Forty FAIMER Fellows and nine FAIMER faculty participated in the Brazilian Medical Education Congress, held October 18-21 in Salvador, Brazil. Eliana Amaral (PHIL 2003), Co-Director of the Brazil-FAIMER Regional Institute, reports that FAIMER Fellows presented 66 posters and 34 oral communications, representing nearly 9% and 15% of the totals respectively, despite the fact that the FAIMER group represented less than 2% of the total participants in the Congress. FAIMER Fellows also served as reviewers for poster sessions and some Fellows were elected to serve as coordinators of four (out of eight) regional offices for the Brazilian Association on Medical Education.
In conjunction with the Congress, a Brazil-FAIMER Regional Institute meeting was held. Eliana notes that the meeting was successful not only in “bringing the group together,” but also in “stimulating potential candidates for the Regional as well as the Philadelphia Institute.” Participants in the meeting included the Brazilian Manager of the Pan American Health Organization and a representative from the Brazilian Ministry of Health, partners for the Brazil-FAIMER Regional Institute. Their participation helped raise awareness for faculty development issues and the role of FAIMER initiatives at a national level.
