Dr. Batatinha is an exercise physiologist and immunologist whose research explores how physical activity affects the immune system. Her work focuses on understanding how both short-term and long-term exercise can influence immune cell function and strengthen the body’s ability to fight cancer.
She also studies how factors such as fitness level, body composition, obesity, and diabetes can affect the way immune cells function and use energy. Ultimately, Dr. Batatinha hopes to develop exercise-based interventions that can support immune function, improve recovery, and enhance outcomes for cancer patients.
Dr. Batatinha earned her doctorate from the University of São Paulo in Brazil. She later moved to the United States to complete her postdoctoral training at the University of Arizona, where she conducted preclinical research examining how exercise affects the movement and anti-tumor activity of immune cells.
She is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the International Society of Exercise Immunology. Her work brings together exercise science, immunology, and cancer research to better understand how something as accessible as physical activity may play an important role in health and recovery.
