For the last two years, a Network of mental health services researchers led by the principal investigator has held annual meetings to build collaborative capacity to generate research on mental health services for populations of Latin American and Caribean countries. On behalf of the Network, the Pan American Health Organization is requesting support to organize and coordinate a new series of annual conferences on mental health services research issues relevant to populations of Latin American and the Caribean.
The aim of the proposed conferences is to bring together promising junior and senior investigators in an effort to stimulate networking and mentoring to promote the entry of new research on mental health services in Latin America and the Caribbean. The proposed annual conferences will alternate in theme and location. The program will be guided by a Steering Committee composed of mentors and senior researchers from Latin America and the Caribbean, the US and Canada. Selected institutions will co-sponsor the conferences and be invited to take a role in structuring the program and related activities by serving on that year's Planning Committee. Each annual conference will feature a """"""""keynote speaker"""""""" to provide an overview of the major theme of each event. Twenty four (24) promising new investigators from Latin America and the Caribbean will be selected each year. Five (5) selected junior investigators will be paired with senior investigators to finalize peer-reviewed publications for conference presentations. Additionally, special workshops will be led by experts on evidence based research issues and capacity building (including grant opportunities, grant writing skills, etc.). Outcomes of the conference will include increased participant knowledge and research practices based on the number of publications in peer review journals per year, number of applications submitted to funding sources per year, number of new mentor/mentee pairs originated one year after each conference, and number of Center of Excellence developed in Latin American and Carribean countries per year.
