Renato Ferreira Leitão Azevedo is a scholar with expertise on the development and use of human-centered digital interventions to facilitate positive behavior changes and successful decision-making.

At UIUC, he serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Human Factors & Aging Lab working alongside Prof. Wendy A. Rogers. Previously, he served as a Research Assistant at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and as a Teaching Assistant working alongside Prof. Daniel G. Morrow (EPSY 456: Human Performance and Cognition in Context). 

Education

• Ph.D., educational psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2021

• M.Sc., applied statistics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2016

• M.Sc., accounting, University of Sao Paulo, 2010

• B.Sc., accounting, University of Sao Paulo, 2007

• B.Sc., information systems, Anhembi Morumbi University, 2006

2023 – 2024: Mistletoe Research Fellowship (MRF) ($10,000), Momental Foundation.
2023 – 2024: CREATE Trainee Pilot Project Grant ($10,000), Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE).

2023 - 2024: GIANT Diversity Leadership Award ($2,000), The Grainger College of Engineering Institute for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2023: Most Resourceful Community Aide, Family & Graduate Housing, Student Affairs, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2023: Recognition of amazing performance and great efforts, Family & Graduate Housing, Student Affairs, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2022: George E. Briggs Dissertation Award, Division 21 - Applied Experimental & Engineering Psychology, American Psychological Association 

2021: List of teachers ranked as excellent by their students (Outstanding, Fall 2020, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2020: List of teachers ranked as excellent by their students, Fall, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2020: Joseph H Smith Award ($750), Student Leadership Awards and Scholarships (SALAS), Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign  

2020: Hardie Dissertation Award ($2000), College of Education, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2020: Stand-Alone Tuition and Fee Waiver Award, College of Education, Spring, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2019: Honorable Mention - Division 21 Poster Contest, American Psychological Association (APA), USA.

2019: Best Leader and Most Active Member - Global Leaders: Orange & Blue Engagement (GLOBE), Fall, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2019: Graduate Student Volunteer Award. Office of Volunteer Programs (OVP), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2019: Best Leader, GLOBE Ambassador, and Most Active Member - Global Leaders: Orange & Blue Engagement (GLOBE), Spring, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2019: Hardie Conference Travel Award - 2018/2019 (US$500), College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

2018: Best Leader and Most Active Member - Global Leaders: Orange & Blue Engagement (GLOBE), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2018: List of teachers ranked as excellent by their students, Fall 2017, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign     

2018: Outstanding Leadership Award - Global Leaders: Orange & Blue Engagement (GLOBE), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2018: Certificate of Exceptional Service by a Graduate Student - Office of Volunteer Programs (OVP), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2017-2018: Russell & Janet Zwoyer Scholarship ($1000), College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign   

2017: Block Grant Award ($1300), Graduate College/College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign   

2017: Thomas and Margaret Huang Award for Graduate Research ($3500), Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign   

2017: Hardie Conference Travel Award - 2016/2017 (US$500), College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

2017: List of teachers ranked as excellent by their students, Fall 2016, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign   

2016-2017: Inspiring Service Merit Award, Inspiring Service

2016: Best conference paper - Division Accounting Education and Research, granted by the (Brazilian) National Association for Post-Graduation and Research in Administration (ANPAD), XL National Encounter of the Association for Post-Graduation and Research in Administration (XL EnAnpad), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

2015: Hardie Conference Travel Award - 2015/2016 (US$500), Charles Dunn Hardie Endowment, the College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

2015: Block Grant Award (US$110), Graduate College, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign   

2014: Block Grant Award (US$500), Graduate College, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2013: Hardie Conference Travel Award (US$475), College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

2013: Spring 2013 EPOL Conference Travel Award (US$500), EPOL, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

2013: Lemann Institute Student Travel Award (US$1000), Lemann Inst. for Brazilian Studies, CLACS, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2012-2013: William Chandler Bagley Doctoral Scholarship (US$2000) – College of Education, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

Renato Ferreira Leitão Azevedo’s research focuses on understanding the fundamentals of human behavior in the context of technology interactions, and it often engages the use of technology to capture demographic, socio-demographic, and other health data. His work advances applications of digital health among older adults, which includes data visualization, computational modeling, design for aging populations, technology acceptance and training.

One of the research projects is focused on helping patients understand and use health information presented through a ‘patient portal’ (electronic health record). Portals are intended to improve patient care by providing more access to health information when patients want it. However, portals have been used less than expected by older adults, in part because they are hard to use and the information is often hard to understand. We are focusing on patient understanding of numeric information such as test results. Patients often need to understand cholesterol and diabetes numbers and other test results in order to determine whether they are at risk for illness, compare treatments based on their risks and benefits, or make other health-related decisions. 

Another research project is focused on support providers’ ability to educate patients about medication management and patients’ ability to accomplish this and other self-care goals at home. More specifically, we will develop tools integrated with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems that automatically translate medication information in the EHR into language that patients can easily understand and use, and integrate this language into a computer agent (CA)-based medication adviser system that supports distributed collaboration between providers and patients.