Students and Alumni

Students

Below is the list of regular students and their respective advisors, separated by courses:

Alumni

Below is the list of alumni from the last four-year period (2021/2024), with the defense date, work title, advisor, and work keywords:

Overview of Alumni and Monitoring Methods

The Graduate Program in Nutrition and Sports Sciences and Metabolism (PPG-CNEM) aims to train masters and doctors with a high ethical and professional sense, a comprehensive multidisciplinary vision, a keen critical sense, and social responsibility, committed to advancing knowledge in the area of Nutrition, Health, and related areas. The program aims to train solid and qualified professionals in the various areas of concentration, endowed with intellectual independence for the exercise of teaching and scientific dissemination. These professionals dominate research through the rigorous application of the scientific method, guided by ethics and multidisciplinarity, and are able to act as critical and conscious citizens of their role as health professionals, both in the area of Nutrition and in the area of Sports.

The profile of students entering the PPG-CNEM has enriched the debates on Nutrition as a science, articulating with the most varied aspects, whether social, political, cultural, biological, and psychological. This fact is evidenced by the diversity of the student body, composed of professionals graduated in various areas of knowledge, including nutritionists, doctors, biologists, physical education professionals, pharmacists, physiotherapists, engineers, statisticians, among others. These professionals come from both the state of São Paulo and other states of the Federation, such as Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso, Pernambuco, and even from other countries, such as those in Africa.

Furthermore, the development of extension activities aimed at the humanized training of health professionals, with an emphasis on basic and community care, complements the teaching and research activities developed by students.

In this scenario of diversity and excellence, the individual training of PPG-CNEM alumni enables them to enter different professional activities and academic areas, covering nutrition sciences, sports sciences, basic sciences, and health sciences, positively impacting the well-being of the community where they live and work professionally.

Aiming to comprehensively assess the individual training of alumni, the PPG-CNEM has carried out systematic monitoring through different strategies and combined information collection instruments. This effort aims to collect the largest amount of relevant information about alumni and maintain an updated database of the program.

It is worth highlighting the University's commitment, particularly the unit that hosts the PPG-CNEM, in implementing measures that aim to strengthen ties with alumni, in order to map their positions in the job market and assess the quality of human resources trained by the program.

The instruments used are described below:

Contact through social media.
- In the four-year period, we started searching for alumni through the publication of thematic posts (“Looking for PPGCNEM Alumni”) on the PPGCNEM profile on Instagram (@cnem.unicamp). Several alumni made contact, others were “tagged” by classmates, friends, and their advisors and answered questions about their professional performance after completing the course in the program. With the aim of publicizing alumni and increasing the visibility of PPGCNEM, some alumni were invited to record a short video or write a post explaining how the training in PPGCNEM contributed to their professional success. The engagement was quite significant, reaching 100% of followers and more than 5% of non-followers.
- In addition to Instagram, the search for alumni is carried out through Lattes and LinkedIn. In recent years, LinkedIn has become the program's most promising search tool, especially for alumni working abroad.
- For alumni that PPGCNEM did not get any type of return, the information was obtained directly from the program's former advisors and confirmed through targeted internet searches.
Monitoring the institutional alumni data panel.
- The UNICAMP General Coordination (CGU) created a panel in 2019 with the scientific production of alumni, for access by all coordinators and administrative technicians linked to each Graduate Program of the Institution, available at the electronic address. The panel presents data from alumni from 2014 to the present and provides, in addition to the intellectual production of graduate alumni, data on the number of alumni per year per graduate program and employability data from the Lattes platform and RAIS (Annual Social Information Relationship).
Availability of the Alumni Platform.
- The tool, which functions as a University database, traces the trajectories of former students, in addition to stimulating the establishment of contact networks for mentoring, internships, and jobs. The platform was inaugurated in August 2020 and already has more than 110,000 registered alumni.

