The Postgraduate Program in Public Health (PPGSC) of the Department of Health (DSAU) was implanted in 2004. It has as its priorities, the formation of researchers in the area of collective health, and subsequent contributions to the scientific and technological development of the municipalities of the semi-arid region of Bahia and other regions that seek to benefit from the application of such technology and knowledge. Having as its objectives:
- To qualify professionals for the teaching of subjects in the public health field at both graduate and postgraduate levels;
- To train researchers in the collective health area;
- To contribute to scientific and technological development in Collective Health, with the possibility of its specific application to the semi-arid region.
Based on these objectives, the Postgraduate Program in Public Health (PPGSC) has focused its activities on collective health training, development of research and the integration of its activities with the needs of the region in mind, as well as contributing to the production of wider universal knowledge in the area. It is in the pursuit of these objectives that the success of the development and evolution of the PPGSC, and the social impacts it has obtained, should be evaluated.
The intellectual production of the PPGSC-UEFS is focused on addressing pressing problems, especially those specific issues that involve the health and well-being of the semi-arid population of Bahia. However, this attention to the local and regional has not prevented the knowledge generated here from contributing at national and international levels.
Academic excellence is guaranteed by maintaining a solid base of studies, supported by concrete practices at the health care service level, and the integration of PPGSC with various academic centers in the fields of Collective and Public Health in Brazil and abroad. The research conducted by our academic body seeks to promote qualified health intervention, integrated with other knowledge areas, in order to improve the quality of life of population groups.
The principle characteristic of our research projects is the production of knowledge applied to concrete problems and the use of this knowledge to influence public policy making through health promoting actions and interventions. Crucial to this objective is the close link between research projects and extension programs in diverse areas (social development, public safety, human rights, education, work, and environment, among others), with the aim of improving life quality and assisting in the implementation of actions that address local and regional demands. As such, the PPGSC-UEFS is strongly committed to a democratic and efficient Public Health System (SUS) that is linked to and integrated with other sectors.