Rodrigo Siqueira Reis was running in a park in Curitiba, Brazil, on a weekend morning when he realized he had spent years approaching health backward. Around him, people were playing pickup soccer, jogging, and walking. They were simply living in a space that made movement natural, joyful, and free.
In contrast, at the clinic where the exercise physiologist worked, patients cycled through a revolving door. “They would leave the clinic and come back and leave the clinic and come back — and never change,” said Reis, MS, PhD, now a professor of public health at Washington University School of Public Health in St. Louis.
Within days of the realization he had while running, he quit his job and enrolled in a graduate program in physical activity and health to study parks.
That decisive moment set Reis on a path that eventually would lead him to help shape, with Brazil’s Ministry of Health, nationwide initiatives that included community-based interventions, evidence-based public health training, and plans regarding surveillance of noncommunicable diseases.
Reis leads the People, Health & Place Unit within WashU’s Prevention Research Center. There, he leads innovative research projects focused on the intersections of physical activity, urban environments, health equity, and climate resilience.
Reis has always liked people more than labs, which is why he identifies as an educator first and a scholar second. His proudest moments come from watching students become leaders in their field.
“When I see them shining and doing brilliant work — better than I do and ever will — I still get that feeling that I am on the right path,” Reis said. “The better my students do, and the less they need me, the prouder I am. It brings me so much joy.”
Here, Reis discusses his trajectory from clinical work to research on urban environments, and why public health’s interdisciplinary nature is essential.
Q: How does your personal background shape your approach to public health?
“I was born in Curitiba, Brazil, during the military dictatorship. My mom was left-wing — she took me to the streets to advocate for democracy and voting rights. She was not just an advocate of social justice; she lived it. Being raised by a divorced mom, I learned firsthand how important equity is and how structures and systems shape the lives we have, even as a child. The way my mom was navigating her generation, being divorced and having to find jobs, that made me who I am. Additionally, Curitiba, my hometown, invented the BRT (bus rapid transit) system and became a prime example of urban sustainability policies. My generation was brought up with that mentality: Public transportation is how we commute, and we practice daily habits like separating our trash and recycling. We learned to do that as students in schools at the earliest ages. This was early on, before it became mainstream, and it very much shaped my thoughts on how the city environment, policies and governance impact health and communities.”
Q: You like to talk about public health being interdisciplinary. Why is that important?
“In a way, public health was born to be interdisciplinary. Having multiple disciplines is not only modern, it is imperative. Being able to be active safely and equitably is important, right? To do that, you need sidewalks, green areas, and breaks in your work. There’s a whole systems approach that needs to be implemented. There’s only one way we can do that. We have to partner with colleagues and communities and build teams to find those solutions. There’s more to health than sickness. We cannot tackle the issues we face now — from weather impacts to chronic and infectious diseases — without an interdisciplinary approach. That’s literally impossible.”
Q: If you had to identify one goal of the People, Place, & Health Unit, what would it be?
“Our ultimate goal is to advance knowledge of the role of place-based factors in reducing health disparities and to use this information to inform evidence-based strategies that promote inclusive, healthy places, which are critical for achieving health equity locally and globally.”
Q: There is now an international People, Place, & Health Unit. Can you tell us about that?
“This is a global group of scientists, researchers, and public health practitioners whose aim is to elevate the research and practice of place-based public health interventions. By that, I mean tailoring solutions to unique neighborhood needs through a combination of physical environment changes — such as cleaning up vacant lots or repairing housing — and social interventions — such as improving local schools, creating green spaces, or enhancing health promotion services. We seek to do that by informing policies with the best evidence.
This unit’s core values are health equity, commitment to working at local and global scales, and team science, including researchers, communities and partners outside academia. Through that, we are working on the production of collaborative grant proposals, spatial and policy indicators, capacity-building initiatives, and the generation of new evidence. The research projects we focus on examine the environmental and social contexts that impact health and well-being.”
Q: Why should people care about public health?
“There are many answers to this question, but it’s easy to understand if you think about the health issues we face today. From infectious diseases like COVID, to chronic disease, to urban livability and city mobility — all of those issues today are, for the most part, caused by the systems that surround us. Public health encompasses those systems. Public health is the first line of defense for your health, before you get too sick and need secondary or tertiary support. Public health is about the systems we live in and how they affect us — the way we live and the life we have — and how this impacts our health.”
Q: What advice would you give students wanting to go into public health right now?
“These are undoubtedly challenging times, not just for public health, particularly, but for other sectors, too. But one thing we can’t change: The need is still there. There’s a need to make this planet better for everybody. There’s a need to improve health conditions. Health conditions have been worsening more rapidly due to changes worldwide and nationally. This is the first new school at WashU in 100 years. In 100 years, we have faced so many public health crises. And we always emerge stronger and smarter — but we can do better. And to do better, we need the best, and the best are the students we can train to make the changes we need. I think these challenging times require more creativity and resilience. But challenges make us stronger in a way. I’m an optimist; history proves I’m right to feel that way.”
Writer
Hayley Abshear is the School of Public Health’s digital content strategist and social media coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Webster University and was previously a freelance writer for national publications and a content creator at a PR firm. She brings almost a decade of experience in writing, content strategy and social media marketing to the team.