CIBERSAM and mental health research

By Esther Jiménez: Deputy Scientific Director at CIBERSAM.

02 July, 2025

Descobreix CIBERSAM i les oportunitats de col·laboració
en Salut Mental

At the Breakfast & Learn of July, we had the pleasure of having Esther Jiménez, deputy scientific director at CIBERSAM – The Center for Networked Biomedical Research in Mental Health, who explained to us in detail what this network is and why it has been key to research and innovation in this area.

From its creation in 2002 as REM-TAP to the constitution of CIBERSAM in 2006, this network has currently brought together 26 research groups and 596 researchers working for excellent mental health.

The main objectives of CIBERSAM have been:

Develop research that responds to the needs of patients and families.
Improving quality of life through evidence-based clinical practice.
Contribute to reducing the stigma associated with mental disorders.

During the session, Esther Jiménez highlighted the transversal and research programs, some of which have been led by members of the TECSAM Network , such as:

Therapeutic innovation: Juan Nacher – University of Valencia.
Depression and suicide prevention: Diego J Palao Vidal , IP of the e-MH-PEMN group , Parc Taulí Research and Innovation Institute Foundation (I3PT) and member of the TECSAM Network.
Schizophrenia: Edith Pomarol Clotet , of the Applied Multimodal Neuroimaging group- FIDMAG Research Foundation and member of the TECSAM Network.
Bipolar disorder: Vicente Balanza- University of Valencia.
Child and adolescent psychiatry: Inmaculada Baeza , from the Clinical Schizophrenia Group (GEC) IDIBAPS-Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and member of the TECSAM Network.
Psychosomatic disorders, anxiety and impulse control: Josep Antoni Ramos-Quiroga , IP of the Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addictions group at Vall d’Hebron and member of the TECSAM Network.

In addition, CIBERSAM has made available a bank of instruments with more than 350 questionnaires for diagnosis and clinical evaluation, as well as a DNA bank with more than 20,200 samples linked to clinical data, recognized by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

These tools, along with funding opportunities, international collaboration, training and networking, have made CIBERSAM an essential platform for researchers and professionals.

Here you can watch the video of the session.