Ana Luísa Patrão has a degree in Social Work from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD); a PhD in Health Psychology from the University of Minho; and a Post-Doctorate in Public Health from the Federal University of Bahia (Brazil).

She is currently a researcher in the field of Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Porto (FPCEUP). In addition, she is a Researcher/Collaborating Professor at the Institute of Collective Health at the Federal University of Bahia (Brazil) and an Integrated Researcher of ELSA-Brasil (Longitudinal Study of Adult Health in Brazil), the largest study of adult health in Brazil and South America.

Throughout her career she has participated in several funded research projects, as well as teaching, in Portugal, Brazil and Mozambique. Her main research interests combine the psychosocial dimensions of health, social change and health, and health and gender inequalities. She works scientifically in the areas of Health Psychology, Health Promotion, Public Health and Global Health.