From Clinical Expertise to Pedagogical Practice: Rethinking Continuing Professional Development in Medical Education

Abstract Book of the 9th World Conference on Education and Teaching

Year: 2026

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From Clinical Expertise to Pedagogical Practice: Rethinking Continuing Professional Development in Medical Education

Prof Dr. Cristiane Oliveira, Mayra Cecília Dellú

ABSTRACT:

Contemporary medical education requires faculty members to move beyond clinical expertise and incorporate pedagogical, ethical, and social competencies aligned with Brazil’s National Curriculum Guidelines (DCNs) for undergraduate medical programs. In this context, continuing professional development for medical faculty emerges as a strategic axis for enhancing the quality of higher education and consolidating pedagogical practices consistent with current demands in health education. This article discusses the national panorama of continuing education for medical school professors in Brazil, highlighting existing institutional initiatives and public policies, as well as their limitations, particularly regarding fragmentation, limited national articulation, and low levels of faculty engagement. The study then presents the Continuing Education Program (PROFOCO) of the University of Taubaté (UNITAU), emphasizing its characteristics, potentialities, and challenges, especially the low participation of physician-professors. Grounded in the methodology of Critical-Collaborative Research, the article proposes a redesign of PROFOCO based on the identification of faculty members’ real demands, dialogical processes, and the sharing of professional experiences, recognizing professors as protagonists of their own formative trajectories. The proposal values attentive listening, collective reflection, and the articulation between theory and practice, aiming to strengthen faculty members’ sense of belonging and authorship over their pedagogical practices. It is expected that this model will contribute to increased faculty engagement, improved use of active learning methodologies, and the strengthening of the professional identity of university professors in Medicine, thereby enhancing the overall quality of medical education.

Keywords: Medical Education; Continuing Professional Development; University Teaching; Faculty Development; Criticalcollaborative-collaborative Research.