INRICH Member Profile Card

Aluisio Barros

Aluisio Barros

Universidade Federal de Pelotas


I graduated in Medicine in 1986, in the State University of Campinas, Brazil (Unicamp) and soon developed an interest in epidemiology and research methodology. I started a MSc course in Statistics in Unicamp as well, finished in 1990, under the supervision of Dr Euclydes C Lima Filho. The same year I got a scholarship from the Brazilian Research Council (CNPq) to do a PhD in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. There, I completed a MSc in Medical Statistics (1991) and a PhD in Epidemiology (1996) under the supervision of Dr David Ross, Maternal and Child Health Unit. I then joined the Dept. of Social Medicine, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil. Presently, I hold an Associate Professor post, teaching mostly biostatistics. Other posts held in this period were Public Health Area representative with Capes (Ministry of Education division responsible for post-graduate teaching) from 2005-2007 and Associate Editor with the Revista de Saúde Pública, since 2005. A full CV is available at http://lattes.cnpq.br/6249003853117061.


Type of member: Regular


Telephone: +55 53 3284-1300

Email Address: abarros.epi@gmail.com

Mailing Address: Centro de Pesquisas Epidemiológicas, UFPel, R. Mal. Deodoro, 1160 3o. piso, 96020-220 - Pelotas, RS, Brazil


Current research interests
I started my career in epidemiology studying child health and day care centres and always had a strong interest in statistical methods. Along time my worked moved on to social determinants of health, especially health inequities. But I still work on child health, as one of the principal investigators of the Pelotas 2004 Birth Cohort, where body composition and mental health are two of our main interests. I have done some methodological work, mainly with modelling of binary outcomes from cross-sectional studies. More recently, I have studied out-of-pocket spending with health and child development and cognition.

Research priorities
Pathways and mechanisms: Cumulative and additive social risk exposures (e.g. transient v. persistent poverty). | Methodological issues: Methods for examining change over time including longitudinal effects studies. Need to study social gradients as well as poverty. Multi-level studies - Society, Family & Individual.


Selected publications

Barros, A. J., & Matijasevich, A. (2010). Child development in a birth cohort: effect of child stimulation is stronger in less educated mothers. International Journal of Epidemiology, 39(1), 285-294. doi:10.1093/ije/dyp272 http://tinyurl.com/3dlmu8k

Barros, A. J., Matijasevich, A., Santos, I. S., & Halpern, R. (2009). Child development in a birth cohort: effect of child stimulation is stronger in less educated mothers. International Journal of Epidemiology, 39(1), 285-294. doi:10.1093/ije/dyp272