In the last four-year period (2021-2024), the program registered 91 alumni (50 master's and 41 doctorate). Some of these alumni (3 master's and 3 doctorate) are not included in the list presented, as we did not get a return to the contact made. Of the total mapped master's alumni (47), 42.6% (20 masters) are enrolled in doctoral courses, whether from PPG-CNEM itself (90% or 18 students), or other PPGs at UFSC and UNIFESP (2 students). Two (2) PPG-CNEM doctoral students work in other institutions concurrently with the doctorate in the areas of research and teaching. The remaining 57.4% of alumni (27 masters) are working in their own offices, public and private bodies, such as city halls and hospitals, or even, inserted in the industry. As for the mapped doctorate alumni (38), only 28.9% (11 doctors) work outside the academic environment, in public bodies, basic education, research and development in industry, or independently. About 18% (7 researchers) are doing post-doctorates at IES in Brazil and another 18% (7 researchers) abroad. Furthermore, 31.6% of alumni (12 doctors) work as teachers at IES, two (2) of them at public universities.

Outstanding Alumni 2021-2024

Marcella Aparecida Stahl

Holds a Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas (2009) and completed her master's degree at PPGCNEM in 2015. She holds a doctorate in Food Technology from the Faculty of Food Engineering FEA-UNICAMP (2021) (Lattes). Since her master's degree, she has been working in the area of oils and fats, maintaining regular scientific production, with 12 articles published since 2015. Marcella Stahl's last two articles are from 2024; in them, she is listed as the first author and were published in the journals Food Chemistry (IF: 8.5) and Food Research International (IF: 7.0). After her doctorate, between 2022 and 2023, she began to stand out in the industry, working as a Quality and R&D Analyst at Concepta Ingredients, where she developed research and development of raw materials and food ingredient products and processes. She is currently the R&D Coordinator at Camlin Fine Sciences (CFS) (LinkedIn), which is now the world's leading integrated producer of diphenol derivatives, providing high-quality shelf-life extension solutions, including antioxidants, aromatic ingredients, and performance chemicals for various industry segments.

Her master's studies were crucial for the alumna to build her research line over the years and reach her current coordination position, in a branch of relevance to the Food and Nutrition area and which continues to grow rapidly.

Natália Ferreira Mendes

Nutritionist from UNIFESP (2012), and during her undergraduate studies, she completed a sandwich period at the Portuguese Catholic University (Nutrition Sciences Course) and an internship in Experimental Nutrition at the Department of Experimental Biology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto - FMUP, in Portugal (2010-2011). She obtained her master's degree from PPGCNEM in 2016, and then pursued a Doctorate in Health Sciences from the Faculty of Nursing at UNICAMP (2021), developing part of her research project at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) - Harvard Medical School, in Boston/USA (2018-2019). She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center (OCRC) at UNICAMP, and in 2023 was awarded the Research Grant - Generation Project from FAPESP, valid until 2028. Since 2023, she has been a Researcher at the Department of Translational Medicine at the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM) at UNICAMP, and a Professor in the Graduate Program in Pharmacology (FCM/UNICAMP) (Lattes). She currently advises undergraduate students from health/biological courses (Scientific Initiation) and graduate students (Master's and Doctorate) in the PPG in Pharmacology at FCM/UNICAMP. Her master's studies were crucial for the alumna to build her research line over the years, actively contribute to research and extension at UNICAMP, and maintain a very robust, consistent, and regular scientific production, with 20 articles published in international and high-impact journals since 2016.

Filipe Antônio de Barros Sousa

Graduated in Physical Education from the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) (2009), master's degree in Physical Education from the Graduate Program in Physical Education (FEF) at UNICAMP (2013), and completed his doctorate at PPGCNEM in 2017. Since 2019, he has held the position of adjunct professor at the Institute of Physical Education and Sports at the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL), Maceió/AL. He coordinates two current research projects and participates in another as a collaborator. His curriculum highlights 23 articles published in indexed journals since completing his doctorate, two as the last author, which shows his evolution in consolidating his research group and project leadership. He also has a published book chapter and three awards received, one national (outstanding teacher, 2018) and two international (student travel award, 2017, and International Summer School on Wearable Sensors in Sport Award, 2021).

Filipe is an alumnus with significant experience in advising Course Completion Papers (28), Scientific Initiation projects (11), master's dissertations (4 completed and 4 ongoing), and doctoral theses (1 completed), standing out for his contribution in establishing a new research line and nucleation. His performance strengthens ongoing projects and supports teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels at this relevant public Higher Education Institution (HEI). It is important to highlight the distribution of qualified human resources beyond the limits of the State of São Paulo, aiming to reduce regional asymmetries and train new professionals (Lattes).

