Biography
Emerson Sebastião is an Assistant Professor in physical activity and health in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before joining the KCH department at Illinois as a faculty, he spent 5 years at NIU. He received his Bachelor’s in Physical Education and a Master’s degree in Human Movement Sciences from the São Paulo State University – Rio Claro, Brazil and earned a PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois in 2015. His doctoral dissertation looked at physical activity, aging, health disparities, and public health with a focus on older African American women. Emerson also completed a postdoctoral training in rehabilitation sciences in the Exercise Neuroscience Research Laboratory in 2016 where he conducted research in topics related to exercise in people with multiple sclerosis. Since 2020, he serves as associate editor for the Brazilian Journal of Physical Activity and Health, and the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. Emerson’s research focuses on topics investigating factors influencing physical activity participation, health consequences of physical activity, and the effects of interventions to improve physical activity, physical and neuropsychological function, and quality of life, with a particular interest in older adults and people with multiple sclerosis.
Additional Campus Affiliations
Assistant Professor, Kinesiology and Community Health
Recent Publications
Baumann, M., Hill, C., Camic, C., Chomentowski, P., Siqueira, V., Petruzzello, S., & Sebastião, E. (2024). An Investigation of the Sled-Push Exercise Using a Resisted Sled Machine in Apparently Healthy Older Adults: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 32(3), 416-427. https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2023-0071
Cordeiro, J. F. C., da Silva, L. S. L., Abdalla, P. P., Vila-Chã, C., Miranda, K., Sebastião, E., Gaya, A., Machado, D. R. L., dos Santos, A. P., & Bohn, L. (2024). Is Sleep Behavior Impacted by Sharing a Bed or Room with a Partner? A Cross-Sectional Study with Older Adults. Ageing International, 49(3), 684-699. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-024-09570-z
dos Santos, A. P., Cordeiro, J. F. C., Abdalla, P. P., Bohn, L., Sebastião, E., da Silva, L. S. L., Tasinafo-Júnior, M. F., Venturini, A. C. R., Andaki, A. C. R., Mendes, E. L., Marcos-Pardo, P. J., Mota, J., & Machado, D. R. L. (2024). Low handgrip strength is associated with falls after the age of 50: findings from the Brazilian longitudinal study of aging (ELSI-Brazil). Archives of Public Health, 82(1), Article 172. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-024-01340-2
dos Santos, A. P., Cordeiro, J. F. C., Abdalla, P. P., Bohn, L., Sebastião, E., da Silva, L. S. L., Júnior, M. F. T., Venturini, A. C. R., Andaki, A. C. R., Mendes, E. L., Marcos-Pardo, P. J., Mota, J., & Machado, D. R. L. (2024). Sleep quality and falls in middle-aged and older adults: ELSI-Brazil study. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P, 58, Article e20240027. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-220X-REEUSP-2024-0027EN
Ferreira, M. J., Pelicioni, P. H. S., & Sebastião, E. (2024). Facilitators of exercise adherence among adults with hypertension: insights into what we already have. Hypertension Research, 47(3), 829-830. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-023-01575-6