PRR Project

Summary

The recruitment of an Assistant Professor in Companion Animal Clinics, at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FMV), in collaboration with the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health (CIISA) and the Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), is of the utmost importance for maintaining a high standard of hands-on clinical training of the Master of Science in Veterinary Medicine as well as for pursuing high level clinical research.The tasks to be assigned to this  researcher are the involvement in clinical teaching and active participation in research projects, with the aim of attracting young researchers to ophthalmological investigation. Moreover, he will be engaged in clinical activity at the Teaching Hospital involving Ophthalmology medical and surgical procedures.The candidate is expected to participate in teaching activities, both theoretical and practical lessons, in clinical subjects and research activities. He should have clinical experience in small animal ophthalmology from both the medical and surgical point of view and knowledge of anestesia, analgesia, surgery and microsurgical techniques in companion animals. He is also expected to master experimental techniques involving in vivo experiments using laboratory animals.From a teaching perspective, the researcher should possess the following qualifications: having a clinical background and the ability to interpret scientific knowledge from a medical standpoint. Should demonstrate advanced skills in medical and surgical aspects of the clinical setting. The imminent curricular revision in the veterinary medicine master´s degree underscores the necessity of recruiting young, highly qualified researchers to infuse innovation, modernity, and proficiency in utilizing new technologies and problem-based teaching methodologies within both learning and research contexts.The curricular units within the Clinical Department will play a central role in providing the majority of practical clinical training for future veterinary surgeons. The upcoming curricula will specifically emphasize teaching methodologies centered around actual clinical cases. This underscores the justification for engaging an additional Assistant Professor as a strategic measure to breathe new life into both the teaching environment and the Clinical Research laboratory, introducing fresh insights and methodologies for both ongoing and upcoming projects. The teaching body at the FMV is aging, prompting the necessity to rejuvenate academic teaching positions with younger, highly qualified, and motivated professors. Additionally, there is a need to reduce the teacher-student ratio to accommodate more contact hours in clinical subjects.Moreover, the candidate is anticipated to actively participate in the ongoing research projects conducted within the Clinical Research Lab Ophthalmological Unit at CIISA. The outcomes of both pre-clinical investigations involving laboratory animals and clinical trials using privately owned animals in authentic clinical settings are expected to contribute to the advancement of contemporary and innovative diagnostic techniques and therapeutic protocols in the field of vision sciences, adopting a translational medicine perspective. These projects will be carried out within the framework of the Teaching Hospital, following a One Health approach, thereby bridging the knowledge gained from animal models to its application in the human context.This position is strategically located at the forefront of clinical research, with the primary goal of advancing the sustainability and quality of clinical trials. This role is designed to deepen knowledge in diagnostic procedures and innovative therapeutics within the field of ophthalmology. Within this framework, the candidate is expected to actively engage in the clinical activities conducted at the Hospital´s Ophthalmology Service, applying acquired knowledge to authentic clinical cases and acting as a conduit between clinical research and societal benefits. Consequently, the utilization of clinical cases at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital as disease models will be encouraged, aligning with a One Health and translational medicine perspective.The current strategies of the Clinical Research Lab´s Ophthalmology Unit have led to highly promising thematic lines of research. Notably, the team´s innovative research on ocular drug delivery in glaucoma has resulted in the publication of 10 high-impact scientific papers, the completion of 2 PhD dissertations, and another in progress. Another line of investigation focusing on an ocular insert has yielded 2 MSc theses and a full paper. Additionally, an emerging thematic line exploring the applications of mesenchymal stem cells in innovative ocular therapies, in collaboration with ICBAS-UPorto, currently has 2 ongoing PhD theses. The candidate is expected to provide specialized supervision to young researchers for completion of these projects.