On November 28 and 29, 2024, students from the Oncology Program gathered at the Auditorium of the São Paulo State Cancer Institute (ICESP) for the XV Postgraduate Oncology Symposium of the Faculdade de Medicina da USP (FMUSP).
Over the two days of the Symposium, master’s and doctoral students associated with the Program presented their research through oral presentations and poster sessions. These presentations highlighted the diverse range of topics covered by the various projects, encouraged students to address audience questions, provided opportunities for guidance from experienced researchers, and fostered interactions among students pursuing different research paths.
On the first day, the opening lecture was delivered by Professor Rodrigo do Tocantins Calado, current Vice Provost for Graduate Studies at USP and Full Professor in the Department of Medical Imaging, Hematology, and Clinical Oncology at the Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP-USP). Professor Calado detailed the plan to reform and streamline graduate programs.
Graduate programs adopting the proposed changes will include a qualification phase at the end of the first year, where students can choose to continue with a master’s degree or transition to a doctoral program, depending on their goals. These changes aim to reduce the time required for degree completion, expand access to graduate education, and enhance the value of master’s degrees, positioning them as independent postgraduate degrees for in-depth knowledge rather than merely a preliminary stage for doctoral studies.
On the second day, Greyce Lousana, founder and executive president of the Brazilian Society of Clinical Research Professionals (SBPPC), president and CEO of Invitare Clinical Research, and coordinator of the Permanent Forum for Ethics Committees and Research Professionals (FOCEP), delivered a lecture. In a humorous presentation, she discussed pathways and challenges in clinical research and explored potential intersections between academic and private sector research. She emphasized the academy’s role in generating new ideas and the industry’s role in transforming scientific findings into products that can effectively impact patients’ lives.
The organizing committee for the Symposium consisted of Ana Carolina Pavanelli, Cristiana da Costa Cavalieri, and Vinicius Marques Rocha, all affiliated with the Program. According to Ana Carolina Pavanelli, a researcher at the Translational Oncology Center (CTO) at ICESP and a doctoral student, “the event enabled collective knowledge-building and represented an opportunity for professional growth through the exercise of organizational, leadership, and commitment skills.” Vinicius Marques Rocha, a doctoral student and student representative, highlighted “the exchange of experiences and ideas between students, faculty, and researchers in the field, as well as the opportunity for interaction among students who do not often meet due to the dispersed nature of academic and research activities.” For master’s student Cristiana Cavalieri, “the goal of fostering enriching discussions about the projects was achieved once again this year, and the insights provided by the reviewers on the progress of the work greatly help us consider different ways to improve our research.”
At the close of the second day, Professors Luisa Lina Villa and Maria Aparecida Azevedo Koike Folgueira gave concluding remarks. Professor Luisa Villa addressed the evolution, importance, structure, objectives, and outcomes of FMUSP’s Oncology Graduate Program, while Professor Aparecida Koike provided an overview of FMUSP’s Professional Master’s Program, coordinated by her, in partnership with ICESP.
To close the event, the Maria Mitzi Brentani Award was presented to recognize the best works in the doctoral and master’s categories. The award for the doctoral category went to Beatrice Adrianne Silva Jorge. Raphaela Rebeca Silveira Assunção won in the master’s category, and Tais Vaz in the professional master’s category. There were also honorable mentions: Leandro Coutinho, from the doctoral program; Amanda Soares dos Santos, from the master’s program; and Alan Alves dos Santos, from the professional master’s program. All of them were presented with prizes and certificates.