NOVA Medical School celebrates National Student Day with a deep sense of mission for and with all students and gives voice to pre- and postgraduate students, emphasizing the key role that all Students play in our School.
Statement by Miguel Barradas, student of Integrated Master Degree in Medicine doing a PIATI internship at Molecular Mechanisms of Disease Lab
"Being a student at NMS is studying at a School with a recognized quality of education, established in the heart of the city of Lisbon, which is an advantage. The curricular plan has a strong practical component, given that the hospital internships start earlier in the course when compared with other medical schools. We benefit from an adequate tutor-student ratio and, in addition, the internships take place in different locations, which allows the students to have contact with different population realities. At an extracurricular level, NMS allows students to participate in different projects, such as volunteering or research projects, the latter being my case, through PIATI (Program for the Integration of Students in Research), which allows enriching knowledge beyond clinical practice.
The research project in which I am working consists of studying "cellular and organoid models in the study of retinal degenerative diseases" and takes place in the Molecular Mechanisms of Disease laboratory at CEDOC. The laboratory is interested in studying the molecular mechanisms involved in chronic retinal diseases with the aim of developing new genetic and pharmacological therapeutic strategies. Thus, in this particular project, differentiated retinal cell and organoid models are used in the laboratory to study various pathologies, namely diabetic retinopathy or macular degeneration."
"Being a student at NOVA Medical School allowed me to meet a community of highly qualified professionals from different areas of health who shared their testimony and are receptive to receiving us and explaining their work. These experiences help us to define our academic path. NBR Master Programme is characterized by great mentoring and guidance by professors who promote a personalised teaching methodology, focusing on the personal and professional improvement of each student. There is still a great deal of concern in preparing students at an international level, with several courses taught completely in English, that attract students of various nationalities to study at NMS.
The laboratory Neuronal Control of Metabolic Diseases: Therapeutic Strategies, led by Dr Silvia Vilares Conde, focuses on metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes (DM2) that affect millions of individuals around the world, seeking to identify strategies to prevent and treat these pathologies. Having chosen neurosciences as my master's area of expertise, I am currently studying the role of the carotid body in the control of dysmetabolism, starting with investigating how the activity of this organ is integrated in the brain in metabolic pathology."
"At NOVA Medical School, as students we have the great opportunity to explore a wide spectrum of concepts directly associated with health, from research, medicine, nutrition or even management. Being a student at NMS is feeling that we belong to a community. Whether we are students, researchers, professors, or other employees, we are all part of a large set of gears working together.
In the Lab led by Dr Hugo Vicente Miranda, we are interested in studying how changes in metabolism, as in the case of type 2 diabetes, can impact brain function and in turn lead to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Parkinson's disease. In my PhD project I am studying whether the enzyme that degrades insulin, which is known to also have functions that fight neurodegenerative diseases, has therapeutic potential in Parkinson's disease."
The National Student Day was established in Portugal on May 8th, 1987 byAssembleia da República Portuguesa. This day aims to "encourage the participation of students in school life and society" and "cooperation and interaction among students".