The 3rd edition of the 'Somos Manguinhos' project, held last Friday, September 27, paid tribute to the first Brazilian postgraduate experience: the Application Courses of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz). 

Created to meet the desires of Oswaldo Cruz and the pioneers of Manguinhos regarding the training of researchers, the initiative, offered from 1908 to 1970, trained around 400 professionals over more than six decades. 

The event welcomed as guests three graduates who built high-impact careers in IOC: Ernesto Hofer and Leon Rabinovitch (class of 1964-1965) and Delir Corrêa (class of 1967).  

Watch the session:

The session took place in the Emmanuel Dias Auditorium, in the Arthur Neiva Pavilion, on the F campus.iocruz, in Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, an emblematic location since the building was built as a course pavilion and hosted classes from 1950 onwards.  

The activity was integrated into the Center for Studies of IOC and the Secular Silver Jubilee of the 125th anniversary of IOC.

Pioneering initiative 

The innovative nature of the Application Courses and their relevance to Brazilian science were highlighted at the opening of the event. 

“This is the root of postgraduate studies in our country, another visionary project by Oswaldo Cruz, whose impact and legacy we can still see today. To remember this story, we welcomed very special people to our home: former students of the Application Courses, who dedicated their journeys to IOC, trained scientists and became leaders”, said the coordinator of the Journalism and Communication Department of IOC, Raquel Aguiar, creator of 'We Are Manguinhos'. 

“The Application Course was created by Oswaldo Cruz based on his experience in the specialization he did at the Pasteur Institute in France, and was also shaped by the influence of researchers at the Institute who had connections with other schools of microbiology, such as the German one. This initiative allowed for quality training in the country,” pointed out researcher Ricardo Lourenço de Oliveira, host of the project 'Somos Manguinhos'. 

The director of IOC, Tania Cremonini de Araujo-Jorge, recalled the book 'A school for science and health: 111 years of teaching at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute', published in 2011, which tells the story of the teaching offered at the Unit.  

“Oswaldo Cruz created a school in IOC. Paulo Freire said that 'education alone does not transform society, and without it, society cannot change either'. The Application Course trained people and these people changed science and health. May we be inspired by these stories and these legacies”, declared Tania. 

In a video message, the president of Capes, Denise Pires de Carvalho, highlighted the importance of the event and the preservation of institutional memory.  

“Events like this are crucial to keeping our history alive, which is a reference for building a better future. The Application Course was a pioneer in so many aspects that it would be impossible to describe everything. I would like to highlight the innovative and almost revolutionary nature of the practical approach to training, which was not available in medical schools in Brazil,” said Denise. 

Classroom memories 

The event took place in a chat format. Guests recalled how they entered the course, the environment, the routine of activities and the most memorable moments. 

"We know the entire structure of the IOC with the best specialists”, said Ernesto Hofer, who was head of the Department of Bacteriology and the Laboratory of Bacterial Zoonoses. 

In addition to quality, the demands on training were highlighted, with written, oral and practical tests being carried out, which could result in elimination if the student failed. 

“We women had to fight hard to get somewhere because the competition was fierce and women were considered inferior to men,” recalled Delir Corrêa, who was head of the Department of Helminthology and the Laboratory of Vertebrate Parasitic Helminths, as well as vice-director of the Institute and curator of the Helminthological Collection. 

“I encourage this generation to be persistent in their studies and in their eagerness to seek knowledge. Always remember that this is important for our country, for the health of our population,” commented Leon Rabinovitch in a message to the current and future generations.

 

The researcher was head of the Department of Bacteriology, of the Laboratory of Bacterial Physiology, deputy director of the IOC, coordinator of the National Reference for Anthrax and curator of the Collection of Cultures of the Genus Bacillus and Related Genera.