João Paulo Vaz Tostes Ribeiro de Oliveira

João Paulo Vaz Tostes Ribeiro de Oliveira is a third-year FMUSP student. He was born at a peripheral city council of São Paulo city called Diadema. At his childhood he had the valuable opportunity to perceive human necessities by witnessing various kinds of deprivations such as lack of adequate working conditions, lack of educational input, lack of quality of life, lack of good health and was fortunate to have the most sincere concern on how life happens and to receive solid moral and academical education to get to his early dream: to be a doctor, to understand human suffering biological- and psychologically and possibly to be able to mitigate it through the passionate dedication coming from empathy. At age 13, took first place on a Challenge Trial offered by Objetivo High School, so he won a scholarship in one of the most traditional educational institutes in Brazil. After achieving his second great dream, to study medicine in the most prestigious medical school in Latin America, has entered an exciting and intense academic life. He attended the Optional Course of Heart Transplantation and worked in Academic Medicine Extension, an assistance group of two poor neighborhoods of Sao Paulo. João was Director of Scientific Department of FMUSP and Director of Journal of Medicine, proudly the oldest scientific journal made by academics in the world; also he organized Oswaldo Cruz Prize and two editions of the Universitarian Medical Congress. He participated in several courses and medical conferences, either watching, or presenting scientific papers. Currently João is director of leagues (Epilepsy League, Pain League, and League of Heart Transplantation) and a dedicated member of Neurosurgery League and Thyroid League. Furthermore, he has the honor of researching at the Laboratory of Experimental Neurosurgery, studying at the moment painful processes in models of spinal cord injury under the distinct guidance of Dr. Gerson Chadi, exponent in regeneration of central nervous system. Another of his passions is the possibility of helping patients with his own hands, and is very grateful to be an undergraduate member of Dr. Vergilius José Furtado de Araújo Filho´s Group of Head and Neck Surgery, prominent surgeon in the specialty, and to the exemplary Dr. Hyun Seung Yoon, both important role models. Goju-Ryu Karate practice has been his extra-academical reference since six years old, which has deeply contributed to his moral education. He takes part in the Rugby Team of FMUSP. The student is pleased with global concern about environmental issues and about its tragical repercussions for the next generations, but thinks that there is a legitimate need to explicate how public health is impaired by pollution nowadays, and believes that the impacts on cardiorespiratory systems are good arguments for correcting the problem. Science for him has always been a fascinating and precious segment of human capacities, and what makes us feel humble in front of nature´s complexity and still proud of being courageous enough to attempt comprehending it. Thus he is really happy about what he has learned up to now, tremendously excited by what comes forward and thrilling with the possibility of making true his current dream of getting intimate contact with Harvard way of producing knowledge.