Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública

Service activities offered by the INSP play a fundamental role in serving two key goals: to prevent public health problems and promote population health.

• Develop clinical, epidemiological, experimental and technological development research in bio- and socio-medical areas to help the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and the rehabilitation of patients, as well as to promote public health.
  Publish research and the results of academic activities as well as technical and scientific data related to public health topics.
• Advise and act as a consultant to the Ministry of Health whenever it is required.
• Act as a technical and policy advisor to all governmental entities in its specialization areas, as well as to private organizations or individuals.
• Act as a consultant to the specialized research centers, universities or hospitals of the states or any health organization that requires the service.
• Implement as service activities the development of surveys in public health areas and the design diagnostic technology that attends national health needs, specifically in transmittable diseases.

All of the primary services provided by the Institute serve the objectives and policies described earlier. These services fall into one of five categories:

1. Large-scale evaluations and surveys. The INSP faculty, with the support of students, conduct large-scale evaluations of programs and public initiatives that help the Mexican government identify social, behavioral and economic factors involved in the development and success of these initiatives. These evaluations also provide feedback on the impact of these initiatives and offer recommendations for improvement. The INSP also leads National Health Surveys.

2. Community outreach services. Most of these services are related to research that is already in progress and provide support for social groups through laboratory services and health promotion activities for the community.

3. Information creation, translation, and dissemination and other actions to broaden access to scientific knowledge in public health. Through these activities, the INSP’s infrastructure and expertise facilitate access to knowledge by creating, improving, and distributing information about public health.

4. Direct services by faculty. The Institute’s professor/researchers have become renowned within Mexico and beyond, and they act as scientific consultants in public health for educational institutions, government entities, and social and health organizations both nationally and internationally. Services include reviewing scientific documents, evaluating scholarships, developing and reviewing research protocols, providing technical advice, serving on scientific committees, and collaborating with federal and state governments to design and develop health projects, among others.

5.Development of online resources and informatics services. The development of online education and the use of information and communication technologies have improved the INSP’s capacity to offer a broad range of education, training, and design resources and to disseminate public health information to diverse institutions around the world.

When aimed at the general public, services are provided free of charge or with a minimal recovery fee. If an institution requires a deliverable with a specific design, an agreement that stipulates the commitments, obligations and budget of each party is established in order to provide the service.

The INSP provides a variety of important services related to large-scale evaluations and surveys, community outreach services, information translation and dissemination and access to scientific knowledge, among other services. In this regard, the INSP plays a role similar to that of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

1. Large-Scale Evaluations and Surveys

• Evaluation of programs and public policies with social and health components.
• Design, application and analysis of national and regional surveys.

2. Community outreach services

• Community Outreach Services.
• Insecticide Evaluation Unit.
• Strategic Intelligence Unit.
• Infestation Control Unit.
• Unit for the Diagnosis of Vector-transmitted Diseases.
• Vector and reservoir taxonomy unit.
• Unit for the spatial analysis of health risks.
• Center for Compilation and Analysis of Health Information (NAAIS).
• Analytical Laboratory for Tobacco Compounds (Lacot).
• The Genomic and Proteomic Studies Unit.
• Health services for communities

3. Information Creation and Dissemination and Access to Scientific Knowledge

Mechanisms and services through which the INSP offers information on public health include the following:

• Official website. The INSP is one of the main sources of information on public health in Mexico. This service is provided in many ways, and the website plays an important role in making information available to the public through means such as interviews with INSP specialists, media reports about public health problems and social strategies to promote healthy life styles. The Institute’s website receives roughly 350,000 visits per month. Through this website the general public has access to institutional information about education and capacity-building programs, topics and projects related to the LIMs, an electronic library catalog, databases from INSP surveys and the electronic version of the INSP’s journal Salud Pública de México (Journal of Mexican Public Health), among others.
• International Congress on Research in Public Health (CONGISP). This meeting is held every two years to disseminate scientific knowledge generated by the INSP academic community and other institutions and to encourage dialogue among individuals and organizations involved in public health research, promotion and prevention. Each congress has more than 1,500 national and international participants, including representatives from academia, health authorities and community organizations, as well as students and the general public.
• José Luis Bobadilla Library. As described in Criterion 1.6.J, this library offers both the internal and external communities the most extensive collection outside Mexico City of publications on public health. It is a key resource for students at the Institute and local schools of medicine, nursing and social work, as well as for other health institutions and NGOs in the surrounding area.
• Dissemination program. The INSP is active in communicating original research results in public health—through the journal Salud Pública de México—and in disseminating other public health information. It has an extensive program for institutional publications directed toward a diverse audience that includes scientists, health experts, decision makers and the public.

