Nursing staff in Brazil adopt completely different roles compared to their counterparts in Germany. They are trained academically and responsible for both primary health care and health counselling. For several years now, Kerstin Hämel and Doris Schaeffer, both Professors of Health Science, have been cooperating with the Universidade Franciscana, a university in the south of Brazil. They have now invited the President of the Universidade Franciscana and its Professor of Health Science to travel from Santa Maria to Bielefeld and help them put together a Memorandum of Understanding over joint research perspectives for the next three years.


Holding discussions with Prof. Dr Angelika Epple, the Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Diversity (third from the left): Prof. Dr Kerstin Hämel, Prof. Dr Dirce Stein Backes, Professor of Health Science, Universidade Franciscana, Irmã Iraní Rupolo, President, Universidade Franciscana, Despina Arnold, Coordinator of non-European University Cooperation Programmes, International Office Bielefeld University, and Prof. Dr Doris Schaeffer (from left to right). Photo: Bielefeld University