GEHUCT has a history since 2005, when it became recognized as a consolidated group (SGR) by the Catalan Government. The group possesses the ability to pursue such research both through the abilities of its individual members as well as through the consistency of the group as a whole. GEHUCT demonstrated this through its joined research in the period of 2009-2013, when different moral and political philosophers (Victòria Camps, Àngel Puyol, Daniel Gamper, Jordi Riba, Oriol Farrés) collaborated with epistemologists and philosophers of science (Anna Estany, David Casacuberta i Jordi Vallverdú).

Since GEHUCT began a year ago to study epistemological and ethical issues of public health, the group integrated three researchers leading on a national and international level:  In ethics, we incorporated Joan Vergès, a specialist in political philosophy from the University of  Girona. In epistemology, we won (first as an ex officio member), Thomas Sturm (then a Ramon y Cajal researcher, now an ICREA research professor at UAB), who specializes on the theory of rationality, and, moreover, Atocha Aliseda (Philosophical Research Institute, Universitat Nacional Autónoma de México/UNAM), contributing on logical and medical diagnosis. Finally, in the fields of public health and epidemiology Andreu Segura (UPF) and Francesc Borrell (UB) became ex officio members as well. The first is a renowned expert in Public Health, the second in Community Health.

Also noteworthy is the incorporation of several external members: Alfonso Hernández (Universidad Miguel Hernández), a public health specialist and President of SESPAS (Spanish Society of Public Health and Health Administration), and former Director General Public Health in the Zapatero government, who was also editor and promoter of the recent Spanish Public Health Law (2011); Miquel Porta (University of North Carolina and UAB) an expert in public health, with several publications in Lancet; y José Lázaro (UAM), a leading expert in community health. In addition, we have the active support of international researchers of the highest level in the fields of ethics and public health, such as Thomas Pogge (Yale University), Norman Daniels (Harvard University), Jonathan Wolff (University College London and Director of the Centre for

Philosophy, Justice and Health), Gerd Gigerenzer (Director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Director of the Harding Center for Risk Literacy in Berlin), Alex Broadbent (University of Johannesburg), and David Teira (UNED).

In short, the group includes leading experts in all three areas of our interdisciplinary research subject (ethics, epistemology, and epidemiology), working together and guiding doctoral students from four universities (UAB, UB, UPF and Girona). GEHUCT moreover prepares the publication of its results in first-rate scientific journals and in a monograph (nonexistent up until now).

On the 10th of  January 2014, the GEHUCT organized a conference on philosophy and epidemiology “ETHICS AND EPISTEMOLOGY OF PUBLIC HEALTH” that should form the fulcrum point of years of interdisciplinary research. In this workshop outstanding researchers on community health and epidemiology, such as José Lázaro (UAM), Francesc Borrell (ICS) and Miquel Porta (University of North Carolina / UAB) participated, opening channels for theoretical research on international públic health.

GEHUCT also supports research projects with independent competitive funding. Thus, Victoria Camps, Angel Puyol (PI), Daniel Gamper, Jordi Riba, Oriol Farrés, and Joan Vergés collaborate in the project “Fraternity, Justice, and Democracy” (FFI2012-33370), dealing with theories of social justice and inequality. Again, Anna Estany (PI), David Casacuberta, Thomas Sturm and Jordi Vallverdú jointly study “Innovation in scientific practice” (FFI2011-23238).