PSYCHIATRIST
Ignacio Romero Villa, MD
Staff Psychiatrist — Sanctuary Clinics Cozumel
A Quintana Roo psychiatrist whose nearly two decades of practice span adult, child, addiction, and forensic care. Dr. Romero brings rare breadth, and a deep knowledge of the island region, to the people he treats at Sanctuary.
ABOUT DR. ROMERO
A career rooted in this region, and in its people.
Dr. Ignacio Romero Villa earned his medical degree at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and completed his psychiatric residency at the Yucatán Psychiatric Hospital. He holds a specialist degree in psychiatry from the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, and trained further in child psychiatry at the “Dr. Juan Navarro” Children’s Psychiatric Hospital.
For nearly twenty years he has cared for patients across Quintana Roo. He served as a psychiatrist for the State Secretary of Health from 2010 to 2019 and at the Naval Hospital of Chetumal, and he has maintained a private practice since 2012, currently at the Chetumal Medical Center.
His work in recovery runs especially deep. Since 2013 he has served as consulting psychiatrist to residential addiction rehabilitation centers throughout the region, and he brings additional experience in child and adolescent care, including a consulting role at the Teletón Children’s Rehabilitation Center in Cancún.
Dr. Romero is also a forensic psychiatrist who has collaborated with judges, prosecutors, and correctional facilities in Chetumal, Cancún, and Cozumel since 2010. Alongside his clinical work, he teaches psychiatry, neurology, and neuropsychiatry at the University of Quintana Roo and psychology at the Universidad Modelo and Universidad Vizcaya in Chetumal. A member of the Quintana Roo Association of Psychiatry since 2016, he served as its president from 2021 to 2022.
CLINICAL FOCUS
The care Dr. Romero brings to Sanctuary.
| Adult Psychiatry | Comprehensive diagnosis and medication management for mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. |
| Child & Adolescent Care | Specialized training and years of experience caring for younger patients and their families. |
| Addiction & Substance Use | More than a decade consulting to residential recovery centers across Quintana Roo. |
| Co-Occurring Conditions | Integrated psychiatric care for the complex cases where mental health and substance use meet. |
| Forensic Psychiatry | Evaluation experience built through years of collaboration with courts across the region. |
| Medication Management | Careful, individualized pharmacologic care for patients with long, complex histories. |
EDUCATION & TRAINING
A foundation in medicine, research, and service.
Medical Education & Training
Doctor of Medicine
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
1998 — 2004
Residency in Psychiatry
Yucatán Psychiatric Hospital
2005 — 2009
Specialist Degree in Psychiatry
Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY)
Child Psychiatry Training
“Dr. Juan Navarro” Children's Psychiatric Hospital
2009
Academic & Professional Service
Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology & Neuropsychiatry
University of Quintana Roo
2015 — Present
Professor of Psychology
Universidad Modelo & Universidad Vizcaya, Chetumal
Member
Quintana Roo Association of Psychiatry
Since 2016
Former President
Quintana Roo Association of Psychiatry
2021 — 2022
Some of the patients we love most are the ones
who arrive having been told they are out of
options. Healing is still possible — with the
right care, the right time, and a place that
treats the whole person.
Some of the patients we love most are the ones who arrive having been told they are out of options. Healing is still possible — with the right care, the right time, and a place that treats the whole person.
Ignacio Romero Villa, MD
BEGIN A CONVERSATION
Speak with our clinical team..
If you or someone you love is searching for a different kind of psychiatric care —
one grounded in faith, evidence, and patience —
we would be honored to speak with you.
If you or someone you love is searching for a different kind of psychiatric care — one grounded in faith, evidence, and patience — we would be honored to speak with you.
