Since the beginning of graduate studies in OFT/ORL/CCP in 1970, FMRP-USP has fulfilled its mission to train highly qualified professionals to work in teaching and research, and to replicate their actions in teaching and research centers, whether in the public or private sector. Our graduates, who are now professors and researchers spread across the best teaching and research institutions in Brazil and around the world, are a testament to this. Our PPG aims to produce qualified scientific and technological knowledge, characterized by innovation and advances in medical-scientific knowledge, seeking a positive impact on society and national and international recognition.

The PPG involves the fields of ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, head and neck surgery, gastroenterology, and audiology/speech-language pathology. The program is characterized by its enormous multidisciplinarity and its clinical and surgical nature, with interfaces with pharmaceutical sciences, public health, equipment development, experimental research, and other areas of health sciences. Given this, one of our training vocations is the pursuit of knowledge applied to clinical practice with multi-professional involvement.

The Master’s and PhD courses in our PPG are structured under two major areas of concentration (AC) related to the craniofacial segment (“Pathophysiological Mechanisms of the Visual and Audio-Vestibular Systems” and “Morphophysiology of Facial Structures”), aligned with 6 lines of research (LP), which contain 21 research projects (PP). The organization of the ACs with the different LPs and PPs is structured according to the flowchart below:

1) Pathophysiological Mechanisms of the Visual and Audio-Vestibular Systems (AC)

• a) Anatomophysiopathology of the Audio-Vestibular System and its Connections (LP)

  • Related Research Projects:

    • Epidemiological, pathophysiological, and therapeutic aspects related to deafness

    • Peripheral determinants of oculomotor function

    • Auditory plasticity in patients with cochlear implants

• b) Anatomophysiopathology and Therapeutics of the Anterior and Posterior Segments of the Eye (LP)

  • Related Research Projects:

    • Optical and tissue changes related to phacoemulsification

    • Angiogenesis of vascular diseases in the eyeball

    • Diagnostic, pathophysiological, and therapeutic evaluation of the posterior segment of the eye

    • Pathophysiological and therapeutic evaluation of the lacrimal gland and ocular surface

    • Inflammatory and tissue remodeling factors in the anterior segment of the eye

• c) Clinical and Epidemiological Aspects of the Determinants of Visual Impairment (LP)

  • Related Research Projects:

    • Biopathogenic agents and visual loss

    • Nosological conditions and community low vision

    • Immunogenetic factors of ocular diseases

    • Investigation of factors causing blindness

2) Morphophysiology of Facial Structures (AC)

• a) Morphofunctional Aspects of the Cranio-Cervico-Facial Complex (LP)

  • Related Research Projects:

    • The influence of obstructive sleep apnea on the morphophysiology of the face and quality of life

    • Innovative invasive approaches in craniofacial conditions

    • Facial anthropometry by imaging

    • Evaluation, diagnosis, and therapy of orofacial sensory-motor disorders

    • Aerodigestive morphological and functional evaluation

    • Quantitative voice evaluation

    • Measurement of eyelid dynamics

• b) Pathophysiology of Diseases in the Upper Airways (LP)

  • Related Research Project:

    • Pathophysiological and therapeutic evaluation of upper airway diseases

• c) Pathophysiology of Head and Neck Neoplasms (LP)

  • Related Research Project:

    • Diagnostic and molecular aspects of head and neck diseases

Curriculum Structure

The PPG-OFT/ORL/CCP currently offers 16 disciplines within its curriculum, totaling a workload of 1065 hours, corresponding to 71 class credits. Among the disciplines, students are required to participate in courses that cover the minimum core content, which consists of Scientific Methodology, Biostatistics, and Didactics. In our PPG, we offer the following 5 disciplines within these topics:

• Scientific Methodology: 60 hours, 4 credits.

• Basic Biostatistics: 90 hours, 6 credits.

• Didactics:

  • a) Advanced Course in Medical Didactics. 90 hours, 6 credits.

  • b) Pedagogical Preparation: Teaching Methodology in Small Groups. 45 hours, 3 credits.

  • c) Didactic Aspects and Pedagogical Preparation in Clinical-Surgical Specialties. 60 hours, 4 credits.

The other disciplines in our PPG are optional, with each area of concentration having a specific list of disciplines to facilitate the student’s performance in their area of interest and the development of their work. Students, in agreement with their advisor, can also choose any available discipline offered in any graduate program at FMRP-USP or even other USP units. Furthermore, in accordance with paragraph 3 of article 67 of the USP graduate regulations (Resolution no. 7493/2018), students can take disciplines in recognized graduate programs outside of USP, provided they respect the limit of one-third of the required credits, with the approval of the PPG coordinating committee.

