Dr Sara Simao

Dr Sara Simao

Overview

I am a Research Associate at the University of Manchester’s Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, with a background in health psychology and a growing research focus on cancer early detection and screening. My work centres on understanding patient decision-making, behavioural determinants of screening participation, and strategies to improve equitable access to cancer detection programmes, particularly among underserved populations.

Biography

I began my career as a Clinical Psychologist following completion of an Integrated Master's Degree in Psychology and Health Psychology in Portugal. During my clinical practice, I worked with children, adolescents, adults, and families across oncology and community mental health settings, delivering evidence-based psychological assessment and intervention.

Motivated by an interest in improving population health through research, I subsequently completed a Master's degree in Health Psychology at King's College London before undertaking a PhD in Human Development and Health at the University of Southampton. My doctoral research, funded by the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, examined how adolescents' values and motivations influence dietary behaviours and explored innovative behaviour change approaches to improve nutrition during adolescence. Throughout my academic career, I have developed expertise in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research, alongside patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), intervention development, and behavioural science.

Research Interests

My current research focuses on cancer screening and early detection, particularly understanding how behavioural, social, and contextual factors influence participation in screening programmes. As a Research Associate on the NIHR-funded TRANSFORM trial, I contribute to qualitative research exploring experiences, attitudes, and barriers to prostate cancer screening among diverse populations, with a particular interest in reducing health inequalities and improving engagement among underserved communities.

More broadly, my research interests lie at the intersection of behavioural science, cancer prevention, and early detection. I am interested in how patient preferences, decision-making processes, and emerging technologies can be integrated to improve screening uptake and support equitable access to healthcare. My work has involved the use of qualitative methods, systematic reviews, intervention development, survey research, and mixed-methods approaches across areas including cancer detection, diabetes self-management, and adolescent health behaviour change. Currently, I am particularly interested in developing innovative, patient-centred approaches that ensure advances in cancer detection benefit all populations and help reduce persistent health inequalities.