Christian and Oskar have just gotten back from a visit at University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil. Our group is collaborating with researchers at USP to develop and test a Portuguese version of the OCD-NET internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy treatment.
Together with Professor Euripedes Constantino Miguel and Post-doc Alice de Mathis, we are working on a project to test OCD-NET in Brazil. The first step is to do a small feasibility study to see whether OCD-NET is a viable treatment option, and we have more projects planned together with the team at USP.
The University of São Paulo is the largest University in Brazil and enrolls over 90 000 students. The University also operates four hospitals in São Paulo, and we visited the department of psychiatry to work with Euripides and Alice, as well as meeting the rest of the flourishing OCD team.
Brazilians are known for their friendliness and hospitality, but we were still surprised of how welcoming our hosts were and how well they were taking care of us throughout the visit. We were shown some excellent restaurants and bars where we enjoyed the Brazilian cuisine, and found time to experience the pillars of Brazilian culture: Samba á la Carnaval and soccer! We are returning to Sweden with bags full of gifts, cameras full of pictures, and heads full of memories. Needless to say, we are looking forward to collaborate on the OCD-NET project and other research projects in the future.
Rücklab - Psychiatry research at Karolinska Institutet 