Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty Member

Jaime Sapag MD MPH PhD

Research Interests

• Evaluation of Health Programs, Services & Systems  / Implementation Science
• Collaborative Mental Health Care / Mental Health and Substance Use Issues
• Human Rights and Health Services / Stigma & Discrimination
• Global Health (focus: Latin America)
• Primary Health Care /  Family & Community Health / Health Promotion
• Social Capital and Health / Health Equity

Education & Training History

• PhD Public Health Sciences (Field: Social & Health Behavioural Sciences), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada, 2013     (Thesis:  “Developing a Framework to Evaluate Collaborative Mental Health Services  in Primary Care Systems in Latin America”)
• Strategic Training Fellow in Interdisciplinary Primary Health Care Research, Canadian Institutes of Health Research –CIHR- Strategic Training Program, Canada, 2011
• Master of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, U.S.A., 2003
• Specialist in Family Medicine- Adults Mention,  School of Medicine, P. Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile, 2000
• Medical Doctor (Médico Cirujano), School of Medicine, P. Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile, 1997
• B.S. in Medicine (Licenciado en Medicina), School of Medicine, P. Universidad Católica de Chile, 1994

 OTHER AFFILIATIONS& RESPONSABILITIES

Associate Professor, Departments of Public Health and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, P. Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago-Chile

Director, Master of Public Health,  P. Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago-Chile http://medicina.uc.cl/magister-en-salud-publica/introduccion  

Project Scientist, Office of Transformative Global Health, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Ontario, Canada

HONOURS & AWARDS(Selection)

·         Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CHIR) Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral Research Award (& Prize: Knowledge Translation Supplement) (May 1, 2010 to April 30, 2013).

·         Fellowship: CIHR Training Grant in Interdisciplinary Primary Health Care Research – (Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research– Primary Health Care) (May 2010-April 2011).

·         IDRC Doctoral Research Award – Candidate Recommended for an Award ​(Competition  November 1, 2009) (it was not taken by the candidate)

·         Scholarship from the National Scholarship Program of Chile to study the Master of Public Health at Harvard University (2002-2003)

Current OR RECENT Research Projects

• Principal Investigator:

Building a Consortium: Planning Research to Improve Accessibility to Mental Health Services for Vulnerable Populations in Latin America. Funded by CIHR, Canada (Planning and Dissemination Grant– Institute Community Support). (November 2017 – November 2018)

Stigma toward Mental Illness among Primary Health Professionals in Chile. Funded by FONDECYT, Chile. (April 2016-March 2019)

Preventing Mental Illness and Substance Use Related Stigma & Discrimination and Promoting Recovery Oriented Practices in Primary Health Care in Peru. Funded by Grand Challenges Canada. Co-Principal Investigators with Ines Bustamante. (October 2014-October 2016)

Evaluation of the Implementation of Mental Health – GES in Primary Care, in Chile. Funded by FONIS, Chile.  (October 2014-January 2016).

• Co-Investigator or Collaborator:

Scaling up Science-based Mental Health Interventions in Latin America. Grant by the National Institute of Mental Health USA,  MH-16-350, “Research Partnerships for Scaling-Up Mental Health Interventions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (U19)”. PIs: Lisa A. Marsch (Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College) & Carlos Gomez-Restrepo (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogota, Colombia). (2016-2021)    http://o http://www.c4tbh.org/active-project/scaling-up-science-based-mental-health-interventions-in-latin-america/

Development of a Service Model for People with High Blood Pressure and Type II Diabetes based on Risk Adjusted Managed Care. 2015 FONDEF IDEA  Grant –  Scientific and Technological Development Support Fund (FONDEF), Chile. (2016-2018). PI: Fernando Poblete.

VIDA: Advanced Home Visit Model, supported by technology, for strengthening bio-psycho-social interventions with pregnant women and primary care givers of 0-6 years old children, in the Primary Health Care System. 2016 FONDEF IDEA  Grant –  Scientific and Technological Development Support Fund (FONDEF), Chile. (2017-2018). PI: Marcela Aracena.

Exploring Stigma, Discrimination and Recovery-Based Perspectives toward Mental Illness and Substance Use Problems among Primary Health Care Providers across Ontario. Funded by CIHR, Canada. (April 2014 – April 2017). PIs: Akwatu Khenti & Patrick Corrigan.

