2008 - 21 and 22.08 - II Research Seminar in Psychology of Bahiana

"Being a researcher is a little different from being in the classroom, where we deal with authors like Freud and others. We deal with the already known. To be a researcher is to live with the unknown and master it". Thus, the student of the 8th semester of Psychology at Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Carlos Vinícius Melo, defines what his dedication to research is. Along with 120 other people, including undergraduate, graduate and professors, he participated in the II Research Seminar in Psychology that the Postgraduate Center in Psychology of Bahiana held on the 21st and 22nd of August.

The opening of the meeting, which took place on the morning of the 21st, at Academic Unit de Brotas, was attended by professors Rosália Correia Dias, coordinator of the Psychology course, Marilda Castelar, Maria Antonieta Araújo, Josineide Alves and Mirela Figueiredo Iriart. Students who were part of the organizing committee of the Seminar were also present, which included enrollments from students from the Bahiana and from other universities in Salvador.

With the theme "Research Diversity in Psychology", the Seminar had as its first programming activity the teleconference "Education for Human Rights and the contributions of Psychology: regional highlights", broadcast from Brasília by the Federal Council of Psychology.

During the two days, ten coordinated sessions were held in which 29 works by undergraduate, graduate and professors researchers were presented. According to professor Marilda Castelar, "the objective is to foster the spirit of research to improve training and publicize what is being done." She informs that the study group of the Postgraduate Course in Psychology at Bahiana is formatting a database where these studies will be available to researchers.

Among the works presented, there was the study "The role of the psychologist in the process of inclusion of Afro-descendants with disabilities", by Carlos Vinícios Melo. The student was recently awarded by the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Bahia - FAPESB with a grant to develop, for one year, the research "The history of the psychologist and the Afro-descendant with a disability, in Salvador".

I have been a member of the research group of the Bahiana, Vinícius has already developed the study "Contribution of the psychologist in special education in the Public Service for Afro-descendant students". He explains that all his studies have focused on the double stigma to which Afro-descendants with special needs are subjected in society. "Within its history, Psychology itself contributed to the exclusion, stigmatizing these people", he says.

In order to effectively support research in its student body, the Center for Research in Psychology of Bahiana has maintained, since 2005, the Research Group "Psychology and Health Promotion". Registered with the CNPq, the group is made up of professors, researchers and scientific initiation students who develop projects and exchange programs with other institutions such as UFBA and UNEB. For this initiative, the Psychology course receives grants from Bahiana and FAPESP, which are aimed at researchers.

In addition to the presentation of the works, the mini-courses "Systemic Clinical Research", "Qualitative Health Research", "Research in Human Development", "Ethics and research with human beings" and "Complexity in Mental Health Research" were carried out.

Vera Lúcia Silva Santos, student of the 10th semester of the Psychology course at Universidade Salvador - UNIFACS, "the event was well organized, with very cool topics. I think we are at a good time for research here in Bahia. Bahiana, UNIFACS and Ruy Barbosa are three important research centers here".

At the end, the participants made suggestions and highlighted the useful points of the Seminar. There was also a raffle of specific books and periodicals in the field of Psychology. "I have no doubts that we are going to transform our Seminar into a major research event in Bahia. We had work by former students, students and professors here. We are going to continue with this project at full strength", declared the Psychology coordinator, Rosália Belt Days.