Informator uniwersytecki

Lublin is literally the inspiration city!

Dr. Luciano Cano Martins works as a dental and maxillofacial radiologist at the University of Campinas in Piracicaba, Brazil. In the 2022/2023 academic year, he was employed at the Department of Dental and Maxillofacial X-ray Diagnostics at the Medical University of Lublin as part of the NAWA Medyk scholarship. We asked Dr. Martins to tell us about his time in Lublin.



Could you tell us why did you take part in the recruitment process for NAWA Medyk and completed a scholarship at the Department of Dental and Maxillofacial Radiodiagnostics?

When I first got informed about the NAWA Medyk recruitment process I thought about how this didactic experience would increase my professional and personal skills. I was virtually introduced to Prof. Ingrid by my PhD supervisor, Professor Matheus. During this meeting Prof. Ingrid had a brief presentation about the University and the department she is the head of. So I was sure that UMLub was the place I would have the chance to fulfill a real professional dream.

Tell as about your job in Brazil and what are your research interests?
In Brazil I am an Assistant Professor in Dentomaxillofacial radiology at a private university for new specialists and masters in the field. Besides that I provide both bidimensional and tridimensional reports as a dentomaxillofacial radiologist. Because of my active job as a clinician my research interests are focused on  cone-beam computed tomography artefacts, radioprotection, diagnostic imaging and image quality.

What are the differences in work between Brazil and Poland?
The main difference I could experience was that UMLub has a high level of technologies and infrastructure allowing both educational and scientific development at the university. Some new technologies take a long time to be available in Brazil and when they do, they tend to be unaffordable for most of dentists and educational institutions.

Was there anything that surprised you in Poland?
As a Latin American citizen, everything we hear about European people is that they are introverted, not so friendly and sometimes rude. So the first thing that surprised me in a positive way was the polish people. From the day I stepped for the first time in Warsaw to the day I left, polish people demonstrated to be very friendly, kind and incredible hosts! Specially those I worked with at the university who I can proudly say they became good friends. Besides that, all the historical places, beautiful views and food also surprised me a lot. 

What did you particularly like about your stay?
Besides everything I have already mentioned and the traditional apple pie, there is one thing left to say. I am really thankful for all the authorities of our university who were very opened to new ideas that made me feel at home in a couple of weeks so my stay was much better than I expected.

What do you think about our University and the city?
I guess because Lublin is considered the Capital of Youth, it  is literally the inspiration city! This environment is also seen at our University. Full of life, happiness and history. 

Could you please tell us what were you doing in your free time in Lublin?
As a citizen I had not only the great privilege to visit all the touristic places more than a regular tourist but I could visit the best restaurants in Lublin during my free time,  experience the local traditions and special holidays such as Independence Day, Easter and the Carnival. I used to go for a walk and admire every single corner even on a snowy day! By the way, I first saw a snowfall in Poland so as you can see I have got wonderful memories about the country. 

Was your family with you during your stay in Poland? If yes, what they think about our country?
When I left Brazil we had planned their visit in December for holidays so our daughters could have a special vacation time. It was a wise decision because all the polish Christmas traditions and the snowy days we had only seen in movies before. We spent one month together in Poland so we could explore many places however we didn’t have enough time to visit all places we wanted to specially the Baltic Sea beaches.

And the most important question is: Are going to visit Lublin again?
For sure! I consider Lublin as my European city now! I have many friends and other beautiful places to visit in Poland with my family. Hopefully it does not take too long to happen. 

And finally, tell us a little about how you usually spend Christmas in Brazil.
The Christmas celebration in Poland is very different the way we celebrate in Brazil. The Christmas Eve is also full of food and celebrated with the whole family but we don´t have the 12 traditional and delicious polish dishes. My family and I could experience the real Christmas soul we see in holiday movies: lots of lights and snow. We also have lots of lights, Santa Claus but not snow and white Christmas trees. On the 25th we usually have lunch with our families and celebrate the birth of Jesus so we tend to go to church.

Przygotowała: Justyna Jóźkiewicz