Tiago Veloso

Medical Director of UMC Porto · in-person consultations in Porto · online consultations from Lisbon and across Europe · Portuguese, English

Dr. Tiago Veloso is the Medical Director of the UMC clinic in Porto and a board-certified specialist in General and Family Medicine (Especialista em Medicina Geral e Familiar). He treats patients of all ages — children from birth, adolescents, adults, and elderly patients. He's the doctor to see first: he examines you, assesses your condition, manages your treatment, and when a specialist is needed, he refers you to the right colleague and helps you navigate the Portuguese healthcare system.

Unlike most family doctors, Dr. Veloso combines clinical practice with academic work: since 2015, he has been an Invited Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Porto Faculty of Medicine. This gives him a distinct competence in one of the most demanding areas of family medicine — drug interactions and individual variability in therapeutic response — which is particularly relevant for patients on multiple medications.

Dr. Veloso consults in Portuguese and English (Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English, C2 level) — a strong choice for international patients who want a clinically rigorous, English-speaking family doctor in Porto.

About the Doctor

Dr. Veloso is a family doctor with an unusually broad range of competences for the specialty. By his own description, his areas of differentiation cover adult medicine, geriatrics, emergency and pre-hospital medicine, home care, pharmacology and therapeutics, cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, neurological, and psychiatric diseases, as well as sports medicine and exercise prescription. This combination is rare: most family doctors concentrate on one or two of these areas, while Dr. Sousa Veloso's experience extends across all of them.

A separate area of focus is the medical management of addictions — smoking cessation, alcohol and prescription medication dependence. These are topics patients often don't know where to bring, and having a family doctor who handles them calmly and without judgment makes a real difference.

His approach to consultations is clinically precise and at the same time genuinely human. He explains what is happening and why he's recommending a given treatment, answers questions about specific drugs and interactions in depth, and is comfortable with complex polypharmacy cases in elderly patients.

Education and Training

Dr. Veloso graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) in 2008 with an Integrated Master's Degree in Medicine. His master's thesis evaluated pain control in the wards of Hospital São João in Porto.

In 2008–2009, he completed postgraduate studies in Health Services Management and Administration at Porto Business School. In 2010, he completed the curricular year of the Doctoral Program in Metabolism at the University of Porto Faculty of Medicine. From 2012 to 2014, he conducted clinical research in hypertension and hypertensive target organ damage.

Since 2016, he has worked as a board-certified Specialist in General and Family Medicine in the public, social, and private healthcare sectors in Portugal.

Since 2015, he has been an Invited Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Porto Faculty of Medicine, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses. He has authored five peer-reviewed scientific publications since 2015.

From 2017 to 2019, he served as Medical and Scientific Director at Global K, Lda. In 2021–2022, he completed a specialization in Sports Medicine.

In 2003, he obtained the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) — the highest level of English language certification by Cambridge ESOL.

Registered with the Portuguese Medical Association (Ordem dos Médicos), license No. 48462.

Common Reasons Patients See Dr. Sousa Veloso

• General health concerns in adults and children — fever, colds, cough, sore throat, headaches, digestive complaints, general malaise
• Chronic conditions — hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, kidney disease, thyroid disorders: initial evaluation, ongoing management, treatment adjustment
• Cardiovascular conditions — ongoing management, follow-up, treatment optimization
• Respiratory conditions — asthma, COPD, post-infectious recovery
• Neurological and psychiatric concerns — headaches, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depressive symptoms
• Geriatric care — managing elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions and complex medication regimens
• Drug interactions and adverse drug reactions — a specific area of expertise; useful if you take multiple medications or have experienced an unexplained reaction to treatment
• Addiction medicine — smoking cessation, alcohol and prescription medication dependence
• Sports medicine and exercise prescription — pre-activity assessment and individualized recommendations for physical activity
• Pediatric visits — well-child checks, routine examinations, acute illness, vaccination guidance
• Acute concerns — situations where it's unclear whether urgent care is needed, and you want a doctor to take a look and tell you
• Preventive check-ups for adults
• Interpretation of laboratory and imaging results, including tests performed in Portugal or abroad
• Medical certificates — for employment, sports, school, or driver's license applications

What Happens During the Visit

• Clinical examination — adults and children from birth
• Assessment and diagnosis — based on examination, patient history, and available test results
• Diagnostic workup — ordering laboratory tests, imaging studies (ultrasound, X-ray), and referrals to specialists
• Treatment management — prescriptions, follow-up, treatment adjustment with attention to potential drug interactions
• Polypharmacy review and optimization — if you're on a complex multi-drug regimen, Dr. Sousa Veloso can review it and simplify where it's safe to do so
• Smoking cessation and addiction management programs — medical follow-up with appropriate pharmacotherapy
• Exercise prescription — individualized physical activity recommendations based on your health status
• Care coordination within the clinic — if a specialist is needed, he'll refer you to the right colleague and make sure your case doesn't fall between appointments
• Medical certificates for employment, sports, school, and driver's licenses

How to Book an Appointment

Dr. Veloso sees patients at the UMC Porto clinic and offers online consultations from Lisbon and any other location. Appointments are available with or without health insurance, with or without a referral — and in most cases, you can be seen the same day.

You can book an appointment in any of the following ways:

• Through the online booking form on umc.clinic
• Via the website chat
• On WhatsApp
• Through the Telegram bot @umcl_bot
• By phone — we're always available and speak your language