Improving access to High Quality Treatment and Rehabilitation Services for People with Mental Disorders in India. Funded by Grand Challenges Canada (Global Mental Health Program). (April 2014- Nov 2016). PIs: Soumitra Pathare & Akwatu Khenti.

Professional Competencies of Psychologists and Physicians working in GES-Depression Program in Primary Health Care and their Relationship with Clinical Results. Funded by FONIS, Chile. (2014-2016). PI: Paula Bedregal.

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

Journals

van der Maas M, Stuart H, Patten SB, Lentinello EK, Bobbili SJ, Mann RE, Hamilton HA, Sapag JC, Corrigan P, Khenti A. (2018). Examining the Application of the Opening Minds Survey in the Community Health Centre Setting. Can J Psychiatry; 63(1):30-36. doi: 10.1177/0706743717719079

Khenti A, Sapag JC, Bobbili S, Lentinello E, van der Maas M, Corrigan P, Patten S, Stuart H, Agic B, Hamilton H, & Mann R. (2017). Protocol: A Cluster Randomized Control Trial Study Exploring Stigmatization and Recovery-Based Perspectives Regarding Mental Illness and Substance Use Problems among Primary Healthcare Providers across Toronto, Ontario. BMJ Open; 7(11):e017044. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017044.

Sapag JC (corresponding author), Sena BF, Bustamante IV, Bobbili SJ, Velasco PR, Mascayano F, Alvarado R, Khenti A. (2017) Stigma towards Mental Illness and Substance Use Issues in Primary Health Care: Challenges and Opportunities for Latin America. Glob Public Health; 2017 Aug 2:1-13. doi: 10.1080/17441692.2017.1356347.

Poblete F, Barticevic NA, Zuzulich MS, Portilla R, Castillo-Carniglia A, Sapag JC, Villarroel L, Sena BF, Galarce M. (2017). A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief Intervention for Alcohol and Drugs Linked to the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) in Primary Health Care in Chile. Addiction; 112(8):1462-1469.

Püschel K, Riquelme A, Moore P, Rojas V, Perry A, Sapag JC (corresponding author). (2017). What Makes a Medical School Socially Accountable in Latin America? A Report from a Latin American Panel based on a Qualitative Approach. Med Teach; 39(4):415-421

Khenti A, Thomas F, Mohamoud S, Diaz P, Vaccarino O, Dunbar K, Sapag JC (corresponding author). (2017). Mental Health and Addiction Capacity-building for Community Health Centres in Ontario. Can Fam Physician;63(10):e416-e424.

Sapag J (corresponding author), Acuña M, Campos A, Benítez A, Villarroel R, Villarroel L, Corvalán MP. (2017). Equipos de Salud y su Funcionalidad: Oportunidades para el Tratamiento del Tabaquismo (Health Teams and Their Functionality: Opportunities for Smoking Cessation). Rev. Chil. Enferm. Respir; 33 (3): 183-185.

Sapag JC (corresponding author), Rush B, Ferris LE. (2016). Collaborative Mental Health Services in Primary Care Systems in Latin America: Contextualized Evaluation Needs and Opportunities. Health Expect. 2016 Feb;19(1):152-69. doi: 10.1111/hex.12338.

Khenti A, Fréel S, Trainor R, Mohamoud S, Diaz P, Suh E, Bobbili SJ, Sapag JC (corresponding author). (2016). Developing a Holistic Policy and Intervention Framework for Global Mental Health. Health Policy Plan. 2016 Feb;31(1):37-45. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czv016.

Sapag JC (corresponding author), Rush B, Barnsley J. (2015). Identifying Main Evaluation Dimensions for Collaborative Mental Health Services in Primary Care Systems in Latin America: Results of a Delphi Group. Journal: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. Adm Policy Ment Health; 42(3):252-64. doi: 10.1007/s10488-014-0567-z.

Poblete F, Glasinovic A, Sapag JC, Barticevic N, Arenas A, Padilla O. (2015). Apoyo Social y Salud Cardiovascular: Adaptación de una Escala de Apoyo Social en Pacientes Hipertensos y Diabéticos en la Atención Primaria Chilena. Aten Primaria; 47(8):523-31. doi: 10.1016/j.aprim.2014.10.010.