Direct Services by Faculty

INSP faculty serve as reviewers and members of editorial boards for a wide range of Mexican and international publications, such as Emerging Infectious Diseases, Environmental Health Perspectives, and Health Policy and Planning, among others. In addition, they evaluate articles for roughly 35 international medical journals, including The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine, The British Medical Journal, Health Affairs and AIDS.

Another important service provided by the faculty is free academic consulting for diverse health-related organizations, including those within the United Nations, the World Bank, USAID and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Professor/researchers also provide technical consulting for different federal and state institutions in Mexico related to public health on topics such as incorporating gender perspectives in health programs, evaluating the nutritional component of the national Oportunidades program, and training health workers to conduct quality epidemiological research. The professor/researchers also serve communities at the local level by advising municipal governments in areas where there is a high risk of Chagas and other diseases to establish prevention and control measures. In addition, they work with NGOs to develop informational, educational and communication materials about early detection of breast cancer and mental health for people with disabilities. The professor/researchers also work with indigenous women in their communities to develop collective leadership and productive programs.

Furthermore, INSP professor/researchers contribute their expertise to various national and international advisory committees, such as the National Council on Cervical, Uterine and Breast Cancer, the WHO’s Molecular Entomology Committee, the United Nations University Food and Nutrition Program for Human and Social Development, and the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee of the WHO Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases. They participate in a wide range of activities such as community programs, international conferences, symposiums and workshops on public health. Also, they lead sessions and roundtables in their respective areas of expertise and regularly participate as reviewers of research projects presented to the CONACyT for funding.

Development of Online Resources and Informatics Services

These services involve developing virtual spaces and information systems to facilitate access to and efficient use of information to inform scientific research, teaching, and decision making.

1. Evaluation and technical assistance for electronic biomedical journals. The CENIDSP offers consulting to improve editorial processes and standardization of scientific production through electronic media (e.g., evaluation and technical assistance to meet international quality standards to facilitate the addition of Mexican journals to indices such as ISI Web, Index Medicus, Lilacs, etc).

2. Development of platforms for online consultation. The INSP has highly qualified personnel for developing geographic information systems (GISs) in health, which are key for epidemiological surveillance, monitoring of health risks, and disease prevention and health promotion. These systems also capture and disseminate data generated by other health organizations. GIS information is used to plan and locate public infrastructure for health care services.

3. Internet transmission of academic meetings. The INSP’s Informatics Department provides technical assistance for transmitting academic meetings via Internet, thus facilitating the participation of personnel from any of the Institute’s campuses as well as externally. This platform enables the transmission of meetings held in various parts of the country and around the world. Some of the more recent experiences have included academic meetings with experts in England, Chile, the U.S. and Spain, among others.

4. Development of digital public health libraries. This service provides technical assistance for the LIMs and public institutions seeking virtual libraries that adhere to national and international criteria governing the architecture of such resources.

5. Virtual INSP 2.0. Managed by the Office of Academic Affairs, Virtual INSP 2.0 (http:// inspvirtual.mx/) is a virtual space that enriches learning by providing INSP personnel, students, professor/researchers, and other interested parties with the most recent and relevant information about the INSP´s academic programs. The website allows users to collaborate on public health issues and build learning communities. It seeks to promote the collaborative, collective, and open construction of new knowledge. The website has multiple interactive sections, including the Documentation Center, where students, professor/researchers and the public can consult the INSP’s physical and electronic collections and access open courses published under Creative Commons Licenses.

Student involvement in service

The INSP incorporates students in service activities that enrich their education and training. For example, students who have completed their coursework participate in the design and analysis of health evaluations, the results of which form the basis of their final projects. Also, students from the Master of Health Sciences with a concentration in VTDs participate in insecticide testing with the Infestation Control Unit as part of their training. In addition, as part of their postgraduate thesis work or to develop research projects, students participate in the design and administration of surveys or in the analysis of the resulting databases. They may also participate in fieldwork in their places of origin or as part of their professional practice, as their academic schedule permits. The INSP’s extension of these services to different areas of the SSA allows students to conduct health interviews as part of national surveys and work with other National Institutes of Health. For example, during the influenza pandemic in 2009, students from the Residence in Public Health and Preventive Medicine helped with the epidemiologic surveillance at health centers. Students also participate in service activities at laboratories.

INSP students also develop a local community project through which they provide services to a social group for the improvement of public health as part of their PTP. The INSP provides students in professional degree programs with opportunities to conduct their professional practicum in the government, the community or the civil sector, and in many cases these projects are connected with the INSP’s service areas. As part of their practicum experience, students conduct a health assessment of the community and develop an intervention for vulnerable groups. They also give presentations about preventing disease, organize activities for health promotion, and design solutions to address community health issues. Later, students present the final health assessment to community members and local government authorities. These meetings help the community to express specific needs and develop proposals with their local authorities to improve their public health conditions.

Student Participation in Service Activities