IAHPC helped fund five Scholars attending the 11th Brazilian Palliative Care Congress, held in March in São Paulo. Their reports teem with enthusiasm for future projects and research, and ways to draw palliative care into their own classrooms. 

May 21, 2026

‘Build A Strong House’: Brazil congress offers foundational guidance

Key takeaways from IAHPC Scholars included adapting strategies for vulnerable people, the necessity of research to guide public policy and establish evidence-based practices, and the importance of developing leadership skills and strategic planning even among undergraduates.

Congress Sparks Health Education Project

Rayane Bernardes. Photo used with permission.

Rayane Bernardes de Carvalho, Divinópolis
Undergraduate medical student, Federal University of São João (UFSJ)

I learned that establishing a sustainable palliative care service requires a strong foundation in strategic leadership and planning. Also, morphine derivatives are central to palliative care and, as a future doctor, I need rigorous training to prescribe and administer these medications safely. 

Planned actions:

• Create a health education project within my university to help the lay population understand pain management, and dismantle common myths and misinformation regarding opioid use.
• Collaborate with people I met at the congress on research projects regarding social vulnerability and clinical ethics.
• Improve collaborative relationships by joining academic organizations and student groups that focus on health policy to learn how to communicate effectively with officials. 
• Advocate for better palliative care integration within my own teaching hospital.

Support Needed To Understand & Manage Burnout

Giovanna Caixeita de Lima, Divinópolis
Student, Federal University of São João (UFSJ)

Giovanna Caixeita. Photo used with permission.

I realized that understanding professional grief and burnout is essential for my career longevity, as caring for others often comes at a personal cost that must be managed through proper support systems. I believe understanding how “the price of caring” affects young professionals is vital for our training. I now have a strong interest in researching the prevalence of compassion fatigue and burnout among medical students and residents rotating through palliative care services. 

Planned actions:

• Apply research principles of rigorous methodology and ethical considerations to a study on the impact of early palliative intervention in oncology.
• Start an awareness campaign within my university’s social media platforms to combat the public stigma and invisibility surrounding palliative care.
• Organize a seminar with student peers to develop educational materials for patients to reduce fear and misinformation associated with opioid medications.
• Advocate for more robust communication and relational care modules in our curriculum to better prepare classmates for ethical/legal complexities of end-of-life care.

Jéssica Lopes. Photo used with permission.

The Congress Was A Career Turning Point

Jéssica Lopes, Petrolina
Intern, Nossa Senhora Auxiliadora School

The congress was a turning point for my academic and professional vision.

I am now deeply interested in researching the impact of the person-centered approach (ACP) in managing anticipatory grief within the context of the public health system (SUS). Specifically, I want to explore how the therapeutic bond and active listening can mitigate the "total pain" of patients in the Juazeiro/Petrolina region. 

My goal is to ensure that future psychologists are prepared for the "real world" of the public health system, moving beyond purely theoretical education to a more human-centered, practical immersion in end-of-life care.

Actions:

• Create a cross-regional study group with other psychology students and professionals I met to share practices on how to strengthen the role of psychologists role in public hospitals.
• Advocate for the inclusion of palliative care as a mandatory or elective subject in my university's curriculum. Propose that we integrate themes such as the psychology of death and dying, grief management, and interdisciplinary communication into clinical training modules. 

I also learned the importance of qualitative methodology and phenomenology in capturing the subjective experience of patients and their families. I plan to apply this by enacting ethic rigor, well-structed data collection, and knowledge sharing by submitting to peer-reviewed journals.

Maria Rita Gouveia. Photo used with permission.

Basic Building Blocks of Palliative Care

Maria Rita Gouveia de Oliveira, Carmópolis de Minas–MG
Nursing student, Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ)

My top three takeaways were: 

• There are diverse ways that palliative care is implemented in Latin America. 
• I now know the primary clinical differences between oncological and non-oncological pain. 
• I recognize the critical importance of providing palliative care to all patients who require it.

Potential research topic: Insights from a comprehensive lecture about red blood cell transfusion in patients receiving palliative care highlighted a potential area of research for me.

Luiza Lucerda. Photo used with permission.

‘Palliative Care Is Essential In Any Setting’

Luiza Lacerda, Belo Horizonte
Student, Faculdade Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais

My top three takeaways were:

• Palliative care is essential in any setting and significantly changes how patients face their challenges and live their daily lives. 
• It is a specialty that requires collaborative and synergistic work among all healthcare professionals. 
• We should always remember that there is still life to lived, even when it is threatened by a health condition.

Potential for research: I connected with professionals from different regions of Brazil who have the potential to become collaborators in research.

View full reports