Ambulim

What Ambulim does

AMBULIM (Programa de Transtornos Alimentares) is a non-profit eating disorders treatment, research, and education program operating within the Instituto de Psiquiatria do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (IPq-HCFMUSP). Established in the first half of 1992 as Brazil's first specialized center for eating disorders and now recognized as the principal reference center in Latin America, the program serves patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and other specified feeding and eating disorders through a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, nutritionists, physical educators, physiotherapists, and nurses. Its service portfolio comprises the flagship AMBULIM outpatient clinic (founded 1992), PROTAD for children and adolescents (initiated November 2001), and ECAL — the only specialized eating disorders inpatient ward in Brazil's public healthcare system — supported by the NUPE research and teaching nucleus established in August 2017.

The program's core technology is an interdisciplinary clinical methodology rather than a software product, anchored by deep specialist expertise and a self-serve educational distribution platform (cursos.ambulim.org.br). The educational arm offers more than 400 hours of coursework via the flagship Aprimoramento em Transtornos Alimentares program (with 30+ specialist professors and now in its 26th cohort), alongside ten additional specialized courses and workshops covering ARFID, body image distortion, compulsive eating, sleep-behavior interaction, bariatric surgery interfaces, evidence-based psychotherapies, and obesity treatment. There is no proprietary software, mobile application, or AI/ML component; technology infrastructure consists of the WordPress-based public website, a course payment platform supporting credit card, PIX, and boleto, and social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

AMBULIM operates on a hybrid non-commercial model: clinical services are delivered free to patients through Brazil's public healthcare system (SUS), while operating sustainability is supported by donations from benefactors and revenue from professional training courses. The Aprimoramento course is publicly priced at R$5,796 (or 6x R$966) with a 10% alumni discount, distributed through a self-serve registration flow. The workforce is predominantly volunteer, with specialist coordinators holding academic appointments at USP. Go-to-market combines formal patient registration and screening with self-serve course enrollment and earned media coverage in tier-one Brazilian outlets. As a non-profit embedded in a public university hospital, AMBULIM has no venture capital, private equity, or external shareholders.

Name

Ambulim

Legal name

Programa de Transtornos Alimentares – AMBULIM, do Instituto de Psiquiatria do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo

Website

https://ambulim.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ambulim is Brazil's first specialized eating disorders treatment program, established in 1992 at Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP. It delivers free multidisciplinary care through the public healthcare system, operates Latin America's only specialized public inpatient eating disorder ward, and trains healthcare professionals via certified courses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eating Disorder Treatment Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Offices of Physicians, Mental Health Specialists (621112), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Eating Disorder Treatment Programs (HLAFACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Eating Disorder Recovery Nutrition Support (HSADAFAM)

Keywords

• Eating disorder treatment
• Multidisciplinary clinical care
• Professional medical training
• Eating disorders research
• Specialized healthcare education

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Educational Courses: Revenue generated from professional training courses including the Aprimoramento program, workshops, and specialization courses offered to healthcare professionals.
2. Donations: Services are maintained through donations from benefactors (doações de beneméritos). Contact for donations is [email protected].
3. Public Healthcare System: Core clinical services are provided free of charge through the public healthcare system (SUS) as part of Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ambulim is a multidisciplinary healthcare program providing free outpatient and inpatient treatment for eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID) through Brazil's public healthcare system (SUS), including specialized pediatric/adolescent care (PROTAD) and the only specialized eating disorders ward in Brazil's public sector (ECAL). It also delivers paid professional training courses — most notably the Aprimoramento em Transtornos Alimentares (400+ hours) and various workshops — targeting healthcare professionals, supported by a research nucleus (NUPE).