The permanent faculty (DP) has demonstrated, over the years, the robustness and innovation essential for the longevity and maintenance of the quality of the disciplines, as well as the evolution of didactic proposals. Among the innovations, we have offered six disciplines in a remote format (ROO5709, ROO5725, ROO5730, ROO5747, ROO5749, ROO5751), using the Moodle teaching platform (e-disciplines from USP), with classes via videoconference through Google Meet, Zoom, or Mconf. The discipline ROO5748 Research and Innovations in Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, and Head and Neck Surgery, created in 2016, has been regularly offered exclusively in English, with the participation of professors from foreign institutions and prioritizes the participation of PhD students. In 2023, this discipline had the participation of Professor Joseph Han (Eastern Virginia Medical School), in addition to professors Edwin Tamashiro (FMRP-USP), Fabiana Cardoso Pereira Valera (FMRP-USP), Wilma T. Anselmo-Lima (FMRP-USP), Eurico de Arruda Neto (FMRP-USP), Maria Eduarda Trocoli Zanetti (FMRP-USP), and Janaina Melo (FMRP-USP).

With the exception of ROO5748, the PPG-OFT/ORL/CCP does not have disciplines that are exclusively for PhD students. Our history, as well as the vocation of our program, has shown that the greatest demand from our students is for formative and transversal disciplines, without detriment to training them in advanced and contemporary knowledge. Of the 16 disciplines, 8 can be characterized within the purpose of universal training and capacity building, regardless of the area of concentration or research line developed by the graduate student. The other 8 disciplines are more specific and geared toward students with a greater interest in a specific line of research. The high demand from students external to our program to participate in disciplines with a multidisciplinary nature should be highlighted. Just to give an example, the discipline ROO5725 (New discoveries in the physiopathology of CRS) has received students from the fields of Otorhinolaryngology, Internal Medicine, and Immunology; ROO 5732 (Mechanisms in the Regulation of the Ocular Surface) has an interface with students from Ophthalmology, Rheumatology, Immunology, and Pathology; and the discipline ROO5730 (Research on Orofacial Behaviors) has interdisciplinarity with students from the fields of Speech-Language Pathology, Otorhinolaryngology, Dentistry, and Physical Therapy. The disciplines ROO5746 and ROO5747 (Seminars in Hearing, Smell, and Vision I and II) allow students from the program and outside to follow the weekly development of their own and their colleagues’ research, interacting with a consolidated research group that meets with these students, updates and discusses the progress of the work and routines of that group, bringing together scientific initiation students and junior scientific initiation students from the CNPq and postdoctoral students, thus offering the real experience of the work of a research group throughout the year of work. Regarding these disciplines, the self-evaluation process with the students will help review demands and promote adjustments in the curriculum structure.

Finally, it should be noted that the PPG-OFT/ORL/CCP does not have disciplines of a merely technical nature or a specialization nature in any of the areas of concentration, nor does it encourage the creation of new disciplines with this objective.

Innovative Training Experiences

Since 2010, graduate students have given oral presentations on the progress of their work, submitted written reports, and received evaluations from the faculty in the area. This presentation initially took place at an event called the Annual Graduate Symposium. Starting in 2013, the presentation of students related to ophthalmology was incorporated into the scientific event Annual Graduate Symposium in Ophthalmology, at the São Paulo Ophthalmology Meeting (https://jornadapaulistadeoftalmo.com.br/), bringing together students and professors from different graduate programs in ophthalmology and vision sciences, including the Veterinary Medicine Schools of the Jaboticabal and Botucatu campuses of UNESP, in addition to the Ophthalmology Divisions of FMRP-USP, FCM-Unicamp, and FM-UNESP. Later, starting in 2018, the presentation of students related to Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and Audiology/Dysphagia became semi-annual, at an event called Research Day. The feedback from students regarding these events has been very positive, as it is a unique opportunity for constructive criticism to emerge during the project development process, often with extremely valuable suggestions for refining the study, in addition to the possibility of individual monitoring and advice in the face of any problems in conducting their work.

Remote communication tools have been very useful in the training process of our students, both for holding periodic research group meetings, qualifications, and thesis and dissertation defenses, and for teaching graduate disciplines.

