Fiocruz and London School Representatives plan on partnering

Representatives of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) visited Fiocruz on 30th October for a planning meeting on cooperation between both institutions. Discussions included ways to strengthen the relationship between the institutions to expand the existing partnership between projects or specific laboratories for institutional cooperation, in accordance with the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2014.

Director of London School, Peter Piot, and President of Fiocruz, Nísia Trindade Lima. (Foto: Peter Ilicciev)
 

Peter Piot emphasized the proximity of visions of both institutions. “We have a common view on public health, global health and human rights. That’s why this cooperation is so important,” he declared. Piot confirmed his interest in strengthening the long-term relationship with Fiocruz.

The president of Fiocruz, Nísia Trindade de Lima, agreed to the proximity of visions of both institutions and highlighted the importance of interdisciplinarity in this vision. “Fiocruz, as an institution, and I, as a sociologist, value this perspective. The London School uses this interdisciplinary approach on many topics, including vaccine research,” she said.

Nísia visited the London School recently to introduce Fiocruz and discuss the terms of the partnership. According to Piot, the meeting was very positive. “We were impressed by everything that is being done. There is a lot more happening than I though,” he declared.

Education programs, as joint-PhDs, interchanges and periodic workshops were some of the suggestions to strengthen institutional cooperation. Big data, chronic diseases, infectious diseases and violence were some of the interest themes. Representatives from several Fiocruz units attended the meeting.

Triangular cooperation was also discussed. “Fiocruz has important partners in Latin America and Portuguese-speaking African countries,” said Paulo Buss, director of the Center for International Relations in Health (Cris-Fiocruz).

The director of the British institution stressed their interest on this topic. The London School is one of the most important in the world in public and global health education and research and has half of its staff working outside the United Kingdom. “We have a colonial heritage still, which is present even in the reference to Tropical Medicine in the name of the institution. However, we have been seeking to train and recruit local scientists in the countries we operate. It is also an opportunity to strengthen “South-South” partnerships, he stated.