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Five years after the passing of one of the leading figures in child psychiatry. Dr. Vicente López-Ibor Camós marked a turning point in child and adolescent psychiatry in Spain. His professional and academic career was defined by a deep commitment to the mental health of young people, combining scientific rigor with profound human sensitivity.
Born in September 1930 in San Carlos de la Rápita (Tarragona), he grew up in a family environment deeply connected to medicine. The son of psychiatrist Vicente López-Ibor Marco and nephew of Juan José López-Ibor Marco, he was immersed in the world of psychiatry from a very early age. He studied Medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid, earning dual qualifications in Neurology and Psychiatry.
He completed his academic training at internationally renowned institutions under the guidance of leading figures such as Giovanni Bollea, Arnold van Krevelen, and Alfred Strauss.
In 1959, he founded the Albor Child Neuropsychiatric Institute, a benchmark in the treatment of childhood mental disorders. His vocation led him to play a key role in institutions such as the Jiménez Díaz Foundation and the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Carabanchel, where he created and led the Child Psychiatry Department in the 1980s.
His dedication was recognized through his election as President of the Spanish Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, as well as through the founding of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, together with Professors Dr. Josep Tomás i Vilaltella and Dr. José Luis Alcázar.
His work had a significant impact on the development of public mental health policies and on the formulation of national strategies aimed at children and adolescents.
He was a tireless advocate for the establishment of child and adolescent psychiatry as a recognized medical specialty in Spain—an achievement that was officially realized in 2013. That same year, he was honored in the book Around Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, presented by then-Minister of Health, Ana Mato.
He also received several distinctions, including the Order of Civil Health Merit in 2015, and his name was immortalized in the “Vicente López-Ibor Camós” Lecture Hall at Clínica La Luz, dedicated to training in childhood mental disorders.
Five Years Since the Passing of a Pioneer in Child Psychiatry
Dr. Vicente López-Ibor Camós marked a turning point in child and adolescent psychiatry in Spain. His professional and academic career was defined by a deep commitment to the mental health of young people, combining scientific rigor with profound human sensitivity.
Born in September 1930 in San Carlos de la Rápita (Tarragona), he grew up in a family environment deeply connected to medicine. The son of psychiatrist Vicente López-Ibor Marco and nephew of Juan José López-Ibor Marco, he was immersed in the world of psychiatry from a very early age. He studied Medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid, earning dual qualifications in Neurology and Psychiatry.
He completed his academic training at internationally renowned institutions under the guidance of leading figures such as Giovanni Bollea, Arnold van Krevelen, and Alfred Strauss. In 1959, he founded the Albor Child Neuropsychiatric Institute, a benchmark in the treatment of childhood mental disorders. His vocation led him to play a key role in institutions such as the Jiménez Díaz Foundation and the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Carabanchel, where he created and led the Child Psychiatry Department in the 1980s.
His dedication was recognized through his election as President of the Spanish Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, as well as through the founding of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, together with Professors Dr. Josep Tomás i Vilaltella and Dr. José Luis Alcázar. His work had a significant impact on the development of public mental health policies and on the formulation of national strategies aimed at children and adolescents.
He was a tireless advocate for the establishment of child and adolescent psychiatry as a recognized medical specialty in Spain—an achievement that was officially realized in 2013. That same year, he was honored in the book Around Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, presented by then-Minister of Health Ana Mato. He also received several distinctions, including the Order of Civil Health Merit in 2015, and his name was immortalized in the “Vicente López-Ibor Camós” Lecture Hall at Clínica La Luz, dedicated to training in childhood mental disorders.
Beyond his extensive professional career, those who knew him always highlighted his warmth and his remarkable ability to connect with patients. He firmly believed that “every patient is unique; psychiatry is an art guided by science,” a vision that shaped both his practice and his teaching.
His kindness, his willingness to listen, and his unique approach to psychiatry left a lasting impression on all who had the privilege of working with him. Colleagues remember him as a humble, empathetic, rigorous, and refined man. In his personal life, he nurtured a warm and loving family environment alongside his wife and lifelong companion, Juana Mayor Zaragoza, and their five children.