Institute Profile

Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical - IHMT is within the New University of Lisbon, with supervision of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education Innovation.  The institute is recognized both nationally and internationally for its scientific nature and post-graduate training, research, and development cooperation.  Research focuses mainly on tropical medicine and health in developing countries in collaboration with national and international organizations, including the European School of Tropical Medicine, Health Facilities and Teaching of PALOP, World Health Organization, European Union, and World Bank, among others.

The institute was created in 1902 and was then called the School of Tropical Medicine.  Throughout its years of existence, the IHMT has gone through various changes in name and leadership, but has always been governed by the objectives of the development of scientific knowledge of health problems linked to tropical diseases.

Institute Profile

National Health Institute (Instituto Nacional du Saúde - INSA) was founded in 1899 by the physician and humanist Ricardo Jorge as the main laboratory of the Portuguese health system.  Its primary mission is to contribute to gains in public health through expertise in research and technological development, epidemiology and health services, external laboratory quality assessment, prevention of genetic disorders, and education.  INSA is a central department of the Portuguese Ministry of Health, with scientific, technical, administrative, and financial autonomy.

Staffed with more than 600 employees, INSA has six departments:

• • Food and Nutrition
• • Infectious Diseases
• • Epidemiology
• • Genetics
• • Health Promotion and Chronic Diseases
• • Environmental Health

All operative units in each department develop multidisciplinary programs in problem areas of public health. These include health monitoring, training, laboratory external quality assessment, and general health services.

The responsibilities of INSA are to:

• Pursue governmental scientific and technological policies for the health sector by producing evidence for decision making
• Promote, organize, and coordinate research and development activities in the health sciences
• Promote, organize, and ensure external quality assessment in laboratory activities
• Provide differentiated analytical services in prenatal diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of patients in clinical services
• Collaborate with the General Directorate of Health in performing epidemiologic surveillance of communicable and non-communicable diseases
• Study and update indicators and health determinants characterizing the state of health of the Portuguese population
• Contribute to researchers and technicians who perform work in the health sector by offering training, courses, and other activities of professional or postgraduate training
• Provide paid services to public and private entities in their areas of expertise