Leonardo Henrique Dalcheco Messias

Graduated in Physical Education from the Methodist University of Piracicaba-UNIMEP (2012), completed his master's degree (2014) and doctorate (2018) at PPGCNEM. After his doctorate, he joined as a part-time professor at the Einstein Integrated Colleges of Limeira/SP, and in 2019, he was admitted to the São Francisco University-USF, where he teaches the discipline of Physiology in several health area courses (Biomedicine, Psychology, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Odontology, and Nutrition). He is also a full professor in the Stricto Sensu Graduate Program in Health Sciences at the same University, where he currently advises 6 IC students, 5 doctoral students, and a postdoctoral project. He has already completed the guidance of 5 dissertations, 2 theses, and dozens of TCC and IC students, which shows, once again, the nucleation potential of PPGCNEM. Between 2022 and 2024, 4 of his advisees won awards at the Scientific Initiation Meetings of São Francisco University. Leonardo coordinates an ongoing research project and maintained regular scientific production, with 25 articles published in international and high-impact journals, 17 of them as the last author, which shows his evolution in consolidating his research group and project leadership. Since 2022, he has further expanded his performance, becoming part of the editorial board of 4 important international journals (Frontiers in Physiology, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, MEDICINE (BALTIMORE), and Frontiers in Sports and Active Living) (Lattes). Thus, Leonardo stands out as an alumnus who has been contributing to teaching, research, and extension activities at an important private University in our region, with the strengthening of ongoing research projects and with the training of new researchers.

Andressa Reginato

Nutritionist from the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the State University of Campinas – UNICAMP (2012), completed her master's degree in 2015 and her Doctorate in 2019 at PPGCNEM. In her doctorate, she completed a sandwich period at the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto to improve her skills in culturing cell lines as well as to follow the process of immortalizing neuronal cells. She worked as a professor in the Nutrition course at the Faculty of Americana (FAM) and in the Nutrition, Aesthetics, and Physical Education course at the Einstein Integrated Colleges of Limeira. After her doctorate, she completed two postdoctoral fellowships, one at the State University of Rio de Janeiro/UERJ, through the Graduate Program in Clinical and Experimental Pathophysiology (FISCLINEX) (2019-2021), and another at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in the United States (2021-2023). Throughout all these years, Andressa maintained regular scientific production, with several works published in high-impact international journals, with 9 articles published since 2020. In 2023, she decided to direct her activities to a more clinical field and, since then, has worked as a Flow Cytometry Technologist at Montefiore Health System, in New York (LinkedIn). In 2024, she received the Christine Aguhar Scholarship from the International Clinical Cytometry Society, which aims to promote self-confidence in young women in the field of Flow Cytometry through continuing education, guidance, and networking with other professionals in the field of Clinical Flow Cytometry.

Andressa, therefore, is an outstanding alumna in the field of experimental and clinical research. Her work in the clinical area of flow cytometry will certainly expand the scope of target research. Furthermore, Andressa, by maintaining contact with PPGCNEM, enables the possibility of new collaborations, in addition to pointing to a promising field of activity for other alumni.

Patrícia Moreira Donato Rolizola

Nutritionist graduated from UNESP (2008), completed her master's degree at PPGCNEM in 2020. During this period, she was already working as a nutritionist at the Limeira City Hall in the area of Basic Care/NASF), and after completing the course, she became a preceptor of the Public Health Internship in the Nutrition course at FCA/UNICAMP. She is a professor in the Nutrition Course at the Einstein Integrated Colleges of Limeira, where she also served as interim coordinator of the Nutrition course from December 2021 to May 2022. In addition, she has been an Evaluator of the National Higher Education Evaluation System Sinaes - BASis MEC/INEP since 2022, in the area of Nutrition. This system aims to support the authorization or recognition of undergraduate courses, through visits to the facilities of HEIs, interviews with those involved with the course (teachers, students, technicians, commissions, etc.) and detailed document analysis. Based on the MEC evaluation indicators, the evaluators build a report, according to the fulfillment of the specifications, aiming to guarantee the quality of higher education in the country (Lattes).

Therefore, Patrícia is an outstanding alumna for working in the training of Nutritionists and for being a fundamental part of the management of Higher Education in Brazil. Her work in this field is also crucial for graduate studies, considering that, in order to guarantee the quality of master's and doctoral courses, it is necessary that undergraduate studies actually train professionals with critical thinking and ethical performance in our society.

