Catarina Gomes

Catarina Gomes works in media, innovation, and impact enterprises. Over the past 15 years, she has worked internationally, developing projects on human rights, sexual rights, and environmental issues across Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, and China.

Her focus is always on innovation, whether technological — including digital, virtual reality, or augmented reality — or theme-based disruption. She is the director of MANICÓMIO, a social enterprise dedicated to art, mental health, human rights, and disruption.

Catarina holds a double-degree Master’s from Aarhus University, Denmark, and the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Catarina Gomes will be speaking at the Museums, Health & Well-Being Summit 2025 :

Museums for Mental Health: A Blueprint for Well-being

MAAT’s Roadmap for Mental Health (RMH), is a pioneering model that redefines museums as accessible spaces for healing, inclusion, and social change. Through interdisciplinary approaches—merging art, architecture, and nature—RMH offers affordable, stigma-free mental health care directly within museum settings. Co-created with Lisbon’s Manicómio, RMH actively supports well-being and empowers marginalised communities, with over 2,200 therapy sessions already conducted. This programme not only advances well-being but also aligns with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, showcasing museums as vital players in societal transformation toward a healthier, more inclusive world.