The Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Assistance (PPGASFAR) began its activities in 2011. It was the first stricto sensu Graduate Program in the subarea of Pharmaceutical Assistance and has a strong vocation for training highly qualified personnel for the development of the subarea at the national level, given its network characteristic.

The network is composed of nine Higher Education Institutions, present in seven Brazilian states, in addition to the Federal District, covering three different regions (south, southeast, and northeast). The network format, in addition to enhancing the capacity for postgraduate student training, allows for the development of multicenter projects. UFRN joined the network in 2023, with its main focus on the development of clinical research in the pharmaceutical field. Therefore, the PPG ASFAR - UFRN Center seeks to honor the tradition of excellence in clinical pharmacy in Natal-RN, the location of the first Brazilian service.

The Program aims, through its research, to contribute to solving problems in the subarea at different levels of healthcare and has the following goals:

A) To provide knowledge in the field of Pharmacy, specifically in the subarea of Clinical Pharmacy, Assistance, and Pharmaceutical Care.

B) To train researchers to carry out research and teaching activities focused on the subarea.

C) To encourage research and increase scientific productivity in the subarea, as well as to expand the number of qualified teachers/researchers for the production, dissemination, and application of knowledge in the subarea, in accordance with the Brazilian reality of the Unified Health System (SUS).