Milca Abda De Morais

Graduated in Biomedicine from the Federal University of Goiás (UFG) (2013), with a master's degree in Health Applied Sciences from UFG (2016), and a doctorate at PPGCNEM (2021). After her doctorate, she was a substitute professor of Human and Comparative Anatomy at UFG and a professor of the disciplines of Immunology Applied to Veterinary Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at Faculdade Vale do Aço (FAVALE). She is currently a professor in the Medicine course, a member of the Psychopedagogical Support and Assistance Center (NAAP), and period and research coordinator at the Faculty of Medicine of Açailândia, in Maranhão (FAMEAC) (LinkedIn and Lattes). She also works as an advisor in academic monitoring programs and currently advises 2 scientific initiation projects, showing the nucleation potential of PPGCNEM. It is important to mention that the researcher participated in the Brazilian Sleep Congress, held in São Paulo, in 2024, with the presentation of works by her advisees, showing her effort to promote partnerships and visibility for her current research. She has also worked in the open media, participating in interviews about sleep, her research object in her doctorate. The most recent publication in open media was in December 2024, in a newspaper in Imperatriz - Maranhão, and talks about the risks of changing children's sleep routines outside the school period (the report is at the link).

In summary, Milca stands out for her work in teaching, scientific dissemination to society, and nucleation potential in an area related to her doctorate. It is important to emphasize that such nucleation is being established outside the State of São Paulo, which positively impacts the national distribution of qualified human resources and the reduction of regional asymmetries.

Graciana De Azambuja

Sports Scientist from the Faculty of Applied Sciences at UNICAMP (2014), completed her master's degree in 2017 and her Doctorate in 2022 at PPGCNEM. In January 2023, she was hired as a full-time postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Brain and Disease Research, Lab of Neurophysiology in Neurodegenerative Disorders, led by Professor Sandrine da Cruz, and linked to the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB) research institute at KU Leuven University, Belgium. She researches protein mechanisms related to neuromuscular junction function in homeostasis and dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, using genetically modified animal models, mono and co-culture with cell lines and primary cells, confocal and high-resolution microscopy, with the aim of unraveling the function of new proteins identified in the synapse. For this project, she received funding as a principal investigator from the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association (Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship), with a total value of 150 thousand USD for two years. She was cited on the Association's website as one of the “Five talented young scientists dedicated to advancing our understanding of ALS and the search for new treatments.” The details of the project and funding are described on the page.

Graciana, therefore, is an outstanding alumna, already internationally recognized for her scientific talent.

Susana Castelo Branco Ramos Nakandakari

Nutritionist from the Faculty of Applied Sciences at UNICAMP (2018) with a research internship period at Kent State University – USA, through the Science Without Borders program. She entered the direct doctorate in 2020, with a sandwich period at Yale University, obtaining her degree in 2023. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Rachel Perry Lab, in the Department of Internal Medicine, at the Yale University School of Medicine, United States. Susana recently published (January 2025) an article in the world's most prestigious metabolism journal, Cell Metabolism. In this article, Susana is listed as the first author and presents data from her postdoctoral research at Yale (Nakandakari SCBR, Fosam AE, Perry RJ. The other side of the incretin story: GIPR signaling in energy homeostasis. Cell Metab. 2025 Jan 7;37(1):1-3. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.12.003). The full article is available at the link.

Thus, Susana emerges as a promising high-level researcher, with international prominence.

Mariana Piton Hakim

Nutritionist from the Faculty of Applied Sciences at UNICAMP (2018), completed her master's degree in 2021 and her doctorate in 2024 at PPGCNEM. She currently works as Customer Success Coordinator at the research company INDECX, where she assists more than 400 companies in the construction, conduction, analysis, and presentation of results of behavior and satisfaction surveys conducted with their clients, in addition to acting as a speaker on consumer behavior (Lattes). Much of Mariana's learning in “Consumer Science” was acquired through her master's and doctoral studies, which were conducted on the theme of risk perception and consumer intention. This coordination position in what is now the largest Brazilian customer experience monitoring platform gives PPGCNEM visibility for the performance of alumni in a previously unexplored but rapidly growing area in Brazil and worldwide.