Ricardo Cardoso Cassilhas

Holds a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education from the Universidade Metropolitana de Santos (UNIMES/FEFIS). Obtained a Masters degree (2007) and a Ph.D. (2011) in Sciences from the Graduate Program in Psychobiology at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), with three postgraduate specializations: Neuropsychology; Kinesiology, Biomechanics, and Strength Training; and Freemasonry Philosophy and History. Completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UNIFESP, including an international research internship at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium, focusing on the harmful effects of air pollution on the health of older adults engaging in physical activity in indoor versus outdoor environments.Since 2015, he has been a faculty member in the Physical Education program at the Federal University of the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys (UFVJM), where he teaches undergraduate (bachelors and licensure) and graduate courses (masters, doctoral, and postdoctoral) within the Graduate Program in Health Sciences (PPGCS/UFVJM). At UFVJM, he teaches subjects in kinesiology, biomechanics, strength training, neurophysiology, and special topics in neuroscience at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He has served as Head of the Department of Physical Education and as Director of Teaching at UFVJM, participated in various academic committees, and currently serves as a member of the Curriculum Development Committee (NDE) for the institutions Physical Education programs.His scientific work focuses on Physical Activity, Exercise, Health, and Neuroscience, with emphasis on the effects of non-pharmacological interventions on cognition, mood, neuroplasticity, inflammation, cardiometabolic health, cancer, and biomarkers across different populations, including older adults, individuals with mental disorders, and those with non-communicable chronic diseases (such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, cancer and cachexia), as well as animal models (rodents). He develops cross-sectional studies, clinical trials, and basic research exploring molecular, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms, with a focus on neurotrophic and inflammatory biomarkers (e.g., BDNF, IGF-1, ApoE, a-Klotho), neuroplastic responses, and health outcomes.He is the leader of the Research Group on Neuroscience and Exercise (GENE), coordinating projects funded by Brazilian research agencies, including CNPq and FAPEMIG. He is actively involved in training human resources at multiple academic levels, supervising undergraduate research, masters, doctoral, and postdoctoral students. He serves as an evaluator of undergraduate and distance education programs for the Brazilian Ministry of Education (INEP/MEC).He serves as a reviewer for several high-impact national and international scientific journals and is a member of the editorial boards of Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Revista Científica da FAMINAS, and Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews.He has an H-index of 22 on Google Scholar, 20 on Scopus, and 19 on Web of Science. His published work has contributed to the understanding of the mechanisms by which physical activity and exercise function as therapeutic tools across diverse populations, clinical, and experimental contexts, reinforcing his relevance as a researcher at the intersection of physical activity, primary care, health education, neuroscience, mental health, and chronic diseases. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)