Lemann Center Events

Dr. Paiva-Neto presents insights from more than a decade of experience strengthening physical activity promotion within Brazil’s Primary Health Care system. Drawing on collaborative work across diverse regions, his talk explores how Implementation Science can bridge the gap between evidence and everyday practice in community health settings. 

Through partnerships with multidisciplinary teams, community health workers, and local managers, Dr. Paiva-Neto has helped shape approaches that make physical activity not just a recommendation, but a sustainable, community-driven practice. His reflections highlight what enables change in complex health systems: shared leadership, interprofessional collaboration, and an understanding that context matters as much as evidence. 

This session invites the audience to look beyond traditional program delivery and consider how adaptive implementation, community engagement, and health equity can coexist in real-world practice. By connecting science, policy, and lived experience, Dr. Paiva-Neto reveals how Brazil’s Primary Health Care network offers a fertile ground for innovation, and how lessons learned there can inspire global movements toward more inclusive and sustainable health promotion.
 
 Dr. Paiva-Neto (Tim) is a Werner Baer Postdoctoral Fellow at the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies and the new Lab Coordinator of the Aging and Diversity Lab (ADL), housed within the College of Applied Health Sciences, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Tim holds a Ph.D. in Physical Activity and Health from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), where he examined how implementation strategies can enhance physical activity promotion within Brazil’s primary healthcare settings. Over the past decade, he has contributed to national public health initiatives in partnership with Brazil’s Ministry of Health, focusing on health equity, community engagement, and the integration of science into real-world practice.