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, 1 - 12. https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2023-0071
Ferreira, M. J., Sebastião, E., & Pelicioni, P. H. S. (2024). Feasible and safe approaches for exercise adherence in hypertension. American Journal of Hypertension, Article hpae036. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajh/hpae036
Sebastião, E., Siqueira, V., Bakare, J., Bohn, L., & Gallo, L. H. (Accepted/In press). Fear of Falling in Older Adults Living in a Community-Dwelling Facility: Prevalence and Its Impact on Activity Behavior and Physical Function. Journal of Applied Gerontology. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648241230403
Sebastião, E., Zhang, S., Grahovec, N. E., Hill, C. M., Siqueira, V. A. A. A., Cruz, J., & Kamari, M. Z. (2024). The effect of lower back and lower-extremity kinesiology taping on static balance and physical function performance in people with multiple sclerosis: A pilot study. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 37, 271-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2023.11.051
Abdalla, P. P., Bohn, L., Sebastião, E., Pereira dos Santos, A., Fernando Tasinafo Junior, M., da Silva, L. S. L., Alves, T. C., Gomide, E. B. G., Venturini, A. C. R., Mota, J., & Machado, D. R. L. (2023). Handgrip strength asymmetry cut points to identify slow gait speed in six low- and middle-income countries: A cross-sectional analysis with 12,669 older adults. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 106, Article 104869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2022.104869