Horácio Firmino
(Portugal), Board of Directors

Horácio Firmino received his medical degree from the University of Coimbra in 1981. Thereafter he began his training period as a Psychiatrist in the Coimbra University Hospital. During his postgraduate training period was thoroughly prepared as a psycho-dramatist (psychotherapist endorsed by the brazilian of S. Paulo Dr. Soeiro and supported by the Portuguese Psychodrama Association) and formative course of Cognitive Behavior Psychotherapie at Coimbra University Hospital.

Dr. Firmino is currently Clinical Chief of Psychiatry – Head of Gerontopsychiatry and he is also in private practice at the Clínica Montes Claros, Coimbra, Portugal.

Dr. Firmino experience includes
• Founder and Director of Gerontopsychiatric Unit at the Psychiatric Clinic of the Coimbra University Hospitals since 1990
• Clinical Director of the Therapeutic Community “Encontro” to Toxicodependents since 1991
• Coordinator of the HIV-Psychiatric Consultation (Psychiatric Clinic of the Coimbra University Hospitals) consultation since 2004
• Director of Psychiatric Consultation of the Psychiatric Clinic of the Coimbra University Hospitals since 2005

He has been involved in the development of psychogeriatrics for over ten years through research, education and training as well as clinical care. He was one of the members of Health Mental - Psychiatry Aging Group at the Mental Health Director (2003-2006) and developed a report concerning the actual situation at Portugal and the program to develop psychogeriatrics in the future.

He was one of the founders of the Portuguese Psychogeriatric Association, and during all the years after its founding, he has participated in the Board or at the Fiscal Council of this Association. During the last years (2002-2006) he served as President. During his leadership he promoted psychogeriatrics in Portugal with different initiatives (conference, meetings, Congress) and in the last year he edited the first  Handbook of Psychogeriatrics at Portugal. He also edited one CD with all the Coimbra Psychogeriatric Meeting in order to promote and increase the interest of psychogeriatrics.

Dr. Firmino joined the IPA in 1993 and has participated in its many activities. In 2006 he was the Chair of the European Regional Meeting of the IPA at Lisbon-Portugal, and was responsible for preparing a DVD with the majority of the presentations of this meeting.

During the year of 2007, he served on the Meetings Committee for the organization of the IPA 2007 European Regional Meeting at Istanbul, Turkey and participates as European Regional Coordinator of the 2007 IPA Osaka Silver Congress. Currently he is Deputy Chair of the Meetings Committee of IPA and he is participating as a member of the Organizing Committee of the IPA European Meeting at Dublin, Ireland at 2008.

Dr. Firmino can be reached at hfirmino@mac.com.

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