Berta Ferreira Milheiro Nunes (born 25 October 1955) is a Portuguese doctor and politician. She was mayor of the city of

Alfândega da Fé Alfândega da Fé (), officially the Town of Alfândega da Fé (), is a municipality in northeast Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,104,Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities The Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities () is a Portuguese government role under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Portugal), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseeing policies for emigrants and the diaspora. It manages consular service ...

, with responsibility for the

Portuguese diaspora The Portuguese people ( – masculine – or ''Portuguesas'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation indigenous to Portugal, a country that occupies the west side of the Iberian Peninsula in south-west Europe, who share culture, anc ...

Education

Berta Ferreira Milheiro Nunes was born in

Santa Maria da Feira Santa Maria da Feira () is a city and a concelho, municipality in Aveiro District in Portugal, 23 km from central Porto. The population in 2011 was 139,309,Aveiro District Aveiro District (, ) is located in the central coastal region of Portugal. The capital of the district is the city of Aveiro, which also serves as the seat of Aveiro Municipality. Aveiro District is bordered by the Porto District to the north, ...

of Portugal on 25 October 1955. She completed primary education in her home town and then went to secondary school in

Vila Nova de Gaia Vila Nova de Gaia (; ), or simply Gaia, is a city and a municipality in Porto District in Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region, Portugal. It is located south of the city of Porto on the other side of the Douro River. The city proper had a populati ...

. She studied at the Faculty of Medicine of the

University of Porto The University of Porto (''Universidade do Porto'') is a Portuguese public research university located in Porto, and founded on 22 March 1911. It is the second largest Portuguese university by number of enrolled students, after the University ...

, graduating in 1980 and receiving the Engenheiro António de Almeida award for obtaining the highest marks of any medicine student in Portugal in that year. Moving to the small town of

Alfândega da Fé Alfândega da Fé (), officially the Town of Alfândega da Fé (), is a municipality in northeast Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,104,Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute The Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (Portuguese: ''Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar''), also known for its acronym ICBAS, is a medical and life sciences graduate school of the University of Porto, named after the Port ...

, with a thesis entitled "Ideas and Practices of the Laity in relation to the Body and Health".

Career

In 1996, after obtaining her PhD, Nunes was appointed Director of the Alfândega da Fé Health Centre, a position she held until 2002. She has indicated that she moved to this small town because she does not like cities. She worked at the UTAD Health Centre in

Miranda do Douro Miranda do Douro (), officially the City of Miranda do Douro (; , ), is a city and a municipality in the district of Bragança, northeastern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,482, in an area of 487.18 km2. The town proper had a populati ...

from 2003 to 2005, teaching medical anthropology. In 2005, she became Coordinator of the Health Sub-Region of

Bragança Bragança may refer to: People *Jaime Celestino Dias Bragança, a Portuguese footballer Politics and History *House of Bragança - A Portuguese Royal House *Duke of Bragança - A Portuguese noble, and later royal, title * Bragança - One of the m ...

. Nunes joined the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) and became a member of WONCA's Rural Practice Working Group, a group of rural doctors worldwide that studies and investigates the specifics of health problems in rural areas. She was also a member of the Board of EURIPA, the European Rural and Isolated Practitioners Association. Among her other activities, Nunes was the founder and President of the Association for the Promotion of Welfare (APBE), a youth association that works in the area of health promotion. She was co-founder of the League of Friends of the Alfândega da Fé Health Centre, which has carried out innovative projects in health and social areas. She worked with the University of Porto Faculty of Medicine on an internship programme for medical students in rural Health Centres. Nunes is also an

ethnobotanist Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary field at the interface of natural and social sciences that studies the relationships between humans and plants. It focuses on traditional knowledge of how plants are used, managed, and perceived in human societi ...

, rescuing knowledge about plants that have fallen into disuse.

Politics

In 2009, as a member of the Portuguese Socialist Party (PS), she was elected as President of the Alfândega da Fé City Council. She was re-elected in 2013 and 2017. She was an active member of the National Association of Municipalities. In 2019 Nunes ran as a candidate for the national Assembly of the Republic to represent

. She was second on her party's list but the party only received sufficient votes to send one deputy to Lisbon. After the elections, when

António Costa António Luís Santos da Costa (; born 17 July 1961) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who has served as President of the European Council since 2024. He previously served as the 118th prime minister of Portugal from 2015 to 2024 and th ...

, the leader of the PS, retained the role of Prime Minister, Nunes was appointed as Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities.

Awards and honours

*In 2003, Nunes was made a Commander of the Portuguese

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

, for services provided in the area of health. *She was awarded the Medal of Merit of the Portuguese Medical Association in 2014.

Publications

* ''O saber médico do povo'' (The people's medical knowledge).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nunes, Berta 1955 births Living people People from Santa Maria da Feira Government ministers of Portugal Women government ministers of Portugal Socialist Party (Portugal) politicians Portuguese women physicians University of Porto alumni Women mayors of places in Portugal 21st-century Portuguese politicians 21st-century Portuguese women politicians 20th-century Portuguese women physicians 21st-century Portuguese women physicians 20th-century Portuguese physicians 21st-century Portuguese physicians