Beyond financial aid: tailored scholarship programs help to form researchers and public health leaders towards social inclusion in Brazil

Background: High quality university education in Brazil might be costly, particularly when it comes to private institutions and courses in healthcare. Medical schools, for instance, charge an average monthly tuition which can range from an estimated US$ 900 to US$ 2200. Constantly aiming at public health improvement and social impact, Fundação Maria Emília (FME), a private social investor based in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, offers national and international scholarship programs which go beyond basic funding. The goal is to make sure beneficiaries have optimal conditions to pursue their studies in the best way possible, as to become global health leaders who influence building and implementation of public policies.

 

PRACTICE :In addition to covering the costs of the main tuition value, supplementary funding for housing, insurance, work equipment and other expenses is equally granted to scholarship holders. In the national level, through the ‘Medi+ Program’, low-income students receive all the necessary support during the six medical school years at Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, a reference private university. With the program ‘Parceiro Social’, FME provides undergraduate students of Senai/Cimatec, who are already scholarship holders of this reference institution in research and innovation, with computers and additional financial support which allows them to cover food and transportation expenses, which, in some cases of lower family income, lead them to dropping the course.

 

Internationally, students pursue a Master’s Public Health degree in worldwide recognized institutions (Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health), benefitting from financial aid for tuition, but also for living expenses. All FME beneficiaries receive tailored support from the Foundation, through events that discuss public health issues and promote high level networking, as well as active participation in FME’s digital community, which organizes thematic webinars about, for instance, the impact of scientific research on everyday medical practice.

 

In the context of a solid and sustainable partnership model, scholarship recipients’ scientific articles and academic productions are posted on FME’s social media, website and community, contributing to dissemination of knowledge. This enables a closer collaborative relationship, which remains active even after the formal scholarship program is concluded.

 

Outcomes: By undertaking relevant training, accessing innovative research centres of institutions of excellence and engaging in high level networking, scholarship recipients are becoming strong leaders in public health, capable of developing and putting to practice inclusive public policies and services for the benefit of the Brazilian population.

 

Conclusion: By enabling high level education in institutions of excellence and offering the best conditions for academic achievement to qualified students and professionals who would not have such an opportunity otherwise, Fundação Maria Emília plays an important role in strengthening workforce and helping to reduce inequalities in a country with significant socioeconomic challenges.