Visitors from Amazonas State University

Professor Rami Abboud today showed the facilities at the TORT Centre to senior academic visitors from the Amazonas State University of Brazil. The Chancellor, Professor Cleinaldo de Almeida Costa, and Harold M. "Butch" Wright and Tatiane Freitas de Almeida from the International Relations Office, visited the University Medical School and Campus and were welcomed by Professor Margaret Smith (OBE), the Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences, before meeting the Principal Professor Sir Pete Downes later in the day.

The guests are interested in a Health, Technology and Life Sciences collaboration with the University of Dundee and as such Professor Abboud gave a guided tour of the facilities in the Gait & Motion Analysis laboratories at the Institute of Motion Analysis & Research (IMAR) and explained some of the cutting edge research projects being carried out at TORT. Dr Graham Arnold and Mr Sadiq Nasir provided a live demonstration of the equipment that engaged Professor Costa into exploring possible future collaborations in the field of 3D motion analysis. The visitors were subsequently taken to the Cuschieri Skills Centre for a guided tour by the Manager, Angela Inglis, and Dr Benjie Tang, Senior Lecturer. Professor Costa was fascinated by both facilities and the Thiel cadaveric embalming in particular, being a Professor of Vascular Surgery himself. Professor Costa stated “great facilities and we would definitely like to explore collaboration”.

Left: Gait and motion analysis laboratory at TORT Centre; Right: Cuschieri Skills Centre

Professor Abboud also explained the extensive work that he has undertaken with the Science without Borders (SwB) initiative and the opportunities we are offering the students to leave with an intercalated honours degree.

Left: Professor Cleinaldo de Almeida Costa, Professor Rami Abboud, Harold M. Wright and Tatiane Freitas de Almeida at TORT; Right: Professor Abboud modelling recent research into supportive travel neckwear, note the airline seating in the background

The TORT Centre this week welcomed its third intake of SwB students, nine this year, as part of the Brazilian Government’s education initiative. The University of Dundee became the first university in the UK to produce medical graduates through the SwB initiative, which was instigated by Professor Abboud at the Department of Orthopaedic & Trauma Surgery at the TORT Centre.