Established in 1976, the Graduate Program of the Department of Parasitology is one of the most important programs for educating and training professors and researchers in Parasitology and Tropical Medicine in Brazil. Its origins go back to Samuel Pessoa’s outstanding school of thought in Parasitology. It has trained hundreds of researchers who presently hold leadership positions in the national and international scientific scenario.  Since 2001, it is considered a program of excellence by CAPES.

Aiming at meeting the transdisciplinary demands of contemporary Parasitology, this program encompasses research projects  involving important parasites, bacteria, viruses, fungi and Arthropods for human and veterinary medicine, as well as non-pathogenic species, some living freely.  Mirroring its diverse subject matter, it is nowadays known as Graduate Program in Biology of Host-Pathogen Interactions. All active faculty members of the Department of Parasitology at ICB-USP belong to the Department board of permanent advisors, that also includes well-known specialists from other institutions.