Mentoria à Mesa – the Mentoring Programme at the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT NOVA) – officially launched on 30 September 2025 with a presentation session held in a hybrid format and attended by numerous students.
The initiative aims to support the academic, social, and emotional integration of master’s and doctoral students through peer mentoring. Monthly informal lunches provide a space for socialising and bonding, promoting the exchange of experiences and useful information, and fostering supportive and trusting relationships among colleagues.
The first edition brings together 21 mentors and 25 mentees from diverse fields, including Biomedical Sciences, Tropical Health, Medical Parasitology, Public Health, and Development. The programme’s academic and cultural diversity is a key strength, with participants from Portugal, Mozambique, Brazil, Angola, Italy, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, Colombia, Germany, and Cape Verde.
This diversity enriches the mentoring experience, encouraging the exchange of different perspectives, cultures, and academic insights, and reinforces IHMT NOVA’s multicultural vocation.
Developed under the Bandua Programme – Promotion of Mental Health and Well-being at NOVA University Lisbon, and funded by the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES), the initiative underscores IHMT NOVA’s commitment to student well-being and the recognition of students as active agents of change.