Program Overview

The Graduate Program in Health and Aging (PPGSE) at Marilia Medical School (FAMEMA), in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, is part of the interdisciplinary area of Health and Biological Sciences, as defined by CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel). Marilia Medical School has a strong track record of fostering interdisciplinary academic work in health education and research.

The program offers an academic master’s degree that was approved by CAPES in 2011, with the first cohort beginning in March 2012. In the most recent CAPES four-year evaluation (2017–2020), the program maintained a Level 4 rating, a mark of solid academic performance. An academic doctoral program has also been approved and is currently awaiting formal authorization from Brazil’s National Education Council (CNE/MEC) before launching.

Brazil, including the region of Marília, is experiencing a significant demographic transition characterized by population aging. This shift poses complex societal and public health challenges, which cannot be addressed solely from a traditional biomedical perspective. The program therefore promotes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding and addressing health-related aspects of aging throughout the entire life course—from birth through end-of-life care.

The program’s mission is to train researchers and professionals at the master’s and doctoral levels who are equipped to analyze and respond to the social, biological, and systemic factors that influence the aging process and the health-disease continuum.