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The Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (ISPUP) is a private non-profit association with public utility status, created in 2006 within the University of Porto. Its mission is to contribute to the development, application, and dissemination of new knowledge in the field of public health, to improve and protect the health of the population.
Through its Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), created in 2015 and classified as "Excellent" in 2019 by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), ISPUP produces highly competitive and innovative scientific research in public health. This research has a high social impact and is aimed at providing solutions to global health problems and threats.
At the same time, ISPUP contributes to excellent education in the field of public health. This includes various short courses (which do not lead to a degree), teaching activities aimed at resident physicians with specific training in public health and serving as a host institution for projects within postgraduate programs in this field of knowledge.
Through its Occupational Health Unit, equipped with the latest technology for occupational risk assessment, ISPUP provides a wide range of laboratory services to industry and the community. It also carries out relevant research in this field.
Since 2021, ISPUP coordinates the ITR - Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, financed by the FCT. All ISPUP's activities aim to contribute to the prevention of disease and the improvement of population health, always with the perspective of saving lives.
ISPUP complies with the European Commission's guidelines on gender equality, with a Gender Equality Plan approved by the Board in 2022. As a research unit of the University of Porto, ISPUP also follows the Code of Good Conduct for Preventing and Combating Workplace Harassment.
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Henrique Barros
Henrique Barros, a native of Porto, graduated from Medicine in 1981 and later pursued a research fellowship at Lund's University Hospital in 1988-89. In 1991, he earned his specialization in Gastroenterology and completed his PhD, focusing on the epidemiology of viral hepatitis.
Since 1999, he has held the position of Full Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Porto. He has been instrumental in launching Master Programs in Public Health, Epidemiology, and Sociology and Health, along with the doctoral program in Public Health at the University of Porto. Additionally, he initiated the doctoral program in Global Public Health, serving as the program director, in collaboration with the University NOVA of Lisbon and funded by the Portuguese Research Foundation (FCT).
Prof. Barros's contributions extend beyond academia. He served as a member of the Scientific Council for Health Sciences Foundation for Science and Technology from 2004 to 2012 and acted as the National Coordinator of the HIV/AIDS Program from 2005 to 2011. Moreover, he was a member of the Medical Sciences (MED) Scientific Committee of Science Europe from 2012 to 2015.
Currently, Prof. Barros serves as a member of the Executive Commission of the National Ethics Committee for Clinical Investigation (CEIC), holds the position of President of the Institute of Public Health at the University of Porto (ISPUP), and is an Executive Board Member of ASPHER. He served as the Past-President of the International Epidemiological Association from 2017 to 2020.
Throughout his career, Prof. Barros has been actively involved in national and international research projects, contributing significantly to areas such as clinical and perinatal epidemiology, cardiovascular, infectious, and cancer diseases. His work has resulted in (co)authorship of numerous scientific publications in international journals.
Armine Abrahamyan
Arminé Abrahamyan holds a BSc Hons in Psychology and an MSc in Clinical Psychology from Yerevan State University. Building on her expertise, Arminé furthered her education by earning a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the American University of Armenia in 2015.
She has been a practicing clinical psychologist since 2010, focusing primarily on providing psychotherapy to children and adolescents struggling with mental health issues.
In 2018, Arminé joined the research group at the Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto (ISPUP). Subsequently, she dedicated her Ph.D. studies in Public Health by studying adverse social experiences in childhood and their impact on the health of children and adolescents.
In 2016, Armine was awarded the prize for the best poster at the ASPHER Young Researchers Forum - an award given for her outstanding master's thesis project on the pediatric palliative care needs of adolescents with cancer and their parents.
Armine has actively participated in and presented her work at various national and international conferences. She is (co-)author of several scientific publications in international journals.
Ricardo Gusmão
Ricardo Gusmão is a consultant physician specializing in Psychiatry and a Professor of Public Mental Health at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto. He is also a senior researcher at the Public Health Institute of the University of Porto (ISPUP), where he coordinates the Mental Health Literacy, Wellbeing, Depression, and Suicide Prevention Lab at the Associate Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR). Prof Gusmão actively contributes to the teaching of the Specialization Course in Public Health at ISPUP.
He holds a degree in Medicine from the University of Coimbra, a master’s degree in Mental Health, and a Ph.D. in Psychiatry and Mental Health from NOVA University Lisbon. Prof Gusmão is a founding member of the European Alliance Against Depression (EAAD) and the Municipal Forum for Health Promotion in Cascais. He serves as the President of the European Alliance Against Depression in Portugal (EUTIMIA) NGO.
Virgínia da Conceição
Virgínia da Conceição, is a Clinical and Health Psychology specialist certified by the Portuguese Psychologists Association, holds a Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Porto's Faculty of Medicine. In 2020, she earned the distinction of best E-poster in the "Miscellaneous Challenges II" category of the Global Health group at the Annual Student Research Conference organized by EUGLOH.
Currently, Virgínia serves as the project manager for the European Alliance Against Depression in Portugal (EUTIMIA), focusing on the promotion of mental health literacy, mental health reduction, and the encouragement of help-seeking behaviors. She is also a researcher at the ITR, contributing to the group "Literacy in Mental Health, Well-being, Depression, and Suicide Prevention”. Additionally, Virgínia is an Assistant Researcher in the MENTBEST project, a five-year initiative funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe Programme (HORIZON-HLTH-2022-STAYHLTH-01-01).