Since its foundation in 1954, ENSP searches to meet and to widen the commitment with the social needs in the health professionals’ training. During the 1970’s and 1980’s ENSP/FIOCRUZ became one of the main institutions to feature the debate on the need of a health reform and the establishment of a universal and public health system. The VIII Health National Conference (1986), led by the then president of the Foundation Oswaldo Cruz, Sergio Arouca, expresses the path of this commitment establishment with health. During its existence, it has cooperated in the formulation of training policies for health with the Health Ministry and with the government school in national level.
During these decades, the post-graduation stricto sensu (master degree in 1977 and PhD in 1980) has been consolidated and new lato sensu courses have been developed – residency in social and preventive medicine must be highlighted. In the 1990’s this formulator role has been significantly widened and the demands on the construction of a new political pedagogical model that could contribute to the consolidation of SUS principles have created the challenge of rethinking on our strategies of teaching and the national role of this institution during the training of health workers.
Thus, in 1998 ENSP implements its first Distance Education Program (EAD/ ENSP/ FIOCRUZ) and in the 2000’s it starts its first professional master degree courses. Both experiences are strategic initiatives of training and qualification in health – that offer opportunities for post-graduation to workers of the health system in an integrated way to their labor process. With that, they aim to collaborate for the construction and consolidation of the Unified Health System – preparing professionals that are worried about the efficacy, integrality and equity to the system improvement.
During its existence years, ENSP has been performing an admittedly relevant role in the establishment and diffusion of the knowledge paradigm and health action in the country. It is pointed as a special institution of research and education in health if compared to the ones of other countries – so becoming the greatest post-graduation program of Latin America in the public health area.
In its trajectory in the public health education field, it has graduated more than twenty thousand professionals in classroom courses and more than 70 thousand in the distance courses aimed at the improvement of the country health services system. This way, it has been supporting and joining the development of courses and the sedimentation of nucleus that get structured in a national network of training in public health that is able to disseminate pedagogical strategies and knowledge in this area in the national territory.
ENSP performs strategic role in many structuring networks in the health field – in the country or abroad. It is part of the Universidade Aberta do Brasil (UAB/MEC) – where it often offers courses and programs for EAD formation. Both networks in which ENSP performs Executive-Secretariat role must be highlighted: the School and Training Centers in Health Public Network (RedEscola) and the Public Health Schools Network of UNASUL (RESP/UNASUR).
All the information on the courses of ENSP, stricto sensu (master degree and PhD), lato sensu (specialization and residency) and professional qualification (improvement, updating and continuous training in health) can be accessed in our Portal. The applications in our courses are done through the Platform SIGA (www.sigass.fiocruz.br e www.sigals.fiocruz.br).