Obituary: Carlos Augusto de Mendonça Lima

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Carlos Augusto de Mendonça Lima, MD, who left us on the 8th of June 2025, in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the age of 67.

Dr. Mendonça Lima was chair of the WPA Section of Old Age Psychiatry and a renowned Psychiatrist, teacher, and advocate for a better mental health for the elderly around the world.

Dr. Mendonça Lima was also an Epidemiologist, Clinical Pharmacologist and Doctor in Science of Life and Health, active professionally in Brazil, France, Portugal, and Switzerland. Recently, he was Chair of the Unit of Old Age Psychiatry at the Centre Psychiatrique Les Toises in Lausanne, Switzerland. Former Consultant to Mental Health Division WHO, President of the European Association of Geriatric Psychiatry, Member of the Board of Directors of the International Psychogeriatric Association, Vice-Chair of the European Psychiatric Association Section of Old Age Psychiatry.

Born in Brazil, Professor Carlos Augusto de Mendonça Lima completed his medical degree at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1982. He continued his studies at the University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France, where he specialized in Psychiatry in 1989, and completed a master’s degree in Pharmacology, Epidemiology and Statistics, from the University of Nancy in 1989. In 1994, he completed his PhD (Doctorat de Sciences de la Vie et de la Santé) at the University of Franche-Comté in 1994.

Dr. Mendonça Lima was also a lecturer at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Visiting Professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Civil Servant of the Canton de Vaud at the University of Lausanne, UNIL's Chair of the WHO Collaborating Center for the Psychiatry of the Elderly, at the University of Porto, at the University of Santiago de Compostela, and at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Below are a few inspiring articles about UN regulations to which Dr. Mendonça Lima contributed:
• S1: Crossing Oceans and Connecting People to Promote the Human Rights of Older People
• Our role and impact with the Open-Ended Working Group on Aging (OEWGA), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the World Health Organization (WHO)

On behalf of myself and the WPA Section of Old Age Psychiatry, we would like to offer our sincere condolences, not only to his colleagues, but especially to his family and friends for whom we recognise this great loss. His contributions to the field of psychiatry will be remembered and celebrated for years to come.