Academic Career

I completed my PhD in the field of "Clinical Medicine" on September 18, 2008, with a dissertation titled "Development of Transvesical Port for Scarless Surgery," under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Jorge Correia Pinto and Prof. Dr. José La Fuente Carvalho. The defense was presided over by Prof. Dr. Cecília Leão, President of the School of Medicine, University of Minho, and included the examination by Prof. Dr. Francisco Cruz from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto. The jury also comprised Prof. Dr. Riccardo Autorino from the Second University of Naples, Prof. Dr. Arnaldo Figueiredo from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, and Prof. Dr. Nuno Sousa from the School of Medicine, University of Minho.

My thesis focused on developing a new approach, the transvesical port, for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (N.O.T.E.S.), a pioneering area of research in surgical techniques for application in humans. Following the initial success of the transgastric approach as a new entryway to the abdominal cavity, we made two important observations: i) the quality of the image obtained through gastroscopes was satisfactory; ii) however, the flexible and parallel instruments used with gastroscopes were not ideal for these techniques. Considering these limitations, we explored the possibility of an alternative pelvic abdominal access to overcome the constraints of the transgastric route.

With the development of the transvesical port, I described a fast and safe technique that allowed the introduction of 5 mm rigid instruments into the peritoneal cavity through a sterile access. Although the transvesical port has limitations in terms of size, which restricts its isolated use in procedures involving the removal of larger organs or structures, it proved highly effective as an accessory port for transgastric access. Thus, we established the concept of a 'combined transgastric-transvesical N.O.T.E.S. access,' which enabled moderately complex experimental procedures to be performed exclusively via N.O.T.E.S., such as nephrectomy.

Furthermore, we tested the transvesical port as access to the thoracic cavity, believing this approach could become viable with the development of longer and articulated instruments. Through these experiments, we demonstrated that almost all intra-abdominal procedures can be performed through isolated or combined N.O.T.E.S. access. However, we also found that human application faced significant challenges due to the lack of secure closure techniques for the transgastric, transvesical, and transcolonic ports.

In this context, our group dedicated efforts to developing an endoscopic closure method for transvesical perforations using 'T-tags' with absorbable sutures. The safety and effectiveness of the transvesical port demonstrated in these studies suggest a potential future application for this technique.

On July 7, 2022, I presented a public defense to obtain the title of “Agregado” in the field of Medicine at the School of Medicine, University of Minho. The jury was chaired by Prof. Dr. Jorge Correia Pinto, President of the School of Medicine, University of Minho, and included Professors Drs. José Fragata, Paulo Costa, Francisco Cruz, José Guilherme Tralhão, and José La Fuente Carvalho as members.

The evaluation of my scientific curriculum was conducted by Professors Drs. José Fragata, José Guilherme Tralhão, and José La Fuente Carvalho, while my pedagogical report was discussed by Prof. Dr. Paulo Costa. My synthesis lecture, titled “A Vision for the Future in the Treatment of Kidney Stones,” was debated with Prof. Dr. Francisco Cruz. I was unanimously approved by the jury.

In the scope of my teaching activities, I am dedicated to the training and mentoring of new professionals and researchers in the field of Urology and medical sciences. With a strong commitment to education and innovation, I actively participate in academic and clinical training programs, supervising master’s and doctoral theses, and promoting specialized courses in advanced surgical techniques. This role allows me to contribute to the development of a new generation of specialists, equipping them with the essential knowledge and skills for modern medical practice and scientific research.