History

Before its Master's program was formally introduced, the Department of Microbiology was already involved in graduate professional programs, through different lines of study, the several Phd theses developed there, or through habilitation exams and Entrance Examinations for Associate and Full Professors.

The graduate professional program in Microbiology of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Federal University of Minas Gerais) was conceived, structured and established in 1970 by the University Council held on September 23rd of the same year. The Department of Microbiology of the Institute of Biological Sciences (ICB) was responsible for the implementation of the program, and offered, initially, a Master's Degree in Microbiology. Prof. Eduardo O. Cisalpino, director of ICB at that time, and Prof. José de Alencar, the first coordinator, played an important role in the idealization and conception of the program. During the first year of the course, most students were professors of the department, with the exception of 3 students from the CARMI Institute of Microbiology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), whose campus was in the neighborhood of Urca in Rio de Janeiro. The first disciplines in the field of Microbiology were taught by professors of the Institute of Microbiology among whom were professors Isaac Roitman, Fernando Steele da Cruz, Jayme Angluster and Wilson Chagas de Araújo. The first student to graduate from the Master's program was Arminda de Jesus Machado, who defended her dissertation on 15th June 1973. The theme was 'Participation of the alternative pathway of activation of the Complement System in the cardiac action of normal saline', and her advisor was professor Professor Wilmar Dias Silva and the panel members were Professor Carlos R. Diniz and Professor Antônio de O. Lima.

The Master's program, created in 1970, has catered to students with a wide variety of objectives. They currently occupy academic positions in institutions of higher education, as well as technical positions in industry and institutes of applied research. The establishment of the Master's Program created prospects for a quantum leap forward, culminating in the creation of the Doctoral Program, by decision of the University Council of 17th December 1992.

The Doctoral Program, a follow-up of the graduate professional program in Microbiology, aimed especially at creating conditions for the training of higher education professors for research development. The program objective was not only to transfer the knowledge generated there to the private sector, but mainly to meet the demand for a greater number of highly qualified researchers in the country and in Latin America. The Doctoral Program allowed students and faculty members to get involved in research projects of great depth improving, therefore, the quality of scientific research. The investment in the formation of human resources for the Brazilian University, in the area of Microbiology, may be assessed by the high positions occupied by the graduates of the Program in the most important academic, health and biotechnology institutes not only in Minas Gerais (Belo Horizonte, Diamantina, Governador Valadares, Juiz de Fora, Montes Claros, Ouro Preto and Viçosa), but in other states (Piauí, Santa Catarina, Sergipe, São Paulo and Maranhão among others ) and even countries (USA, Bolivia and Colombia). Moreover, the number of graduate students is worth mentioning (424 Master's dissertations, from 1973 to March 2007 and 91 Doctoral theses from 1997 to March 2007), as well as the recognition of the nation's academic community which can be assessed by the consultancy services rendered to different development agencies.

Due to the fact that the Program was consolidated and the demand for the Master's program and elective courses very high, there was an effort to offer a graduate professional program to meet the needs of the community. The program, created in 2005, is offered on Friday evenings and during the day on Saturdays. This schedule allows professional update for those who seek the latest information in their field. From March 2005 to 2007, 21 monographs were presented.

  COORDINATORS AND ASSISTANT COORDINATORS

1970-1972 - José de Alencar - Coordinator
1973-1975 - José Noronha Peres - Coordinator
1975-1976 - Yeddo Peixoto de Figueiredo - Coordinator
1976-1977 - José Noronha Peres - Coordinator
1977-1979 - Luiz Gonzaga de Oliveira - Coordinator
Maria Auxiliadora Roque de Carvalho - Assistant Coordinator
1980-1981 - José Noronha Peres - Coordinator
Edmar Chartone de Souza - Assistant Coordinator
1981-1983 - Eduardo Osório Cisalpino - Coordinator
Edmar Chartone de Souza Assistant Coordinator
1983-1985 - Eduardo Osório Cisalpino - Coordinator
1985-1987 - Ênio Cardillo Vieira - Coordinator
Matilde Cota Koury - Assistant Coordinator
1987-1989 - Ênio Cardillo Vieira - Coordinator
Matilde Cota Koury -Assistant Coordinator
1989- 1991 - Eduardo Osório Cisalpino - Coordinator
Matilde Cota Koury - Assistant Coordinator
1991- 1993 - Eduardo Osório Cisalpino - Coordinator
Júnia Soares Hamdan - Assistant Coordinator
1993-1995 - Paulo César Peregrino Ferreira - Coordinator
Valter Robert Linardi - Assistant Coordinator
1995-1997 - Paulo César Peregrino Ferreira - Coordinator
Valter Robert Linardi - Assistant Coordinator
1997-1999 - Jacques Robert Nicoli - Coordinator
Matilde Cota Koury - Assistant Coordinator
1999-2001 - Jacques Robert Nicoli - Coordinator
Matilde Cota Koury - Assistant Coordinator
2001- 2003 - Matilde Cota Koury - Coordinator
Erna Geessien Kroon - Assistant Coordinator
2003-2005 - Erna Geessien Kroon - Coordinator
Jacques Robert Nicoli - Assistant Coordinator
2005-2007 - Erna Geessien Kroon - Coordinator
Jacques Robert Nicoli - Assistant Coordinator
2007-2009 - Maria Aparecida de Resende - Coordinator
Erna Geessien Kroon - Assistant Coordinator
2009-2011 -Cláudio Antônio Bonjardim - Coordinator
Maria Aparecida de Resende - Assistant Coordinator
2011-2013 -Cláudio Antônio Bonjardim- Coordinator
Edel Figueiredo Barbosa Stancioli - Assistant Coordinator

