Marcel Faraco Sobrado

Marcel Faraco Sobrado was born and lives in São Paulo, the largest city in South-America, well known for its serious air pollution issues. He is a fourth-year medical student at Universidade de São Paulo and attends many extra-curricular and academic activities besides the full time regular schedule. His life interests in communitarian care started early, when he was still in high school (Colégio Santa Cruz) where he had the opportunity to be engaged in social projects with the purpose of providing education and better health conditions in a slum called Jaguaré, a poor community of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in São Paulo. At university, he is engaged in a Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) analyzing the effects of the use of platelet rich plasma in tendon healing in athletes. Since his second year, he has participated in the Orthopedic and Traumalogy League, in which he became President in 2009, having the valuable experience of organizing courses for medical students and attending an international Congress. Interested in learning more about Intensive Medicine, he has also attended a course at the Hospital Sírio Libanes, one of Latin America’s leading hospitals. As for the non-academic activities, he was given the opportunity to play at his university’s rugby team, which he has been doing since 2007. Living in a metropolis, Marcel’s concerns are focused on the cardiopulmonary effects of air pollution not just as researcher but also as citizen. His previous research experience at FMUSP and his enrollment in previous civic activities in the academic environment made him strongly believe that throughout high level research, it’s possible to produce and diffuse knowledge to make relevant changes in society in developing countries, such as Brazil. Marcel believes that this opportunity of working hard and learning with experiments on the effects of air pollution in cardiac and pulmonary systems at one of leading and the most prestigious academic institution around the world in public health, Harvard School of Public Health, is an excellent step towards becoming a better researcher and health professional.