Rocha J, Herrera A, Sapag JC, Giesbrecht N, Mann R (2015). Nonfatal traffic Accidents Related to Alcohol in León, Nicaragua 2004-2008. Revista Cubana de Higiene y Epidemiología; 53(3): http://www.revepidemiologia.sld.cu/index.php/hie/article/view/46/85

Alvarado R, Sapag JC, Orellana J, Alarcón A, Tapia E. (2015). Social Capital and Mental Health in Representative Sample of Chilean Workers (Capital Social y Salud Mental en una Muestra Representativa de Trabajadores Chilenos). Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; 73(3):227-235.

Schilling S, Bustamante JA, Salas A, Acevedo C, Cid P, Tapia T, Tapia E, Alvarado R, Sapag JC, Hsin Yang L, Lukens E, Mascayano F. (2015). Development of an Intervention to Reduce Self-Stigma in Outpatient Mental Health Service Users in Chile. Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; 73(3):284-294.

Mascayano F, Irrarázabal M, Demilia W, Shah B, Varner S, Sapag JC, Alvarado R, Hsin Yang L. (2015). Suicide in Latin America: A Growing Public Health Issue. Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas 2015; 73(3):295-303

Margozzini P & Sapag J. (2015). High Risk Alcohol Consumption in Chile: Pending Tasks and Opportunities for Public Policies (El Consumo Riesgoso de Alcohol en Chile: Tareas Pendientes y Oportunidades para las Políticas Públicas). Temas de la Agenda Pública, Año 10 / No 75 / enero 2015 (publicación del Centro de Políticas Públicas UC).

Sapag JC, Herrera A, Trainor R, Caldera T, Khenti A. (2013). Global Mental Health: Transformative Capacity-Building in Nicaragua. Glob Health Action, 6: 21328 – http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/gha.v6i0.21328

Giesbrecht G, Sapag JC,  Pemjean A, Marquez J, Khenti A, Rehm J, Minoletti A. (2013). National Alcohol Strategy for Chile: Rationale, Development, Content & Status on Implementation.  International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research 2(2), 17-29 doi: 10.7895/ijadr.v2i2.128

Longman-Mills S, González WY, Meléndez MO, García MR, Gómez J D, Juárez CG, Martínez EA, Peñalba SJ, Pizzanelli EM, Solórzano LI, Wright MGM, Cumsille F, De La Haye W , Sapag JC, Khenti A, Hamilton HA, Erickson PG, Brands B, Flam-Zalcman, R, Simpson S, Wekerle C, and Mann RE. (2013). Exploring Child Maltreatment and Its Relationship to Alcohol and Cannabis Use in Selected Latin American and Caribbean Countries. Child Abuse Negl; 37(1):77-85.

Khenti A, Sapag JC, Trainor R, Candia C, Poblete F, Valdés A, Thompson D, Minoletti A, Diaz P, Gysling K, Vöhringer C, Chacón S. (2012). Strengthening Efforts to Integrate Mental Health into Primary Health Care in Chile: Lessons from an International Collaboration Process. International Journal of Mental Health, 41(1), 87-102.

Rush B, Sapag JC, Chaim G, Quinteros C. (2011). Client Characteristics within the Chilean National Youth Addiction Treatment Demonstration System. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment; 40(2):175-82.

Khenti A, Sapag JC, Garcia-Andrade C, Poblete F, Santiago de Lima AR, Herrera A, Diaz P, Amare H, Selick A and Reid S. (2011). Building Primary Health Care Capacity to Address Addiction and Mental Health Inequities: Lessons from Latin America and the Caribbean. Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care, 4 (3), 143-154.

Sapag JC, Poblete FC, Eicher C, Aracena M, Caneo C, Vera G, Martínez M, Hoyos R, Villarroel L, Bradford E. (2010). Tobacco Smoking in Urban Neighborhoods: Exploring Social Capital as a protective factor in Santiago, Chile. Nicotine Tob Res; 12(9):927-36.

Sapag JC, Kawachi I. (2010).  Social Capital and Health in Latin America: Ecological and Individual Level Analyses.  World Medical & Health Policy: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 16.  DOI:10.2202/1948-4682.1038.  Available at: http://www.psocommons.org/wmhp/vol2/iss1/art16

Sapag JC, Lange I, Campos S, Piette JD. (2010). Innovations for the Care of Persons with Chronic Diseases in Latin America: Challenges and Opportunities for Networking. Pan-American Journal of Public Health; 27(1):1-9.