  SECRETARIES

1970-1993 - Manuela Enéas Sofonoff
1993-1995 - Ângela Sana Lopes
1995 - 2006 - Maria Cristina de Almeida Prado
2006- CURRENT- Douglas Nunes de Oliveira
2011- CURRENT- Carla Patricia Toledo Maurilio

  DEPARTMENT HEADS AND DEPUTY HEADS

1971-1973: Gilberto Rocha Melo
1973-1974: José de Alencar
Pogirá Peixoto Pena - deputy head of department
1974-1976: Luiz Gonzaga de Oliveira
1976-1978: Lucy Neves
1978-1908: Lucy neves
Carlos Américo Veiga Damasceno - deputy head of department
1980-1982: Maria Auxiliadora Roque de Carvalho
Carlos Américo Veiga Damasceno - deputy head of department
1982-1984: Maria Auxiliadora Roque de Carvalho
Maria Telma dos Santos Vale - deputy head of department
1984-1986: Pogirá Peixoto Pena
Matilde Cota Koury - deputy head of department
1988-1990: Valter Roberto Linardi
Maria de Lourdes Petrillo-Peixoto - deputy head of department
1990-1992: Maria de Lourdes Petrillo-Peixoto
Elizabeth Spangler Andrade Moreira - deputy head of department
1992-1995: Maria de Lourdes Petrillo-Peixoto
Elizabeth Spangler Andrade Moreira - deputy head of department
1995-1997: Júnia Soares Hamdan
Luiz de Macêdo Farias - deputy head of department
1997-1999: Júnia Soares Hamdan
Luiz de Macêdo Farias
1999-2001: Luiz de Macêdo Farias
Erna Geessien Kroon - deputy head of department
2001-2003: Luiz de Macêdo Farias
Regina Maria Nardi Drummon - deputy head of department
2003-2005 Maria Aparecida Resende
Patricia Silva Cisalpino - deputy head of department
2005-2007 - Maria Aparecida Resende
Patricia Silva Cisalpino - deputy head of department
2007-2009 - Edel Figueiredo Barbosa Stancioli
Ary Correa Junior- deputy head of department
2009-2011 - Ary Correa Junior
Carlos Augusto Rosa- deputy head of department
2011-2013 - Ary Correa Junior
Carlos Augusto Rosa- deputy head of department

  PROFESSORS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM

Artur da Silveira Pinto
José Aloysio da Costa Val
Alexandro Cássio Torres de Carvalho (in memoriam)
Antônio Maria Godoy
Carlos Américo Veiga Damasceno
Eduardo Osório Cisalpino
Francisco de Assis Soares
Futin Sebastião Nogueira
Gilberto Rocha Melo
José de Alencar
José Américo Teixeira (in memoriam)
José Noronha Peres (in memoriam)
Laurinda Aparecida Soares
Léa Barg
Lucy Neves
Luiz Fernando Lima Reis
Luiz Gonzaga de Oliveira
Maria das Dores Ferreira
Maria de Lourdes Petrillo Peixoto (in memoriam)
Maria das Neves Ramos Vieira (in memoriam)
Maria Elizabeth Bernardes Margutti Pinto
Maria Célia Dantas Tavares
Maria Telma dos Santos Valle
Matilde Cota Koury
Pogirá Peixoto Pena
Romain Rolland Golgher
Sueli Bittencourt Drummond
Stanislawa Sofia Goldberg (in memoriam)
Sinval Martins Melo
Yasska Kassay Moreira
Yeddo Peixoto de Figueiredo (in memoriam)