1. Elevator Pitch

MedEspecialista is a production platform that helps doctors prepare for medical residency exams. From July 2024 to February 2026, I led end-to-end modernization and delivery across three core repositories: backend API, admin panel, and student-facing frontend.

2. Problem and Context

When I took ownership, the platform had significant technical debt, mixed architectural styles, and slower delivery cycles. The challenge was to keep business-critical features shipping while restructuring the codebase and delivery process for long-term scalability.

3. Scope and Role

I worked as the primary senior engineer responsible for architecture and execution across all core apps:

• API (medespecialista/api): backend reliability, domain modeling, migration from legacy flows to Clean Architecture modules, testing and CI/CD hardening.
• Admin (medespecialista/admin): migration and modernization of the internal operations panel, including Notice workflows, Follow-up workflows, and stronger typed frontend patterns.
• Frontend (medespecialista/frontend): evolution of the learner-facing application, feature rollout, and progressive alignment with modern frontend standards.

4. Solution Implemented

I applied an incremental modernization strategy, prioritizing production safety:

• Kept legacy endpoints operational while introducing new modular flows in parallel.
• Introduced clear documentation standards (ADRs, PRDs, specs, user stories, route mapping, migration plans).
• Strengthened CI gates for tests, OpenAPI validation, and docs validation.
• Standardized staging -> production promotion with explicit environment controls.

This allowed ongoing product delivery while reducing regression risk and improving maintainability.

5. Architecture and Stack

API

• Runtime/Framework: Node.js 20 + Express
• Data/Infra: PostgreSQL, Sequelize, Redis, BullMQ, Socket.IO
• Validation & Contracts: Joi, Zod, OpenAPI v2 validation pipeline
• Quality: Jest, Supertest, Testcontainers, docs linting and link validation
• Architecture direction: coexistence strategy (legacy v1 + new modular/Clean paths, with migration plans documented)

Admin

• Stack: React + TypeScript + Vite + Mantine + TanStack Query
• Quality: Vitest + Playwright E2E
• Key domains managed: users, notices, follow-up, flexible cronogram, study metrics, test analysis, expertise/program administration

Frontend

• Current baseline: React (CRA) + JavaScript + TanStack Query
• Evolving domains: notices, program content, flexible cronogram, study metrics, test analysis, study room
• Direction: progressive alignment with admin standards and shared patterns

6. API / Admin / Frontend Breakdown

API (https://github.com/medespecialista/api)

I structured and expanded the backend to support both delivery speed and technical governance:

• Implemented/expanded key modules (Notice, Program, Flexible Cronogram, Metrics, Follow-up, Users).
• Drove a documented migration path from legacy notice routes to modern modular routes (v1/new-notices and v2/notices strategy).
• Added contract/documentation controls (docs:validate, OpenAPI v2 validation, link validation).
• Hardened CI/CD and deploy routines for staging and production with environment gates, automated tests, migrations, and PM2 restart flows.

Admin (https://github.com/medespecialista/admin)

I modernized and scaled the internal operations interface used by the team:

• Consolidated a modern stack (Vite + TypeScript + Mantine + React Query).
• Expanded and refactored operational modules (Notice redesign flows, Follow-up management, metrics and reports support).
• Introduced stronger frontend engineering practices (typed models, modular hooks, cleaner routing boundaries, E2E coverage with Playwright).

Frontend (https://github.com/medespecialista/frontend)

I evolved the learner-facing product while preserving continuity:

• Delivered and maintained critical learning flows (notices, program content, flexible cronogram, study metrics, study room).
• Improved modularity and progressively aligned behavior with backend evolution.
• Added E2E testing and strengthened reliability of user-critical paths.

7. Quality, Process, and Delivery Impact

Documented delivery evidence in the repositories shows a consistent modernization cadence from 2024-08 to 2026-02:

• API commits since 2024-07-01: 333 (331 authored by me)
• Admin commits since 2024-07-01: 225 (225 authored by me)
• Frontend commits since 2024-07-01: 195 (193 authored by me)

Total in the period: 753 commits across the three core repositories.

In parallel, I maintained production operation discipline through staged releases, migration safety, and automated validation checks.

8. Month-by-Month Delivery Timeline (Jul 2024 - Feb 2026)

Commit volume below is based on local git history (api | admin | frontend) from 2024-07-01 onward.

Business Outcomes from This Timeline

• Follow-up module: replaced a manual monthly mentoring follow-up routine with an operational flow that reduced execution from ~1 month to ~2 hours, according to internal operation practice.
• Flexible Cronogram module: transformed an initially static chart into an actionable planning tool (creation, editing, progression, next steps, and metric capture), making it operationally useful for real study workflows.

9. Portfolio Relevance and Links

This is my strongest platform case because it demonstrates:

• Full-stack ownership in production
• Backend architecture modernization under active delivery pressure
• Cross-repository coordination (API + Admin + Frontend)
• CI/CD and operational maturity
• Documentation-driven engineering and technical leadership

Links:

• Production: https://medespecialista.com.br/
• Staging (web): https://staging.medespecialista.com.br/
• API Production: https://api.medespecialista.com.br/
• API Staging: https://api.staging.medespecialista.com.br/
• GitHub API: https://github.com/medespecialista/api
• GitHub Admin: https://github.com/medespecialista/admin
• GitHub Frontend: https://github.com/medespecialista/frontend

10. Visual Evidence