Diogo Azevedo
Complexo de Saúde Pequeno Cotolengo
Diogo Azevedo
CEO of the first nonprofit organization in Latin America to achieve Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation in Long-Term Care, an unprecedented milestone in the region. For more than two decades, I have built my career as a healthcare executive, and today I lead the Complexo de Saúde Pequeno Cotolengo, recognized as the top nonprofit organization in Paraná and among the 100 Best NGOs in Brazil, certified for several consecutive years by Great Place to Work (GPTW) at both state and national levels.
I transformed a traditional social-care institution into a world-class Health Complex, integrating social assistance, healthcare, and education under international standards of quality, governance, and patient safety. Under my leadership, the Complexo has become a national benchmark in long-term care and a reference for Brazil’s public health system (SUS), decisively contributing to reducing hospital readmissions and healthcare costs.
We deliver over 500,000 free healthcare services every year, operating 272 long-term care beds and 42 medical and therapeutic specialties, serving patients with multiple disabilities, individuals on the autism spectrum, and those in transitional care. I manage an 80-million-dollar annual operation with over 1,000 employees, leading finance, procurement, human resources, fundraising, healthcare services, and operations with full P&L responsibility, innovation, and sustainability at the core.
I hold a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, an MBA in Financial Management, Controllership, and Auditing, an Executive MBA in Healthcare Management from FGV, and a Leading Digital Reinvention certification from Saint Paul Business School. This academic foundation allows me to integrate innovation, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation into strategic healthcare management, generating measurable outcomes and social impact.
I lead with purpose, shaping a global benchmark in long-term care and advancing health systems that are humanized, data-driven, and inclusive.
FURTHER INFORMATION
| Countries | Brazil; |
|---|---|
| Topics | Access to care; Ageing in place; Artificial Intelligence; Attitudes and Expectations about Long-Term Care; Care economy; Care Homes; Care in rural and other non-urban settings; Care inequalities; Care innovations; Data catalogues; Employment education and family carers; Governance and LTC systems organisation; Home/domiciliary care; Housing and care; Infection prevention; LTC and people with learning disabilities; LTC Policy; LTC Systems; LTC Workforce; Outcome measurement in LTC; Pain assessment and management; Pain management in care homes; Person-centered care; Prevention and rehabilitation and LTC; Primary Health Care; Public procurement; Technology and LTC; |
| Methods | Creative research methods; Implementation science; Knowledge-exchange; Policy analysis; Projections; Qualitative studies; Quantitative data analysis; Questionnaire; Simulation models; Theory of Change; Time series analysis; Training materials; |
| Role | Policy; |
| Interest Groups | Ageing and Place; Economics of Long-Term Care; Employment Education and Family carers; Integrated Long-Term Care; Long-Term Care Policy; Pain in Care Homes; Technology and Long-Term Care; |
| Website | https://www.pequenocotolengo.org.br/ |
| X (Twitter) | https://twitter.com/diogoazv |
| https://www.linkedin.com/in/diogoazv/ | |
| Research interests | My main focus is on the growing demand for long-term care in the face of an aging population, coupled with the lack of sufficient resources, such as skilled personnel and adequate infrastructure, to meet this demand. In addition, the lack of universal coverage for long-term care and inequalities in access to care are significant challenges that need to be addressed to ensure that all citizens can receive the care they need. The reality of the problem is that without significant intervention, the challenges associated with long-term care can continue to grow, negatively impacting families, the economy, and the health system as a whole. The need to effectively address the demand for long-term care is therefore an issue of critical importance, with far-reaching implications for the health and well-being of the population, as well as for the stability and sustainability of the country’s health system. The challenges presented by the growing demand for long-term care will require innovative solutions and a sustained commitment to investment and reform from stakeholders across the health system. |
