Proyectos

l Núcleo Milenio Discapacidad y Ciudadanía (DISCA) es un centro de investigación interdisciplinario financiado por la Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (2023 a 2025). Con un abordaje multi y transdisciplinario, la agenda de DISCA se centra en el estudio de los procesos y mecanismos a través de los cuales las personas con discapacidad se transforman en ciudadanas. DISCA está dirigido por una persona con discapacidad, cuenta con un consejo de expertas y expertos por experiencia y esta alineado con los principios de la investigación inclusiva y participativa. Sus investigadores, pioneros en la investigación en discapacidad en el país, utilizan metodologías mixtas, cuantitativas y cualitativas, integrando conocimientos de la antropología social, el derecho, la salud, la economía, la sociología y la psicología, en conjunto con el campo transdisciplinario de los estudios de la discapacidad.

El present projecte pretén descriure la visió que els futurs professionals de la salut tenen del cos i els usos que li donen per tal d’afavorir la reflexió sobre el seu impacte en atenció a l’usuari (l’aproximació al cos de l’altre). Conèixer els discursos i les pràctiques realitzades amb el cos dels estudiants de primer curs de ciències de la salut (teràpia ocupacional i infermeria) que expliquem la seva relació amb el “cos”.

Experiencias del Movimiento Social de la Discapacidad en América Latina: Itinerarios de lucha por los derechos del Colectivo Nacional por la Discapacidad de Chile y la Asociación de Discapacidad del Guayas de Ecuador.

DISCA (Discapacidad y Ciudadanía) es un núcleo que desde 2022 está dedicado al estudio inter y transdisciplinario de los procesos y mecanismos a través de los cuales las personas con discapacidad (PcD) se transforman en ciudadanas. Su objetivo general es examinar críticamente cómo las PcD construyen y negocian su ciudadanía en los ámbitos de: L1. la participación política, L2. el acceso a la justicia y L3. el acceso a la salud mental. Cada uno de estos ámbitos será una línea de trabajo de DISCA en los tres años del proyecto. Una cuarta línea se centrará en el uso de metodologías inclusivas y participativas en investigación en discapacidad. Nuestro enfoque se basa en dos pilares. Primero, la ciudadanía como forma de integración social mediante la igual consideración de todos. Consideramos aspectos institucionales (derechos civiles, políticos y sociales) y relacionales (demandas de reconocimiento). Segundo, el modelo social de la discapacidad, que busca superar el enfoque biomédico y entiende la discapacidad como resultado de la interacción entre condiciones de salud o déficits individuales y barreras sociales que impiden la plena participación de las PcD. El modelo social no es la mirada predominante. Siguen vigentes visiones asistencialistas que restringen la inclusión y el ejercicio de la ciudadanía de las PcD. Es urgente que la academia cree sinergias, tanto con organizaciones de PcD como con las instituciones del Estado, para examinar las barreras que afectan a las PcD y las vías para su superación. La escasez de investigación en discapacidad en Chile, y la necesidad de incorporar a PcD en la generación de conocimiento, hace nuestro proyecto muy relevante. La incorporación de PcD en el mundo académico a través de DISCA es una valiosa oportunidad para realizar cambios que preparen el camino para una mayor participación de otras PcD. Esperamos que sus resultados generen políticas inclusivas y participativas en discapacidad. DISCA está dirigido por una PcD, cuenta con un consejo de Expertos por Experiencia (con 7 PcD) y observa los principios de la investigación inclusiva y participativa. Sus investigadores principales, pioneros en la investigación en discapacidad en Chile, utilizan metodologías mixtas, cuantitativas y cualitativas, integrando conocimientos de sociología, derecho, salud, economía, sociología y psicología en conjunto con el campo transdisciplinario de los estudios de la discapacidad. Los logros a corto plazo se dirigen a: i) producir investigación inter y transdisciplinaria en discapacidad, ii) consolidar redes de colaboración con otros centros de investigación en el mundo, iii) formar capital humano en varios niveles, incluyendo PcD en todo el quehacer de DISCA y iv) informar la política pública. La meta a mediano plazo es consolidar a DISCA como el primer centro de excelencia en investigación en discapacidad de Latinoamérica, contribuyendo al fortalecimiento de los estudios de la discapacidad en el mundo.

