Coordinator/Dean:
Vice Coordinator/Assistant Dean:The UFPel Epidemiology Postgraduate Program is an interdisciplinary training program leading to the PhD degree in Epidemiology. The primary goal of the program is to train students to become leaders in epidemiology research, education and outreach. Speciality subject areas include: maternal and child investigation, health inequalities and human nutrition.
The program has three postgraduate courses: MSc, PhD and a Master of Professional Studies. MSc students from other universities and Health Professionals are offered two extension courses in epidemiology and statistics, so as to fulfil some of the requirements covered in the UFPel MSc course. The program is part of the Social Medicine Department at the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel) and is based in the Centre for Epidemiological Research (CPE).
A Wellcome Trust Foundation scholarship is available for students from Latin America, the Caribbean and other developing countries.
The program has been designed to be class based during the first year, prior to full-time thesis work. The training classes include a set of core areas to make students fluent in the language and approach of epidemiology. Formal classroom instruction and intensive graduate seminars familiarise students with the current state of the field, equipping them intellectually for hands-on research. By the end of the second year the thesis topic needs to be presented so that full-time thesis research can commence in year three. Students are encouraged to publish, and one of the requirements for the PhD program is publication of three articles within a recognised journal.
After initiating thesis research, students learn how to approach and solve research problems of fundamental significance, thus advancing our understanding of epidemiology. We expect that graduates of our program will be innovators, investigators and teachers whose programs are founded on research, with most ultimately ending up in academic positions.
The defining characterising of the UFPel Epidemiology Program is the combination of outstanding faculty researchers and especially smart, energetic students in a community that shares a strong and longstanding commitment to epidemiological research for improved public health.
