Assoc. Prof., cardiologist Helena Dominguez, conceptualized the BRAHIT project drawing on her ongoing research in Denmark, which centers on vulnerable patients with heart failure who face limited access to healthcare services.

The BRAHIT initiative has been implemented in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, home to six million residents. It has brought together researchers and health stakeholders across sectors to generate essential evidence on the feasibility and effectiveness of providing remote support from specialized cardiologists to primary care providers, with the overarching goal of improving patient outcomes. The evidence generated from these telemedicine projects is grounded in mixed-methods research—combining both qualitative and quantitative approaches—and adheres to established frameworks for the design and reporting of complex interventions, as advised by the Medical Research Council (Skivington et al., 2021). The BRAHIT studies have laid the foundation for a double PhD thesis by Leonardo Graever, jointly supervised by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (URFJ) in Brazil Finland and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark (UCPH). The doctoral program was further strengthened by a research stay with the e-Health team at the University of Otawa, Canada—recognized for their expertise in telehealth. During this period, Leonardo Graever gained valuable insights into the classification of teleconsultations, contributing to a manuscript that forms part of the thesis.

Furthermore, Helena Dominguez has assembled a strong team of epidemiologists from both Denmark and from Brazil to conduct analyses of populations with heart disease through the cross-linkage of national health registries. This work aims to characterize the background of the population involved in the BRAHIT initiative. Comparative studies between the two countries explore social determinants of health and examine how societal changes influence readmission rates and mortality across countries. In addition, the dissemination of preliminary findings from the BRAHIT-based PhD research has sparked interest among researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, who are now exploring the possibility of establishing similar joint PhD programs and propose residency and pre-graduate exchange stays in collaboration with Danish institutions.

To disseminate findings and foster international collaboration, we have organized an open seminar entitled “Fighting Health Inequity,” scheduled for the day following the PhD defense and hosted by UCPH in Denmark (see program attached).  The seminar will consist of four thematic sessions. In each, researchers from the participating academic institutions deliver brief presentations related to the BRAHIT initiative, followed by a focused workshop corresponding to the session theme.

The session themes are:

1. Secondary use of health data through cross-linkage of national registries in the respective countries of the NORTROP network
2. Educational programs for optimizing management of patients with heart failure in primary care
3. International exchange initiatives for undergraduate and residency training
4. Implementation-research models for providing remote support to primary care in managing heart patients, globalizable to the management of other chronic diseases

The seminar will conclude with an integrative workshop where all participants will engage in strategic discussions aimed at shaping future research directions and collaborative grant applications. 

Programme

You can view the programme here

Who can attend?

Anyone interested in health inequity.

Participation cost 

The event is free of charge.

ECTS points

Apply to your Graduate School by providing Certificate of Attendance (available upon request) and the course program.