Product overview

Ambulim is a comprehensive eating disorders treatment and education program at the Instituto de Psiquiatria do Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP (Brazil). The organization operates as a platform of interconnected services comprising clinical treatment programs (AMBULIM outpatient clinic, PROTAD for children/adolescents, ECAL inpatient ward) supported by research (NUPE), alongside an educational arm offering professional training courses including the flagship Aprimoramento em Transtornos Alimentares, specialized workshops, and update courses on topics like ARFID, body image distortion, bariatric surgery interfaces, and obesity treatment. The services range from outpatient care to intensive inpatient treatment, with all clinical services provided free through Brazil's public healthcare system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AMBULIM Outpatient Treatment Program Multidisciplinary outpatient treatment program for eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and other specified feeding or eating disorders) provided through a team of psychiatrists, psychologists, nutritionists, physical educators, physiotherapists, and other specialists. Services are free through the public healthcare system (SUS).
• PROTAD (Pediatric and Adolescent Eating Disorders Program) Specialized program for children and adolescents up to 18 years old with eating disorders, offering outpatient consultations, weekly visits for ARFID patients, and family-centered care.
• ECAL (Eating Behavior Ward) The only specialized inpatient eating disorders ward in Brazil's public healthcare system, providing free treatment for severe cases requiring hospitalization at Hospital das Clínicas.
• NUPE (Research and Teaching Nucleus) Research nucleus that manages research projects on eating disorders, develops research competencies among AMBULIM's volunteer professionals, and produces academic publications.
• Aprimoramento em Transtornos Alimentares Advanced professional training course in eating disorders with over 400 hours of online classes, live doubt-clearing sessions, clinical case discussions, and observation internships at HCFMUSP; certified by the Instituto de Psiquiatria do Hospital das Clínicas. Priced at R$ 5,796.00 (or 6x R$ 966 without interest), with a 10% discount for AMBULIM alumni.
• Workshop Práticas Interdisciplinares nos Transtornos Alimentares Workshop focused on interdisciplinary practices in eating disorder treatment, targeting healthcare professionals.
• Curso de Atualização em Dificuldades Alimentares e TARE Update course for healthcare professionals on feeding difficulties in childhood and Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID/TARE), covering developmental stages, habit formation, and diagnostic criteria.
• Workshop de Distorção da Imagem Corporal Workshop training healthcare professionals to identify body image distortion and use resources and body activities to help patients recognize this distortion.
• Workshop Desvendando a Compulsão Alimentar Workshop exploring binge eating disorder and compulsive eating behaviors, targeted at healthcare professionals.
• Simpósio de Sono e Comportamento Alimentar Symposium addressing the relationship between sleep and eating behavior, targeted at healthcare professionals.
• Curso de Atualização em Transtornos Alimentares na Infância e Adolescência Update course for healthcare professionals on eating disorders in childhood and adolescence, covering diagnostic criteria, specialized care approaches, and family dynamics.
• Curso Interfaces entre a Cirurgia Bariátrica e os Transtornos Alimentares Course addressing the interfaces between bariatric surgery and eating disorders, targeted at healthcare professionals.
• Curso de Abordagens Inovadoras para o Tratamento da Obesidade Course on innovative approaches for obesity treatment, with the next cohort planned for 2026; targeted at healthcare professionals.
• Psicoterapias Baseadas em Evidências no Tratamento dos TA Course on evidence-based psychotherapies for eating disorder treatment, covering recommendations and challenges; targeted at healthcare professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Unique specialized eating disorder ward in Brazil's public healthcare system
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Associação Brasileira de Transtornos Alimentares (ASTRALBR)coreOthersAMBULIM refers patients to ASTRALBR for additional support and information about eating disorder treatments in Brazil. The association serves as a resource for patients seeking treatment options and support beyond AMBULIM's services. ASTRALBR also maintains an Instagram presence (@astralbr) for awareness and education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Monte Nido: US eating disorder treatment provider with residential and outpatient programs focused on all genders and life stages. Comparable as specialized ED clinical provider serving a similar patient population.
• Renfrew Center: Largest US network of eating disorder treatment facilities offering outpatient, residential, and virtual care with strong multidisciplinary clinical teams. Directly comparable as a specialty eating disorder provider combining clinical treatment and professional training.
• Eating Recovery Center: US-based eating disorder treatment provider with multiple levels of care including inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, and outpatient. Directly comparable specialty ED treatment platform with multidisciplinary model.
• Kartini Clinic: US pediatric eating disorder treatment program specializing in medical stabilization and family-based treatment for children and adolescents. Closely comparable to AMBULIM's PROTAD pediatric program in target population and approach.
• Center for Discovery: US eating disorder treatment provider operating residential, outpatient, and virtual programs for adolescents and adults. Directly comparable specialty ED treatment organization with multidisciplinary clinical teams.

Emerging players

• Equip Health: US telehealth-first eating disorder treatment platform using family-based treatment delivered virtually. Comparable as an emerging specialty ED provider, though structured around digital delivery rather than hospital-based outpatient/inpatient care.

Regional players

• Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein: Major Brazilian private hospital in São Paulo with psychiatric and mental health services. Comparable as a Brazilian institutional healthcare provider that could host adjacent or competing eating disorder programs in the same geography.
• South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (Maudsley Hospital): UK NHS mental health trust operating a specialist eating disorders service including inpatient, outpatient, and day-care programs. Comparable as a publicly funded academic psychiatric institution with a specialized eating disorders arm.

Others

• Academy for Eating Disorders (AED): Global professional association for eating disorders clinicians and researchers, of which multiple AMBULIM coordinators are members. Comparable as an ecosystem peer rather than a service provider: relevant for understanding the professional network in which AMBULIM operates.

Broad incumbents

• McLean Hospital (Klarman Eating Disorders Center): Harvard-affiliated psychiatric hospital with a dedicated Klarman Eating Disorders Center offering residential and outpatient care. Comparable as a leading academic-psychiatric institution with a specialized eating disorders program within a broader mental health portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AMBULIMIPQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ambulim
• Instagraminstagram.com/ambulim.ipq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ambulim

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ambulim