Marcelo Demarzo

Marcelo Demarzo, MD, PhD

Tenured Associate Professor (Habilitation and Venia Legendi), Escola Paulista de Medicina — Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP). Founder & Coordinator, Mente Aberta — Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion (UNIFESP). Academic Director, MIND Br (mental health & organizational wellbeing consultancy).

Dr. Marcelo Demarzo is a physician-scientist and tenured professor at the Paulista School of Medicine (UNIFESP), specialized in Family and Community Medicine and in Sports & Exercise Medicine. He holds an MD (FMRP-USP), a PhD in Pathology|Cancer Prevention (USP) and a Habilitation (Livre-Docência) in Preventive Clinical Medicine from EPM/UNIFESP.

Internationally recognized for leadership in mental health promotion, mindfulness and supported self-care, he combines rigorous research, clinical practice and large-scale implementation. He founded the Centro Mente Aberta — the first academic center in Brazil dedicated to mindfulness and health promotion — and directs MIND Br, providing evidence-based mental health strategies for clinical, organizational and public-health settings. Creator of the Mindfulness-Based Health Promotion (MBHP) program (European Associations for Mindfulness - eAMBA-listed) and the first Brazilian physician certified as a Breathworks mindfulness instructor (Manchester, UK, 2011), Dr. Demarzo leads randomized trials, implementation studies and digital wellbeing innovations, supervises graduate and postdoctoral researchers, and collaborates with leading international centres (Harvard, Oxford, University of Melbourne, UTS Sydney, University of Zaragoza). He was a signatory of the Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion (WHO, 2005).

He supervises Master’s, PhD and postdoctoral researchers in the Graduate Program in Public Health (UNIFESP), the Graduate Program in Administration — Organizations (FEARP-USP), and the Graduate Program in Health Organization Administration (FMRP-USP).

Academic qualifications

2000 — MD, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP-USP), University of São Paulo (USP)

2003 — Specialist Certification, Family and Community Medicine, Conselho Federal de Medicina (CFM)

2005 — PhD, Pathology (Cancer Prevention), University of São Paulo (USP)

2006 — Specialist Certification, Sports & Exercise Medicine, Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina do Exercício e do Esporte

2013 — Postdoctoral fellowship, Mental Health, University of Zaragoza, Spain

2018 — Habilitation and Venia Legendi (Livre-Docência), Preventive Clinical Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP)

2024 — Postdoctoral fellowship, Supported Self-Care, University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Professional affiliations and selected honours

• CNPq Research Productivity Fellow (Level 1D).

• Executive Director of the Brazilian Academic Consortium for Integrative Health - CABSIN (2026).

• Affiliated Researcher, Contemplative Studies Centre, University of Melbourne (2025).

• Honorary Visiting Professor, School of Public Health, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) (2024).

• Senior Fellow, International Primary Care / Research Leadership (University of Oxford).

• Member, ISCR Advisory Council — International Society for Contemplative Research (2023).

• Founding Member & Consultant, The Self-Care Observatory, Global Self-Care Federation (2023).

• Consultant (EDI Task Force), BAMBA — British Association for Mindfulness-Based Approaches (2025).

• Mental Health & Prevention Research Award (Mental Health & Prevention Journal, Elsevier), 2025.

• Former Editor-in-Chief, Revista Brasileira de Medicina de Família e Comunidade (RBMFC).

• Creator, Mindfulness-Based Health Promotion (MBHP) — eAMBA listed.

• First Brazilian Breathworks-certified Mindfulness Instructor (2011).

• Signatory, Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion (WHO, 2005).

Selected metrics & outputs

• H-index (Scopus): 35.

• H-index (Google Scholar): 57.

• Extensive scientific production: over 300 peer-reviewed articles, chapters and books across preventive medicine, primary care, mental health and contemplative science.

Despite his scientific productivity and international engagement, he considers his greatest pride to be a devoted father of three children.