Among the periodic research group meetings, we can mention the Dry Eye – Sjögren’s Syndrome Journal Club (monthly), Glaucoma Scientific Meetings (weekly), Head and Neck Surgery Tumor Board (weekly), Voice Laboratory (monthly), and Otorhinolaryngology Group meetings with Virology (monthly) and Allergology (monthly), in addition to the Glaucoma Sector Clinical-Scientific Meetings (weekly) and Retina Ground Rounds (weekly and with live transmission to different ophthalmology groups in the country). In addition to the rich exchange of experience, these meetings have served to disseminate and increase the visibility of the activities carried out in our PPG. In most of these meetings, the multidisciplinary approach to common problems is evident, combined with the coexistence of people at different levels of training, from pre-scientific initiation students to postdoctoral fellows, in addition to the presence of professors and, often, specialized technicians.

Since 2020 and with authorization to hold defenses and qualifications non-presentially, some of our PPG’s defenses have been conducted via video conference. Although these defenses have lost some of the charm of the in-person format, numerous advantages can be pointed out in this new format. First, it has become easier to invite evaluators from different parts of the country or even abroad to join the boards. Second, videoconferencing tools have brought enormous savings in accommodation and transportation expenses, as well as in travel time for board members and students residing in other states. Finally, we have noticed a larger audience of graduate students and other interested parties attending the defense process.

Since 2016, we have introduced the first distance learning experience with the modification of the discipline ROO5709 – Ototoxicity, Otoprotection and Cochlear-Vestibular Regeneration. Due to the restrictions brought by the pandemic at the beginning of the quadrennium in question (2021), other disciplines had to be readapted to the remote mode at that time. Thanks to the support structure offered by USP, such as the Moodle distance learning platform (e-disciplines) and Google Meet videoconferencing, we fortunately managed to readapt almost all the disciplines offered throughout the year and maintain the quality standard of the in-person disciplines. During this period, several training courses for using Moodle were offered by USP. At the end of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the disciplines gradually returned to their original format.

Regarding administrative spaces, the PPG-OFT/ORL/CCP has a secretariat room located on the 12th floor of HCRP, within the Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, and Head and Neck Surgery. In addition, the PPG has all the physical infrastructure and human resources support of the Graduate Commission of FMRP-USP, located within the USP campus in Ribeirão Preto-SP.

In addition, the PPG-OFT/ORL/CCP has broad institutional support, both from the Medical School (FMRP) and from the Ribeirão Preto Clinical Hospital (HCRP). Among them, it is worth highlighting the following units, commissions, and committees, which offer valuable support for the development of our PPG’s work.

1. Ethics Committee on Animal Use (CEUA) – http://ceua.fmrp.usp.br/

2. Research Ethics Committee of the Ribeirão Preto Clinical Hospital (CEP-HCRP) – https://site.hcrp.usp.br/comite-de-etica/

3. Scientific Integrity and Good Research Practices Committee – https://cip.fmrp.usp.br/

4. Internal Biosafety Committee (CIBIO) – http://www.fmrp.usp.br/pb/institucional/comissao-interna-de-biosseguranca-cibio/

5. Interinstitutional Research Chamber (Linked to HCRP and FMRP), one of whose functions is to encourage the interaction of basic and clinical researchers, as well as the cooperation of national and international scientific research – http://www.fmrp.usp.br/pb/institucional/colegiados-e-comissoes/camara-interinstitucional-de-pesquisa

6. Technical Informatics Section (STI), which offers maintenance of network services, including hardware maintenance and website hosting – http://www.fmrp.usp.br/pb/institucional/estrutura-administrativa/organograma/diretoria/secao-tecnica-de-informatica

7. Project Management Center, whose attribution is to assist researchers in the planning, execution, and accountability of projects financed by funding agencies – http://www.fmrp.usp.br/pb/institucional/estrutura-administrativa/organograma/diretoria/assistencia-tecnica-financeira/centro-de-gerenciamento-de-projetos

8. Clinical Research Unit (UPC) of HCRP, created in 2005 with the aim of managing, supporting, and disseminating clinical research carried out at HCRP. In addition to managing all clinical projects linked to the HCRP complex, the UPC also assists in intermediating partnerships with the private sector, with outpatient clinics, wards, a pharmacy, and an administrative team that support the performance of clinical research. http://upchcrp.fmrp.usp.br/

9. Research Committee (CPQ) of FMRP-USP, responsible for managing research facilities, such as the multi-user laboratory center, animal facilities, research laboratories, and biostatistics services. The CPQ is also responsible for managing postdoctoral projects. http://cpq.fmrp.usp.br/

10. International Relations Committee (CRINT), established in 2007 with the aim of strengthening FMRP’s international relations with reference centers, promoting and disseminating FMRP’s scientific production abroad, as well as encouraging the international exchange of faculty and students. https://crint.fmrp.usp.br/comissao-crint-2/

11. FMRP-USP Media Service: FMRP has a journalist with the specific function of working on the dissemination of the unit’s teaching, research, and extension activities. With this, several of our projects and publications have been broadcast to the lay public through this channel (https://www.fmrp.usp.br/pb/arquivos/author/midias), and the news produced is also offered and made available to various communication channels, such as the USP newspaper (https://jornal.usp.br/).

