BEYOND THE LAB COAT: Ana Isabel Ribeiro
Ana Isabel Ribeiro is a PhD student who started to work at INEB in 2009 when Professor Fátima Pina invited her to integrate the research team. At that time she was doing her MSc and everything was new (and quite scary) to her. Ana is determined, confident and ambitious. Her colleagues mention her as a creative mind, highly communicative and a good-mood person. Ana was born in Porto in the 9th of January of 1988. She grew up in Esposende, a small beach town in the north of Portugal. In 2004 she started her BSc degree in Geography at the Faculty of Arts (University of Porto). In 2008 she felt like she needed a change. Thus, she decided to do her Master degree in Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine. Now she is doing a PhD in Public Health at the same university. In between she has worked as a research assistant in the Public Health Institute of University of Porto (ISPUP) and in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (INEB).
“Working in these two institutions is great – I keep being challenged by my supervisors/colleagues and I even had to live abroad. I spent five months in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and another three in Scotland (United Kingdom), which were unforgettable experiences.”
Main Challenge
My main challenge is to show people that the place we live matters. It influences our health and our health-related behaviours. We are 50% genetics and 50% environment. I am sure the promotion of good environments (physical and socially speaking) would make people live longer, healthier, and happier lives.
INEB in one word
Incubator. INEB is a great place for us to grow scientifically and as individuals too.
Beyond the lab coat...
When I am not at work I really like to engage something physical – hitting the gym, hiking, running, walking in the beach, etc. I am also a homebody. So, during weekend especially in the winter, I truly enjoy staying at home baking, catching up TV-series, reading and playing with my pets.
The Movie
The Green Mile by Frank Darabont.
The Book
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.
The Trip
The place I liked most to visit was Scotland, especially Skye Island. The landscapes we can find there make us fell so tiny. One of these days, I would like to visit Hawaii archipelago. It has everything I like – beach, forest and interesting geography (volcanos and waterfalls).
If I wasn’t a scientist, I would be...
Indeed I have never imaged myself as a scientist. I guess in alternative I could be translator, writer or a baker.