Between being and knowing: the challenge of setting an example for doctors.

The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) has built, over decades, a reputation that honors the city and the country: training competent doctors, promoting excellent research, and serving the community with scientific rigor and ethical sense. This is its DNA, a point of collective identification for all those who have passed through its doors during their training. Therefore, bringing this institution into the media spotlight due to allegations of unacceptable behavior should be a cause for concern and collective reflection.

The institutional reaction was immediate and clear. The Faculty's administration acted correctly in the preventive suspension of the professor, in initiating a process to fully investigate the facts, and in guaranteeing support for those who feel affected, notwithstanding the presumption of innocence that should always guide the caution of public intervention. In a time when summary judgments proliferate on social media, it is imperative that justice and ethics go hand in hand. More than an administrative gesture, FMUP thus affirms its commitment to ethics and respect for others. It reaffirms its humanist and democratic character, and clearly defines red lines regarding any type of tolerance for harassment, discrimination, or intimidation. This without abandoning the search for the truth, which, in due course, will inevitably prevail over the torrent of information and misinformation typical of the first few hours.

This episode compels us to look beyond the specific case. More than a profession, medicine is an exercise in trust where the patient intimately bares their suffering before the doctor. In an ancestral and transformative ritual, both join in the effort to promote or restore health, preserve life and its quality, and alleviate suffering, with full respect for the dignity of the human being. Each doctor carries with them not only a diploma, but a pact with society: to act with integrity, inside and outside the consulting room. Failing in this commitment is more than an individual blunder: it is a gross violation of the principles of the profession that binds us all. When one fails, we all fail, because we are co-responsible for the choices we make as a class, for the leadership we legitimize, and for the values ​​we accept as our own. It is a blow to the collective contract of trust that we establish with citizens, impacting the image and credibility of doctors as a whole.

Regardless of the outcome, this episode reminds us that perception does not always coincide with intention. In medicine, as in life, beyond content there is form, language, and gestures. Communication is a complex art that involves not only the message and the speaker, but also the medium, the listener, and how they interpret it. Everything counts, from content to form. That is why we recognize the power of communication as part of care and accept this responsibility in consultations, which extends into public life, social media, and institutional spaces.

This is precisely what I seek to teach my students at FMUP: science is the foundation of knowledge; without knowledge there are no good doctors; but being a doctor is much more than knowing about diseases or medicine: it is about understanding people, putting ourselves in their place, understanding their suffering. It is about striving for excellence. In the end, it is about transforming weaknesses into strengths, healing when possible, relieving when necessary, and always comforting, in the words of Father Hippocrates. And having this awareness is particularly important when we occupy positions of visibility in services, faculties, or professional associations.

Today, more than ever, it is essential that we reaffirm this commitment. Because excellence is not measured solely by technical knowledge, but by conduct. And because the trust that society places in us is too precious an asset to be jeopardized.