical School, which aims to combat social isolation and unwanted loneliness among the elderly population.
During the week, there was also the opportunity to discuss NOVA Medical School's innovative teaching methodologies, such as Team-Based Learning and the contents and structure of the “Elderly Patient.
NOVA Medical School would like to thank Professor Francisco Tarazona-Santalbina and the other guests and speakers for their visit and valuable contribution: Dr. Heidi Gruner, Dr. Sofia Duque, Dr. Miguel Toscano Rico, Dr. Rita Alves, Dr. Joana Goulão, Dr. Helena Bárrios and Dr. Mário Rui André, all the EpiDoC researchers as well as the support of the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine's Geriatrics Study Group - GERMI.