Es un centro de excelencia en salud mental

Mental health conditions and inequities in Chile have risen significantly over recent decades, fueled by factors such as social exclusion, precarious employment, and environmental challenges. In line with recent national legislation and policy reforms, including the recently proposed Mental Health Law (2024,) there is growing recognition that these issues require not only expanded clinical services but also a deeper focus on the socio-structural determinants of mental health (Breilh, 2023; Lund et al., 2018). The Centro de Investigación y Acción en Determinación Social y Salud Mental (Center for Research and Action in Social Determination and Mental Health) or CIADES responds to this urgency by adopting a Latin American–rooted Social Determination of Health (SDnH) framework, thereby situating mental health vulnerabilities and risks within broader historical, economic, and political contexts. CIADES will work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development and Family (MIDESO) and the Ministry of Health (MINSAL), to generate robust evidence and policy guidance to address the social factors that affect and produce mental health problems beyond the individual. This collaboration ensures that the Center’s research advances academic knowledge and informs public-sector strategies and interventions. In doing so, CIADES seeks to address crucial social factors, including growing economic inequalities, stigma, and social disintegration, which have direct implications for mental well-being across the lifespan. Methodologically, CIADES employs a three-by-three matrix that interlinks three social determinants— Social Exclusion and Discrimination, Environmental Factors, and Employment—with three priority populations: migrants, older adults, and people with SMI (SMI). This matrix underpins interdisciplinary research lines, integrating quantitative (e.g., epidemiological surveys, geospatial risk mapping), qualitative (e.g., multimodal and sensory ethnography, focus groups), and participatory methods. AI-driven analyses, such as natural language processing for tracking stigma on social media, and economic evaluations that assess intervention feasibility also feature prominently within the Center’s approach. The significance of this research lies in its focus on macro-structural drivers—housing insecurity, workplace discrimination, socio-environmental conflicts—and how they contribute to mental health inequities. By examining these intersecting challenges, CIADES will move beyond an exclusively clinical perspective to propose and evaluate, in close collaboration with MIDESO and MINSAL, evidence-based strategies that can be implemented at multiple levels: local (community-based initiatives), regional (intersectoral policies), and national (legislative reforms). This holistic orientation positions CIADES as a transformative force in Chile’s public policy on mental health. Once established, the Center expects to identify and integrate other social determinants and priority groups. The Center’s work will be guided by four Specific Objectives. First, Generate Evidence for Strategic Interventions and Policy Reforms involves collaborating with MIDESO and MINSAL to systematically examine socio-structural determinants—such as discrimination, environmental stressors, and employment vulnerabilities—and generate robust evidence to inform and guide future interventions and policy actions. Second, Methodological Development uses participatory and mixed-methods approaches, emphasizing community involvement and local knowledge. Third, Capacity Building trains emerging researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to apply the SDnH framework. Finally, Knowledge Dissemination and Policy Advocacy entails translating findings into policy briefs, stakeholder workshops, and legislative recommendations that foreground structural change and equitable access to the exercise of rights, and to policies, programs and services. CIADES benefits from a multidisciplinary team involving principal and associate investigators with extensive track records in mental health, social sciences, environmental studies, and policy work. Their collective experience includes leading large-scale epidemiological surveys, designing culturally relevant interventions, and influencing legislative reforms. This breadth enables the Center to integrate cutting-edge methods—such as AI-driven stigma detection and geospatial modeling—within a robust theoretical framework. By drawing on a wide range of expertise, CIADES is uniquely positioned to undertake a comprehensive agenda that links empirical research to transformative actions in policy and practice. CIADES anticipates having a significant impact at the national level by influencing discussions on the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies related to labor laws, anti-discrimination statutes, community-oriented service models, environmental regulations, urban transformations, and other public policies with an impact on mental health. In the short term, the center aims to increase recognition of the structural factors that affect the mental health of different populations, factors that are often overlooked or ignored due to the current emphasis on individual-focused approaches. Collaborating with communities, CIADES will co-design initiatives and pilot projects that serve as scalable case studies. These efforts will lead to the production of policy briefs and guidelines, offering new frameworks to understand mental health challenges and proposing context-sensitive interventions. Over the medium to long term, CIADES aims to enhance intersectoral collaboration to drive structural-level interventions able to reduce mental health disparities— positioning Chile as a regional leader in addressing mental health through a justice-based perspective. The Center places a strong emphasis on capacity building and human capital formation as integral components of its mission. Students from undergraduate to postgraduate levels will benefit from interdisciplinary training in mental health, social epidemiology, qualitative methods, participatory methods and inclusive research, and implementation and dissemination science. This approach aims to nurture a new generation of scholars, practitioners, and other stakeholders equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to advance the SDnH perspective. Furthermore, partnerships with leading international institutions, such as King’s College London and Columbia University, will facilitate knowledge exchange, foster global networks, and enhance CIADES’ reach and credibility on an international scale. Through proactive dissemination, outreach, and knowledge transfer, CIADES will engage with both public and private sectors to drive actionable change. Dissemination channels include academic publications, open-access materials, community forums, policy dialogues, and strategic communication through social media to ensure broader public penetration of the center's work. Regarding academic publications, CIADES is committed to publishing in high-impact international journals while also recognizing the strategic importance of positioning itself within Latin American and national contexts by contributing to academic journals in Spanish. Open-access materials will include the development of conceptual, methodological, and practical tools and guides, which will be freely available for public use. Community forums will serve both to share research findings and to identify emerging issues among the general population, while policy dialogues will aim to directly support and influence decision-making processes at the policy level based on the center’s research findings and experiences.

