Fortifying Mental Health Research in Mexico: INPRFM’s Annual Research Meeting / @SSalud_mx

#MinistryOfHealth, #Mexico.–  The Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz National Institute of Psychiatry (INPRFM) inaugurated its XL Annual Research Meeting and presented the prestigious Ramón de la Fuente Foundation Award, aiming to strengthen mental health investigation across Mexico. Coinciding with World Mental Health Day on 10 October, the event highlighted the Institute’s foundational work over nearly 46 years, focusing on understanding mental health, and the study and treatment of mental illnesses through interdisciplinary research. This commitment ensures that vital knowledge is continually advanced for the benefit of the nation’s well-being and health care provision.

Eduardo Madrigal de León, the INPRFM Director General, reported on the Institute’s robust research capacity, detailing that it currently employs 114 career researchers and 18 research officials. These specialists are dedicated to fields such as biomedical investigations, particularly neurosciences, alongside clinical, epidemiological, and social studies. Significantly, 104 of these researchers belong to the National System of Researchers (SNI), underscoring the high calibre of expertise at the Institute. Dr. Madrigal de León also highlighted that the INPRFM manages 10 lines of investigation and 179 ongoing research protocols.

The Institute’s scholarly output is substantial, with notable annual publications in specialised journals from levels III to VI, alongside the production of books and chapters. Impressively, the INPRFM holds the third highest H-index in Mexico, a measure of article citations, positioning it just behind the National Institutes of Public Health (INSP) and Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ). The Director General further noted the high demand for clinical services, with the INPRFM’s outpatient services providing over 100,000 consultations annually, in addition to approximately 600 short-stay hospitalisations per year, with some patients participating in research protocols.

The INPRFM is also a key centre for human resources training in its specialism, educating 177 medical residents in psychiatry and 220 individuals in nursing specialties, master’s degrees, and doctorates in medical and public health sciences focused on mental health. Martín Pérez García, Director General of Translational Medicine and High Speciality Teaching Strategies for the CCINSHAE, commended the INPRFM’s commitment and progress, highlighting its role in generating high-calibre, «humanistic» medical, paramedical, and research personnel. He affirmed that the CCINSHAE represents Mexico’s largest research network, actively collaborating with bodies like the National Commission of Mental Health and Addictions to strengthen the nation’s health strategy.