The PPG-OFT/ORL/CCP has an exclusive classroom for the PPG, located adjacent to the basic research laboratory (house 19), with a capacity for 15 people, containing computer, projection, and sound resources.

In addition, the PPG has 4 more classrooms within the Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, and HNS, with respective capacities for 15, 30, 40, and 50 people, which are shared with other undergraduate and specialization activities. All of them have computers, a projection system, and broadband internet. One of them, renovated in 2020 and with a capacity for 40 people, has all the necessary infrastructure for holding video conferences and recording classes. The presence of rooms for each PPG faculty member is highlighted, where quick meetings and isolated academic discussions with students are possible.

The PPG also has the remote teaching platform (Moodle) offered by USP, as well as all the resources of G-suite for Education (thanks to the partnership between USP and Google), including unlimited cloud storage and teleconferences via Google Meet.

Laboratory Structure

The PPG-OFT/ORL/CCP has the following laboratory structure for conducting research:

1. Pathophysiology Laboratory in Hearing, Smell, and Vision (CASA 19). Located at Rua das Paineiras, no. 19, within the USP-RP campus, with about 500 m2, it is intended for carrying out various assays such as cell culture, bacterial assays, histology, immunohistochemistry, microscopy, among others. It has an area reserved for students and faculty, with computers available for data analysis, preparation of presentations, reports, and internet access;

2. Multidisciplinary Laboratory in Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology (LMOO). A place intended for carrying out assays involving molecular biology, immunoblotting, ELISA, qRT-PCR, Multiplex Intelliflex, among others. It is a multi-user laboratory, with specialized technicians shared with other users, in addition to offering multi-user services and equipment;

3. Neurobiology of Hearing Laboratory;

4. Temporal Bone Microdissection Laboratory;

5. Acoustic, Voice, and Speech Analysis Laboratory;

6. Electrophysiology of Hearing Laboratory;

7. Vestibular Physiological Tests Laboratory;

8. Dentistry Laboratory at the Specialized Center for Otorhinolaryngology and Audiology/Speech-Language Pathology, mediated by the partnership between the USP Faculty of Dentistry and the Ribeirão Preto Medical School Clinical Hospital;

9. Three-dimensional Analysis of Craniofacial Structures Laboratory;

10. Investigation of the Stomatognathic System Laboratory;

11. Investigation of Auditory Perception Laboratory;

12. Image, Electrophysiology, and Visual Function Laboratory;

13. Image and Multimodal Evaluation Laboratory (including adaptive optics) in Retina and Vitreous; for research on new LASER modalities (micropulsed laser, short pulse, and multiple targets) for retinal and vitreous diseases;

14. Since the creation of the Support Center for Research in Craniofacial Complex Morphophysiology (NAP-CF) and the NAP in Ocular Pathophysiology and Therapeutics (NAP-FTO), supported by grants from the USP Pro-Rectorate of Research in the previous quadrennium by researchers from our PPG, there has been an expansion of the technological park and greater interaction with other national research centers, namely, the Faculties of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FCFRP) and Dentistry of USP in Ribeirão Preto and Bauru.

In addition to its own laboratories, the PPG-OFT/ORL/CCP has access to several multi-user equipment and services from FMRP-USP, including (https://emu.fmrp.usp.br/laboratorios/):

• Cell and tissue imaging center;

• Mass spectrometry and surface plasmon resonance;

• Laser confocal microscopy;

• Scanning and transmission electron microscopy;

• Flow cytometry and biotechnology services;

• Visual Sciences Laboratory.

Still within the USP campus, our program has several partnerships with other laboratories, including:

• At FMRP-USP: Inflammation and Pain Laboratory of the Department of Pharmacology, Serology and Microbiology Laboratory of the Infectious Diseases Division, Molecular Immunology Laboratory of the Department of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics Laboratory, Experimental Surgery Unit, and Genomic Medicine Center;

• At FFCLRP-USP: Computerized Otoneurological Evaluation Laboratory and Biomagnetism Laboratory;

• At FCFRP-USP: Innovation Center in Nanostructured Systems and Topical Administration Laboratory, coordinated by Professor Dr. Renata Fonseca Vianna Lopez.

