Professor Ünal was graduated from the Ege University Faculty of Medicine in 1993. She completed Public Health speciality training in the Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health between 1993 and 1999. Dr Ünal obtained a Master of Public Health degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (1998), and a PhD degree in public health from the University of Liverpool, UK (2004).
Dr Ünal’s research focused on noncommunicable disease epidemiyology, especially cardiovascular disease epidemiology, prevention and modeling the impacts of risk factor trends on mortality and morbidity. Her initial publications were on the England and Wales Model on CHD Mortality trend between 1980-2000. Dr Ünal was co-applicant of two successful European Commission FP7 Projects namely MedCHAMPS and RESCAPMED. 
Besides academic research, Dr Ünal extensively provides consultancy to the MoH in Turkey in developing policies and actions towards NCD management and prevention. She was consultant and editor of the national survey titled ‘Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Survey in Turkey (CDRFT) in year 2011. The survey provided necessary data on the prevalence of NCDs and risk factors to monitor the trends at the population level. She was also the consultant of Noncommunicable Diseases and Risk Factors Cohort Study in Turkey, which was 6 years follow-up study of 2011 Survey participants that aimed to determine the incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer from a national cohort.
Professor Unal was invited to work as an expert at the WHO Regional Office for Europe in Copenhagen-Denmark between in 2016. Her task was to explore the impact of public health interventions on non-communicable disease risk factors, morbidity and mortality trends in Europe between 2000 and 2014. Currently Dr Ünal works at the WHO Country Office in Azerbaijan as a Public Health Expert.

Professor Ünal has over 20 years of experience in undergraduate and postgraduate education in;
-Epidemiology and research methods
- Noncommunicable disease epidemiology and control
- Community oriented primary care
- Communicable diseases