Undergraduate and graduate biomedical research and scientific training are essential academic activities in the School of Medicine. The generation of scientific knowledge creates a critical and creative environment that focuses on analytic thinking and strives towards the continuous search for excellence. Research has a positive impact on the training of undergraduate and graduate students and contributes to the first-rate treatment we provide to our patients.
Our research activities aim to generate and apply knowledge that is both original and relevant to a broad range of issues related to the biology, physiology, and pathology of human beings, including basic research on diseases and their pathogenic mechanisms, clinical studies centered on patients, and epidemiological and public health studies, in addition to research on health systems management.
During the last decade, the School of Medicine has continuously increased its budget and infrastructure for research, which has fostered the development of a hub of researchers who are dedicated to the study of the pathophysiology of diseases as well as numerous professors who are active in research and simultaneously develop clinical activity. This generates a real interface between the generation of new knowledge and its application in the medical practice and in health policies for the country.
The School of Medicine’s research projects are financed by internal funding and competitive grants from national and international agencies. Our professors conduct research in collaboration with other Schools within UC and Chilean or foreign universities. The professors at the School of Medicine continuously produce a significant number of scientific papers that are published in national and international journals, having a strong impact in biomedical, clinical, and epidemiological sciences.
The research infrastructure at our School of Medicine comprises over 4,000 mt2 of laboratories, distributed throughout the Medical Research Center, Department Labs, the UC Clinical Research Center, and the Millennium Institute.
The School of Medicine has two doctoral programs: a PhD in Medical Sciences and a PhD in Neuroscience. In 2015, the PhD program in Medical Sciences increased its historical admissions quota from five to seven students and initiated the national re-accreditation process.
The PhD program in Neuroscience is an inter-faculty doctoral program comprised by four faculties and directed by our Faculty of Medicine. This program successfully completed its re-accreditation process. In 2015, nine students entered the program and at the end of this year the first seven doctors will graduate, having earned their PhD in Neuroscience degrees.
In 2014, the Academic Certificate in Research commenced as part of the Undergraduate General Education Program of our University. This certificate program’s curriculum offers three majors: Experimental Research, Research on Humans, and Applied Research and Innovation. These Certificates are overseen by the Undergraduate and Research Departments of our School of Medicine.