The project aims to study the cardiac cycle's impact on brain responses and auditory perception. Using electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram recordings, we compare the neuronal responses to heartbeats in response to auditory stimulation in the different phases of the cardiac cycle. We evaluate interoceptive measures and traits of anxiety and depression in the population to establish relationships between neuronal activity and sensory and behavioral parameters.

The project aims to study the cardiac cycle's impact on healthy adults' brain responses and auditory perception. Using electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram recordings, we compare the neuronal responses to heartbeats in response to auditory stimulation in the different phases of the cardiac cycle. We evaluate cardioceptive measures to establish relationships between neuronal activity and sensory and behavioral parameters.

The main aim of the present proposal is to assess, in the Western Andean Front, the magnitude and the spatiotemporal variability of deep groundwater flows and derived mountain block recharge using an original and direct collection of hydrogeological, lithological, and geophysical data. Specific objectives are: - Obj. 1: Assess the spatial variation at depth of the Abanico Formation hydraulic properties to improve the understanding of Western Andean Front fault systems and their impacts on the water transference to alluvial aquifers. - Obj. 2: Unravel the aquifer capacity of fractured rocks (i.e. Abanico Formation) and the critical zone extinction depth for groundwater flows and mountain block recharge mechanisms in the Western Andean Front of Central Chile. - Obj. 3: Estimate the mountain block recharge mechanisms regarding their quantitative (flow) and qualitative (hydrogeochemistry) aspects and assess the vulnerability of deep groundwater flows to shallow water-store variations caused by current and future hydroclimatic changes in the Western Andean Front. The study of borehole core lithological and hydraulic properties, groundwater geochemical composition, flow rates, together with spring hydraulic and hydrogeochemistry behaviors will help to fill a gap of knowledge about deep groundwater flows originating from the Principal Cordillera. This deep borehole and derived original information will therefore be used as an “eye” inside the deep Chilean Andes groundwater resources. Finally, it will be a useful observation point for multidisciplinary research due to the interest of national and international researchers to collect samples at depth and therefore will expand shared knowledge and national frontier research

North-central Chile and south-east France are facing semi-arid and Mediterranean climates, respectively. In addition to being historically exposed to water supply challenges, these regions are sensitive to climate change, which is increasing aridity. Thus, the pressure on water resources to meet domestic, agricultural and industrial demands is high and growing. As precipitation in these regions is low and highly variable, the water stored underground is a key adjustment variable to mitigate years with low precipitation. Hence, groundwater resources need to be carefully managed in order to secure water supply in the years and decades to come. To tackle this challenge, this project aims to develop geophysical characterization and groundwater modeling approaches to support sustainable groundwater management. The main objective of the project is to produce key information about groundwater for water resources planners in semi-arid and Mediterranean areas such as in north-central Chile and southeast France. This objective will be achieved by training students and young researchers in state-of-the-art technologies such as the Magnetic Resonance Sounding (MRS) geophysical method and the WEAP-MODFLOW integrated water resources modeling framework.