English Version
The Geriatric and Gerontology Research Group (NUGGER-UFJF) is an accredited group from the School of Medicine at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil.
This group is responsible for a series of activities devoted to the teaching and research of different fields of ageing, being one of the most prolific groups in the university.
NUGGER-UFJF is coordinated by Prof. Giancarlo Lucchetti and Prof. Alessandra L. G. Lucchetti (see their CVs below) and includes the formation of MSc, PhD and Post-doc students, as well as, the training in geriatric medicine for third-year medical students.
The research activities embrace different areas in geriatrics such as inappropriate prescribing, successful ageing, mental health, geriatric teaching, neurodegenerative disorders, among others.
The teaching activities are based on the use of active educational strategies aiming to motivate medical students to understand the role of general practitioners in the care of older individuals. These teaching strategies have been fully described in previous publications and are based on flipped classroom and a series of interactive learning activities.
Some selected publications and a summary of the CV of the coordinators can be found below.
Dr. Giancarlo Lucchetti is a physician, specialized in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine. He received his MD from the Santa Casa of São Paulo Medical School, Brazil and his PhD from the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. He currently works as an Associate Professor at the school of Medicine from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Brazil. Currently, he is the leader of the Geriatric and Gerontology Research Group (NUGGER) and Research coordinator of the Department of Medical Education at UFJF. He also works supervising PhD students in the Health and Public Health programs at UFJF. He is also a Grantee of Research Productivity Scholarship – Level 1D in the area of Medicine for the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). He is enrolled in several research projects concerning the following areas: “Geriatrics and Gerontology”, “Medical Education” and “Spirituality and Health”, being one of the most prolific authors in the area of “Spirituality and Health”in the last decade. He also serves as an editorial reviewer for several indexed journals and has currently more than 200 published or accepted articles in indexed scientific journals.
Dr. Alessandra L. G. Lucchetti is a physician, specialized in Geriatric Medicine. She received her MD from the Santa Casa of São Paulo Medical School, Brazil and her PhD from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil. She currently works as an Associate Professor at the school of Medicine from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Brazil. Currently, she is the co-leader of the Geriatric and Gerontology Research Group (NUGGER) and Research member of the Department of Medical Education at UFJF. She also works supervising PhD students in the Health and Public Health programs at UFJF. She is also a Grantee of Research Productivity Scholarship – Level 2 in the area of Public Health for the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). She is enrolled in several research projects concerning the following areas: “Geriatrics and Gerontology”, “Medical Education” and “Spirituality and Health”. She also serves as an editorial reviewer for several indexed journals and has currently more than 130 published or accepted articles in indexed scientific journals.
Selected Publications:
Granero Lucchetti AL, Ezequiel ODS, Oliveira IN, Moreira-Almeida A, Lucchetti G. Using traditional or flipped classrooms to teach “Geriatrics and Gerontology”? Investigating the impact of active learning on medical students’ competences. Med Teach. 2018 Dec;40(12):1248-1256. doi: 10.1080/0142159X.2018.1426837. Epub 2018 Jan 21. PMID: 29355063.
Lucchetti ALG, Duarte BSVF, de Assis TV, Laurindo BO, Lucchetti G. Is it possible to teach Geriatric Medicine in a stimulating way? Measuring the effect of active learning activities in Brazilian medical students. Australas J Ageing. 2019 Jun;38(2):e58-e66. doi: 10.1111/ajag.12626. Epub 2019 Feb 14. PMID: 30761707.
Lucchetti AL, da S Ezequiel O, Moreira-Almeida A, Lucchetti G. Measuring medical students’ attitudes and knowledge about geriatrics and gerontology in Brazilian medical students: A comparison of instruments. Australas J Ageing. 2018 Jun;37(2):E74-E77. doi: 10.1111/ajag.12532. Epub 2018 Apr 14. PMID: 29655239.
Juliano ACDSRS, Lucchetti ALG, Silva JTSD, Santos LG, Nunes JBT, Fernandes GC, Lucchetti G. Inappropriate Prescribing in Older Hospitalized Adults: A Comparison of Medical Specialties. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2018 Feb;66(2):383-388. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15138. Epub 2017 Oct 4. PMID: 28975608.
Lucchetti AL, Lucchetti G, de Oliveira IN, Moreira-Almeida A, da Silva Ezequiel O. Experiencing aging or demystifying myths? – impact of different “geriatrics and gerontology” teaching strategies in first year medical students. BMC Med Educ. 2017 Feb 8;17(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s12909-017-0872-9. PMID: 28178954; PMCID: PMC5299654.
Lucchetti G, Lucchetti AL. Inappropriate prescribing in older persons: A systematic review of medications available in different criteria. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2017 Jan-Feb;68:55-61. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2016.09.003. Epub 2016 Sep 14. PMID: 27649514.
Bertocchi FM, De Oliveira AC, Lucchetti G, Lucchetti ALG. Smartphone Use, Digital Addiction and Physical and Mental Health in Community-dwelling Older Adults: a Population-based Survey. J Med Syst. 2022 Jun 18;46(8):53. doi: 10.1007/s10916-022-01839-7. PMID: 35716194.
Vitorino LM, Granero Lucchetti AL, Lucchetti G. The role of spirituality and religiosity on the cognitive decline of community-dwelling older adults: a 4-year longitudinal study. Aging Ment Health. 2023 Jul-Aug;27(8):1526-1533. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2022.2141195. Epub 2022 Nov 1. PMID: 36318500.