UCL GBSH Student Of The Week: Dr Bárbara Marinho

Dr Bárbara Marinho is a medical doctor, researcher, and healthcare leader with a career spanning six countries, multiple continents, and institutions such as NASA, WHO, Doctors without Borders, Red Cross, and PAHO. 

From walking the halls of NASA in a 1975 space suit to detecting the first signs of the COVID-19 pandemic at the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Marinho’s journey is nothing short of phenomenal.

Her decision to pursue medicine was born from a deeply personal loss—the passing of her younger sister from a brain tumour at the age of eight. Since then, her mission has remained clear: to transform the face of global healthcare through innovation, expertise, and empathy.

Dr Marinho holds the distinction of being the first Brazilian fellow in Aviation and Space Medicine at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. In this role, she contributed to clinical safety advisories for future Mars missions—a privilege previously extended only to U.S. Presidents and Hollywood icon Tom Cruise.

Her time at WHO was equally trailblazing. On 1 January 2020, while working in Epidemic Intelligence with WHO/PAHO in Washington, D.C., she became the first person globally to detect the emergence of COVID-19 using the organisation’s Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system. Her discovery triggered a red alert to regional directors and marked the global health community's initial mobilisation against the pandemic.

But Dr Marinho’s impact doesn’t end at the frontlines of disease surveillance or interplanetary medicine. She has served as an Emergency and General Practitioner in both the UK and Brazil, led clinical trials with Oxford University, and directed research initiatives at the Fleury Group. Now, while undertaking the prestigious MBA Health at UCL, she has already founded two consultancy firms focused on medical education and medico-legal advisory services.

With seven degrees—now soon-to-include the prestigious MBA Health from UCL—her academic journey is as impressive as her clinical expertise. 

A recipient of over a dozen international accolades—including the Fundação Estudar Fellowship (Forbes, 2022) and Norway’s Ildsjæl Prize, awarded to students with a "fiery soul"—Dr Marinho was also honoured by the Mayor of Oslo at the Nobel Peace Prize venue.

Beyond her career, her passion for humanitarian work and volunteering in the past 10 years continues to drive her, ensuring that every step she takes contributes to meaningful, global change. She volunteered with Projeto Sorrimed, bringing joy to children fighting cancer—at the same hospital where my sister passed away from a brain tumor at age eight.

Reflecting on her experience, she said:

“The UCL MBA Health is a transformative journey—learning directly from Health Ministers, CEOs, and policy experts shaping global healthcare. Unlike traditional MBAs, it’s designed for healthcare leaders, giving us a competitive edge with specialised business training and real-world exposure. Through the Global Health Challenge, we analyse and experience healthcare systems worldwide, from the UAE to Chile, India, and the US. If you’re looking for the future of healthcare leadership, this is where you’ll find it.”

As Dr Marinho continues her studies in London, she exemplifies the calibre of leadership that UCL’s MBA Health seeks to cultivate: visionary, compassionate, and relentlessly driven to create change.

Follow her inspiring journey: @drbarbaramarinho