[Editor’s note: The following story is part of our “Hooked on ID” series. Tell us your story by emailing infectiousdisease@healio.com, with the subject line “Hooked on ID.”]
My interest in infectious diseases can be traced back to a formative experience I had in my native country of Peru. I began my 8-year-long medical school training as an aspiring physician. During my fifth year, I enrolled in a tropical medicine course that included a field trip to the Peruvian Amazon. It was there that I encountered indigenous communities facing health challenges such as parasitic infections and inadequate