LATIN-MH: a model for building research capacity within Latin America

Abstract

Background.Latin America Treatment and Innovation Network in Mental Health (LATIN-MH) is a research hub located in Brazil and Peru that conducts a research project to help reduce the treatment gap in mental health in Latin America (LA). Besides its research core, LATIN-MH has a Capacity Building (CB) component that aims to help young researchers receive the specific training to contribute to the growing scientific production in mental health in LA.Methods.LATIN-MH proposal in CB includes a series of actions to prepare professionals in the research area. The main proposals are described here, which include online study groups, promotion of scientific meetings, hands-on training in different levels and sharing of information.Results.LATIN-MH CB activities are at its initial stages but the proposed activities were well evaluated by the participants. The first participating fellows who finished their fellowships are contributing elsewhere in the mental treatment and human resources formation area.Conclusion.The repercussion of LATIN-MH actions in CB and its evaluation, particularly on the formation of human resources and dissemination of information, show that the hub is contributing to the critic formation of young researchers and the circulation of important information.

Development and evaluation of addiction treatment programs in Latin America

“…Low- and middle-income countries designate fewer resources for mental health and addiction treatment than high-income countries (less than US$2 and over US$50 per capita, respectively) [28] . Of the resources available, the majority is allocated to hospital care [15, 28] , which reduces the potential budget for research on mental health and addiction issues [29, 30] , including for the evaluation of services and programs.…”

“…A fourth reason might be the limited number of researchers in public mental health. The lack of funding allocated to research has a direct impact on the number of quality research training programs, which in turn impacts the number of well-trained researchers that are able to design and implement high-impact research projects [29] .…”

“…Studies show the lack of published evaluative evidence on prevention and treatment programs in Latin American countries [29, 41, 42] . Adopting an evaluation culture in the region could be a step towards promoting collaborative networks that link public policy makers, treatment agencies, research institutions and universities, in order to implement evidence-based strategies that respond to the community’s needs regarding prevention and treatment.…”

Positioning for success: building capacity in academic competencies for early-career researchers in sub-Saharan Africa

“…Several major programmes in LMICs have recently targeted research capacity building and strengthening, such as the South Asian Hub for Advocacy, Research and Education on Mental Health (SHARE; Sharma & Razzaque, 2017) and the Latin American Treatment and Innovation Network in Mental Health (LATIN-MH; Bonini et al . 2017). Key examples in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are the Medical Education Partnership Initiative [MEPI; including Improving Mental Health Education and Research capacity in Zimbabwe (IMHERZ)], Emerging Mental Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (EMERALD) and two National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) multi-centre collaborative projects: Africa Focus on Intervention Research for Mental Health (AFFIRM) and the Partnership for Mental Health Development in Sub-Saharan Africa (PaM-D) (Abas et al .…”

Building global mental health research capacity: the collaborative hubs for international research on mental health

“…Building upon existing research capacity-building frameworks, Bonini et al . ( 2017 ) also describe research capacity-building within Latin America, which was tailored to needs within the country and within the region.…”