The objective of this line is the quantitative study of the transmission dynamics of infectious and parasitic diseases, as well as the development of methods and designs of epidemiological studies.

This research line involves different theoretical and methodological approaches and its main objective is the production of knowledge that contributes to the improvement of the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of health policies, systems and programs. The challenge is to account for the complexity that permeates and mediates actions and interventions in the field of health, as well as the achievement of results. The investigations of this line include the steps of defining and prioritizing problems, the interventions and strategies of approach chosen, their determinants, the resources involved, the results achieved, expected and unexpected, as well as the influence of the context in the directions of the whole process , Which includes the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health policies and programs

With a view to subsidizing policy formulation and health service management, this research line covers studies on the use, quality and costs of health services and technologies, as well as studies of factors that explain variations in these aspects. In the quality approach, the dimensions of effectiveness, effectiveness, efficiency, access, continuity, safety, fairness and adequacy are considered.

This research line is dedicated to studies focused on the following axes: (1) monitoring of the nutritional and nutritional condition of populations; (2) design and operation of the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (SISVAN) and its articulation with other information systems; (3) evaluation of programs and interventions in public health aimed at the prevention and control of major nutritional diseases, such as protein-energy malnutrition, overweight and obesity, and micronutrient deficiency; (4) monitoring of risk and protection factors associated with food and nutrition; (5) food, education and culture.

This line of research aims to describe and analyze, through theoretical and empirical research, the health framework of indigenous peoples in Brazil and other regions, approaching it from a historical, anthropological and epidemiological perspective. It emphasizes the analysis of the socioeconomic, cultural and environmental changes on the disease health process, as well as the directions of the public policies related to the health care of these peoples.

It is oriented both to the analysis of the characteristics and obstacles to the improvement of the quality of health information, the power relations and production of knowledge that consubstantiate the National Health Information Policy and the methodological and technological principles of Health Information Management; As well as for the production of information in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of health policies and interventions.

This line of research covers topics of epidemiology, social policies, history of knowledge and institutions in the field of Mental Health. It deals, with particular interest, with research on the distribution of mental disorders in population groups and their risk factors, as well as on the design, analysis and meta-analysis of clinical trials in psychiatry. This area also covers research on recent and contemporary trends in deinstitutionalization and psychiatric reform, public policies on mental health and psychiatric care, as well as techniques and trends in the planning, organization and management of mental health services and systems.

This line of research includes studies on the origin and evolution of diseases and infections, from prehistory to the present day. They are remnants of missing populations whose vestiges bring information about aspects of health, disease and adaptability over time. Techniques and methods suitable for research in archaeological materials are developed. It seeks to understand how the various pathogens have succeeded, in an evolutionary perspective, until their constitution in the present time.

The main objective of this line of research is the use of quantitative models in the analysis of complex issues, such as the contextual effect on the individual, whether the place of residence or medical care, and the multiple measures and individual responses, aiming at a Better understanding of processes relating health and disease and care and populations, including demographic and ecological issues.