This group, led by professor Raúl Andrés Mendoza Sassi, is active in the field ofpublic health and epidemiology. It was formed by professors at the Medicine and Nursing Schools. As its name suggests, the group’s main objective is to develop research that increases the field’s understanding of the health-disease process through an epidemiological approach and by considering both the individual and the organizations responsible for the care of the individual. Therefore, the group develops two lines of research: the epidemiology of injuries to health and epidemiology and health services management.

In the first line of research, the group is studying aspects of the health-disease process:its determinants, its manifestations and the harm produced by communicable and non-communicable diseases. The group also examines the epidemiological aspects of this process and analyzes their relationships with health services. It seeks to evaluate how services respond to people's needs, the equity of these services and how they can be improved. Most of these projects are part of the Unified Health System and primary care. Greater emphasis is given to maternal and child health issues, infectious and parasitic diseases and health services evaluation.

In the second research line, the group investigates the determinants that lead to use of health services and evaluates whether the services meet the needs of the most vulnerable groups. The purpose of this research is to develop a more equitable healthcare process. It also examines healthcare management processes using tools from epidemiology and health services administration.

The group has produced many articles and publications based on these research interests. Much of its scientific production focuses on the local health system and the population groups the system serves, demonstrating its commitment to integration with the community as it helps to identify its health needs.