In a key step toward strengthening scientific research in the region, the UIS Academic Council approved the creation of the Doctorate in Health and Life Sciences, an academic initiative that brings together the efforts of the five schools within the Faculty of Health.
The director of the School of Microbiology, Mayra Alejandra Machuca Pérez, emphasized that this new program addresses contemporary challenges in the field of health: “Today, the creation of the Doctorate in Health and Life Sciences was approved—a joint initiative by the five schools within the Faculty of Health to address the increasingly complex issues in the field of health and life.”
The program, she explained, will enable progress in research with real-world impact: “The approval of this doctoral program will allow us to conduct relevant research to solve the current problems facing humanity, have an impact at the regional, national, and international levels, and train researchers of high integrity and ethical standards.”
Furthermore, this doctoral program would mark a milestone for the department. “The Doctorate in Health and Life Sciences would be the first doctoral program of its kind to be established in our department in Santander,” stated Machuca, emphasizing its importance for training highly qualified professionals in the region.
For his part, the dean of the School of Medicine, Luis Miguel Sosa, explained that the next step will be to obtain official accreditation from the Ministry of Education: “The next step is to apply to the Ministry for official accreditation… and from there, we’ll have to wait for them to process the application before we can open the application period.”
The program is designed to admit 12 students per annual cohort and will have an estimated duration of four years. Regarding its approach, Sosa highlighted its innovative nature: “This doctoral program primarily addresses health from the perspective of the interaction between human health, environmental health, and animal health,” which implies a comprehensive understanding of health issues.
He also emphasized their practical impact: “These will be products that won’t just remain in a publication… but will solve the problems facing the region and the world as well.”
With this approval, the UIS continues to lead research in the field of health and opens up new opportunities for knowledge generation through a transdisciplinary approach, aimed at transforming health conditions in the region and the country.
