Health Mentors kicks off new semester with meeting on campus. Brotas

The Health Mentors Extension Program, from Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública (EBMSP) began the semester's activities with a meeting held on September 16th at the Campus. BrotasThe activity brought together mentors (patients living with chronic health conditions who act as educators in the program), undergraduate and graduate students, and managers for a moment of integration, presentation of the working groups, and alignment of the activities planned for the semester. Coordinated by Professor Milena Lisboa, with the participation of Professors Selena Dubois and Aidê Nunes da Silva, the program brings together, this semester, five mentors from the Epilepsy and HTLV outpatient clinics, 18 students of Medicine, Physiotherapy, Psychology, and Nursing, and five students from the Master's program in Psychology and Health Interventions, who will act as pedagogical support staff.

Throughout the semester, the groups will participate in 10 meetings in the mentors' territories, learning about their stories, care networks, and different dimensions of the experience of living with a chronic condition. The program includes discussions on social determinants of health, diagnosis, disease progression, relationships with health professionals and institutions, and strategies used to care for health in daily life. “The aim is for students to understand the experience of living with a chronic illness beyond the biological dimension, getting to know the territories, care networks, and stories of the mentors. Through active listening and the bonds built, they will produce their own learning,” explains Milena Lisboa.

For Bianca Dourado Striquer, a third-semester Psychology student, participating in the program broadens learning opportunities beyond the classroom. “What led me to apply was the desire to have an experience outside of college, to have contact with other people and, consequently, to experience a little bit of Psychology in practice,” she says. According to her, the experience also contributed to her understanding of active listening and the reality of people living with chronic conditions. “It was very important to have contact with people who live a reality different from mine. From that, I became aware of the importance of Psychology and social programs for people in situations of social vulnerability and with some chronic illness,” she adds.