Rodrigo Reis’s research is focused on the intersections of active living, urban environments, health equity and climate resilience. His work emphasizes mixed-methods, community-engaged and evidence-based approaches to uncover how urban design and systems shape individuals’ opportunities for active living and urban livability particularly in underserved urban settings. He is a member of the Lancet Physical Activity Series Group and Nature Physical Activity Portfolio and has co-authored influential studies published in The Lancet, Nature and other high-tier journals. In addition, he contributed to the Urban Design, Transport, and Public Health series, and the Urban Mobility Series published in The Lancet journals (2016, 2022 and 2025).

Reis has worked with the Brazilian Ministry of Health on developing and monitoring the National Plan for Combating Non-Communicable Diseases. He has partnered with the Pan American Health Organization and the Ministry of Health in Brazil to implement evidence-based public health and physical activity promotion courses, contributed to CDC physical activity courses in Latin America, assisted with the U.S. National Physical Activity Plan, and supported PAHO/ASPPH epidemiology and public health courses throughout Latin America. Dedicated to building research and practice capacity across the region, Dr. Reis is a founding member and former president of the Brazilian Society for Physical Activity and Health and a founding member and current board member of the Latin American Congress of Physical Activity and Health Research. He is the co-editor of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.

Reis teaches a variety of courses, including Public Health and the Built Environment; People, Health & Place: International Perspectives on Urban Health, Physical Activity, Urban Design, and Transportation; and Theoretical Orientations in Public Health Sciences. He also mentors emerging scholars, championing an inclusive research culture that bridges academic scholarship and community needs.