Kripper CE, Sapag JC. (2008). Social Capital and Health in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review. Pan-American Journal of Public Health; 25(2):162-70.  (2009)

Sapag JC, Aracena M, Villarroel L,  Poblete F, Berrocal C,  Hoyos R,  Martínez M,  Kawachi I. (2008). Social Capital and Self-Rated Health in Urban Low Income Neighborhoods. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health; 62:790-792.

Poblete F, Sapag J, Bossert T. (2008). Social Capital and Mental Health in Low Income Urban Communities in Santiago, Chile.  New Appoaches to Understand the Community-Health Relationship. Rev Méd Chile (The Chilean Journal of Medicine); 136: 230-239.

Sapag JC, Kawachi I. Social Capital and Health Promotion in Latin America. Rev. Saúde Pública; 41(1): 139-149.   (2007)

Pridmore P, Thomas L,  Havemann K, Sapag J,  Wood L. (2007). Social Capital and Healthy Urbanization in a Globalized World. Journal of Urban Health 84(s1):130-143.

Piette JD, Lange I, Issel M, Campos S, Bustamante C, Sapag J, et al. (2006). Use of telephone care in a cardiovascular disease management programme for type 2 diabetes patients in Santiago, Chile. Chronic Illness; 2, 87-96.

Books:

Khenti A, Sapag JC, Mohamoud S, Ravindran A. (Eds.). (2012). Collaborative Mental Health: An Advanced Manual for Primary Care Professionals. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – CAMH-, Ontario, Canada. ISBN: 978-1-77114-025-6.

Sapag J, Araya M, Birkner S. (Editors) Fundación Rodelillo. Desarrollando Familias Sanas… Manual de Salud para las Familias Chilenas (Developing Healthy Families…Health Manual for Chilean Families). Editorial LOM, Santiago, Chile. Principal authors: Jaime Sapag, Marcela Araya. (2001)

Book Chapters:

Sapag JC, Rush B. (2012). Evaluation of Primary Care Mental Health. In: Ivbijaro G. (Editor in chief). Companion to Primary Care Mental Health, p. 138-152. World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians (WONCA). London: Radcliffe. ISBN: 9781846199769. 

Sapag JC. (2012). Capital Social y Promoción de la Salud (Social Capital and Health Promotion). In: Focesi Pelicioni MC, Mialhe FL. (Eds.). In: ” Educação e Promoção da Saúde: Teoria e Prática” (Education and Health Promotion: Theory and Practice), p 57-82. São Paulo: Santos Editora. ISBN: 9788572889070

Sapag J, Mohamoud S, Khenti A. (2012). Addressing stigma and discrimination toward people with mental illness and/or substance use problems in primary care settings. In: Khenti A, Sapag JC, Mohamoud S, Ravindran A. (Eds.). Collaborative Mental Health: An Advanced Manual for Primary Care Professionals. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – CAMH-, Ontario, Canada. ISBN: 978-1-77114-025-6.

Mohamoud S, Sapag J, Khenti A. (2012). Mental health and substance use problems in primary care: Local, national and international perspectives. In: Khenti A, Sapag JC, Mohamoud S, Ravindran A. (Eds.). Collaborative Mental Health: An Advanced Manual for Primary Care Professionals. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – CAMH-, Ontario, Canada. ISBN: 978-1-77114-025-6.

Alvarado R, Dogmanas D, Lara C, Minoletti A, Saldivia S, Sapag JC. (2011). Fortalecimiento de la Capacidad para Producir, Evaluar y Utilizar la Informacion sobre Salud Mental (Fostering the Capacity to Produce, Evaluate and Use Information for Mental Health). In: PAHO. Marco de Referencia para la Implementacion de la Estretagia Regional de Salud Mental (Framework for the Implementation of the Regional Mental Health Strategy). Washington, DC: OPS (PAHO).

Eaton WW, Muntaner C, Sapag JC. (2010). Socio-Economic Stratification and Mental Disorders. In: Sheid TL, Brown TN (Eds.).A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health: Social Contexts, Theories, and Systems. 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press.