The institutionalization of epidemiology as a subject at Rio de Janeiro Federal University Medical School

Este trabalho teve o objetivo de estudar o ensino de epidemiologia nos cursos de graduação em medicina. Foi feita uma revisão da literatura para analisar a constituição da epidemiologia como disciplina científica e suas relações com a medicina e com o ensino médico na Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Examinamos regimentos internos, catálogos do curso, programas das disciplinas. e entrevistamos professores. Concluimos que a aplicação da epidemiologia cresceu a partir do final da década de 1980, quando seu ensino começou a ser mais valorizado. Entre as disciplinas da área de saúde coletiva, a epidemiologia e a estatística apresentaram o maior crescimento.This article aimed at studying the teaching of epidemiology in medical school undergraduate courses. Medical books have been analyzed in order to understand the constitution of epidemiology as a scientific subject, as well as its relations with medical science and secondary school teaching. The introduction and development of the subject in UFRJ Medical School were studied through the analysis of internal regulations, courses brochures and programs. Professors were interviewed. The analysis revealed that epidemiology concepts spread to health services and practice, as well as to medical research. At UFRJ Medical School, starting at the end of the 1980's, epidemiology teaching began to be emphasized and valued. That was the time when collective health began to develop. Among collective health subjects, both epidemiology and statistics developed the most