• At FCFRP: Cellular Markers and Signaling in Cancer Laboratory (LMSCC), coordinated by Professor Dr. Andreia Machado Leopoldino, Associate Professor at the Ribeirão Preto Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

• At FMRP-USP: Proteases and Cancer Biology Laboratory, coordinated by Professor Dr. Katiuchia Uzzun Sales, of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology and Pathogenic Bioagents.

• At FFCLRP-USP: Vibrational Spectroscopy Laboratory, coordinated by Professor Luciano Backmann, of the Department of Physics.

The USP-RP campus has a central animal facility, offering rats and mice of different species, including a wide range of transgenic animals. The rabbits used in some of our PPG’s research projects currently come from external suppliers (Anilab, Paulínia-SP).

For animal experimentation, we share an experimental surgery room at the FMRP-USP Proctology laboratory (responsible Professor Omar Feres), using the Experimental Surgery animal facility at FMRP-USP. In this place, we have space to house 18 rabbits, in addition to 6 racks for rats and mice, as well as rooms for surgical experimentation, with a wide range of support instruments, such as surgical microscopes, among others.

Facilities and Support

Integrated into the Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, and Head and Neck Surgery of FMRP-USP, this PPG has the hospital structure of the HCRP complex, related to the various health services assigned to the department, comprising about 120 service rooms, exam rooms, a central surgical center with 22 surgical rooms, in addition to rooms for outpatient procedures of the various relevant specialties. These spaces, in harmony with four other satellite service units of the HCRP complex (School Health Center – Rua Cuiabá, Ribeirão Preto State Hospital – HERP, AME-Américo Brasiliense, and Emergency Unit-HCFMRP-USP), represent a rich field of learning and data collection, essential for clinical and translational research. To ensure better integration between research and patient care scenarios, we have faculty and laboratory technicians who permeate the different scenarios described here, ensuring that exams for research or collected samples are processed.

The program’s students have 4 libraries at their disposal:

• Library of the Department of OFT, ORL and HNS, with a collection of more than 1860 volumes in the areas of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and Audiology/Speech-Language Pathology. In addition, students can use an adjacent space of this library—with computer resources and broadband internet access—for study and discussion with other students and advisors.

• Central Library of the USP Ribeirão Preto Campus, which contains the most reputable national and international journals in all areas of medical knowledge and general textbooks, with a collection of about 134,000 books and more than 5,400 scientific journals.

• USP virtual library and the CAPES journal portal, which can be accessed on the Institution’s premises, or remotely via VPN.

• USP institutional repository, which can be viewed by the general public through the website https://repositorio.uspdigital.usp.br/?codmnu=9980. In addition, 2GB per faculty member are made available in the USP system, through the website https://uspdigital.usp.br/repositorio/meus-conjuntos-dados.jsp?codmnu=0

Our PPG has a network of personal and dedicated computers, connected and interconnected with and without wire (WI-FI) to the USP Network, present on all campuses. Computer resources are installed for the capture and digital analysis of biological data (Redcap and other proprietary systems, developed by some DPs), as well as clinical and experimental images, programming platforms, statistical analyses (with the programs STATA, PRISM, ORIGIN, JMP, MatLab, LabView, R software, among others) and scientific text processing (Office, Endnote, Mendeley, Grammarly, Paperpile). These resources are managed by a systems analysis professional and a medical physicist (Denny Marcos Garcia), who performs statistical analysis advisory activities for the various PPG projects, as a senior technical level professional through the USP Senior Technical Level Server Grant Program (PROCONTES).

Also available to PPG students is the Ribeirão Preto Informatics Center (CIRP), which registers the microcomputers of faculty and graduate students and assists in the installation of software for VPN connection, allowing its users (faculty and graduate students) access to CAPES journals and the Integrated Library System (SIBI-USP) from any accredited computer. Within the internal structure of our PPG and FMRP-USP, rooms prepared for thesis defenses, master’s presentations, conferences, and lectures are used via web conference transmission, in real time, with national and international locations. Specifically, our PPG has its own classroom with a video conference system that allows online classes and defenses, in addition to a library, classroom, and secretariat room with a secretary dedicated exclusively to the PPG (Ms. Maria Cecília Onofre), as well as a secretary who shares her time between our PPG and the Pediatrics PPG (Ms. Vera Andrade Hamanaka). The development and maintenance of our PPG website has the participation of the Informatics technician Ricardo Perussi e Silva and the secretary of our department, the civil servant Luciana Gonçalves de Aguiar Campanini.