Personal information
Biography
I’m an Anthropologist graduated in 1984 at the UNL - FCSH, with a master degree in anthropology (1989) (only academic, with no thesis defended) by the ENAH, México, D.F. I did a post-graduation in Harvard Medical School – Refugees Global Mental Health, Trauma and Recovery (2009) and completed my Phd in 2011 at Department of Anthropology of ISCTE-IUL, with a Foundation for Science and Technology FCT) 4 years doctoral fellowship. Between July 2011 and March 2013, I did my first two year Post-Doctoral research within a collective FCT project named: “Saúde e Cidadania: Disparidades e necessidades interculturais na atenção em saúde às mães imigrantes”, with a grandt from CIES-ISCTE-IUL. In May, 2013, I was once again awarded a Post-Doctoral grant by the FCT, affiliated to the Centre for Research in Anthropology (CRIA), under supervision of professor Antónia Pedroso de Lima. The title of the Pós-Doc project is: “Refugees: vulnerability, resilience and inclusion in a democratic society in a context of socioeconomic crises”. I’ve been almost fully dedicated to the study of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Portugal within the perspective of health and politics. Since 2008 to 2013, I published papers with peer review on refugees and asylum seekers: 1) “Afinal, que asilo é este que não nos protege?”, in: Revista Etnográfica, CRIA, Volume 17, nº 1, Fevereiro de 2013; 2) “A importância da competência cultural no atendimento de saúde a refugiados e requerentes de asilo”, In: Fórum Sociológico, CESNOVA, Série II, nº 22, 2012. 3) “Reconstruindo memórias, Jovens Refugiados em Portugal”, Revista Saúde e Sociedade, USP, São Paulo, Brasil. (Scielo)18(4) 2009. And also several contributions in books 1) “Labirintos do trauma: A verbalização dos refugiados em Portugal”, in: Os saberes da cura: Antropologia da doença e práticas terapêuticas, de: C. Pussetti e L. S. Pereira, ISPA, 2009; 2) “Refugiados e requerentes de asilo: abordagens antropológicas no campo da saúde física e mental”, in: Migrantes e Saúde Mental, de: C. Pussetti (organizer), Observatório da Imigração, nº 33, 2009. In 2010, I have coordinated an action/research project with a transdisciplinar team, financed by European Found for Refugees and Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. The result of this study, was published under the title, “Quando não existe uma segunda casa: Estudo sobre a saúde dos refugiados numa perspetiva de vulnerabilidade”. FCG, 2009. Projects proceedings: I have been participating in several research projects, with FCT funding’s: “Public health policies and therapeutic practices: suffering and treatment strategies of migrants in the Greater Lisbon area”/“Wounscapes: suffering, creativity and bare life”, (ref: PTDC/ANT/65857/2006); “Migrants and mental health: cultural competence”; “Transcultural Skills for Health and Care”, Lifelong Learning Programme, Leonardo da Vinci, (Ref: 504666-LLP-2009-1-IT-Leonardo-LMP). She did her first pos-doc within the CIES-IUL/FCT project: “Saúde e Cidadania: Disparidades e necessidades interculturais na atenção sanitária às mães imigrantes” (ref: PTDC/CS-SOC/113384/2009), “Care as sustainability in crisis situations”, CRIA-ISCTE-IUL, (REF: PTDC/CS-ANT/117259/2010).
I´m actively engaged with networking activities, organizing conferences, panels and workshops. I’m a full member of Portuguese Anthropology Association (APA) and senior researcher at Centro em Rede de Investigação em Antropologia (CRIA-IUL). I have also relevant teaching activities, such as the organization of the Summer School in “Forced Migrations, Refugees an Human Rights”, in ISCTE-IUL.
Currently, in the context of my postdoctoral fellowship, and in relation to how institutions manage refugee integration, I am developing a research-action project on the recognition of refugee academic competencies. The project takes place in the university where I am inserted and in (ISCTE-IUL) and the Research Centre to which I belong, the CRIA. In the first stage I created a course for refugees with academic experience: the "Living in a Different Culture", in partnership with the municipality of Lisbon that integrates refugees. Teachers are academic anthropologists. The course is held every academic year. As a result of this first course, 5 refugees are already attending officially, master's and bachelor's degree courses. From the point of view of research: I intend to accompany refugee students in their process of academic integration in Portugal, assessing their integration, as opposed to other refugees who have never recognized their competences and are therefore, subordinate form by the institutions responsible for them.
In January 2018, I received an Award for the best Action-Research Project in Anthropologie 2017/2018 (Categoria II: Project) Name of the project: "Living in a Different Culture: Integration of Refugee's students at the universities (ISCTE-IUL) For more precise and update information’s please check my CV at FCT-SIG platform.