Biography

I am a molecular epidemiologist and Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), with dual appointments in the departments of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and Pediatrics (Tropical Medicine). My primary research interests are the epidemiologic, immunologic, and clinical consequences of tropical infectious diseases on the development of chronic diseases in underserved communities. I completed both my MD and PhD at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, where I investigated the native humoral immune responses to Plasmodium falciparum malaria in a region of low malaria transmission, the Peruvian Amazon, with the goal of identifying potential malaria vaccine candidates. Subsequently I undertook a postdoctoral Fogarty fellowship in Bolivia, where, among other projects, I studied biomarkers that could predict a patient’s likelihood of developing Chagas cardiomyopathy. I returned to the US and completed a combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency program at BCM, obtained a Diploma in Tropical Medicine, and finished my clinical training via an Infectious Diseases Fellowship at BCM. As BCM faculty, I serve patients presenting to the Harris Health System, including the Smith Clinic Tropical Medicine Clinic, the Thomas Street HIV Clinic, and Ben Taub Hospital. Additionally, I am the Assistant Director of Medical Education at BCM’s National School of Tropical Medicine and the Adult Infectious Diseases Fellowship’s Global Health track, and a co-leader of the US Chagas Disease Providers’ Network. My ongoing research projects include evaluating the impact of intestinal helminth infection on risk of HPV infection in a cohort of Peruvian women and studying screening and diagnostic tools for parasitic diseases such as neurocysticercosis and Chagas disease in at-risk US populations.

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