Hooked on ID with Karen A. Mello, MD
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I chose ID as a medical specialty because of the intellectual stimulation and investigative nature that accompanies the study of microbes within humans.
Another goal was to be involved in a specialty where I would have an impact on treating transmissible diseases on a local level.
I was encouraged by my medical school mentor to delve into infectious diseases of the tropics, spending time in Brazil to gain firsthand experience in the personal and public health effects of these often devastating conditions. I later had a similar opportunity to spend time in India observing its health care system as it relates to ID. The ability to treat and cure patients of many of these conditions that cause disease in a timely manner in the U.S. brought significant professional gratification. This developing world experience brought home the importance of public health, especially in resource-limited countries.
ID specialists are at the forefront of research and patient care of novel diseases such as HIV and COVID-19. Involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be challenging, but these developments offer opportunities for further learning in the basic science of disease, clinical research and applied clinical care of patients.
As I near retirement from a career spanning two epidemics and 30 years, I share with patients and friends that observing patients recover from treating their infections has been my greatest professional satisfaction.
It has been an amazing ride!
— Karen A. Mello, MD
Infectious disease specialist
Pentucket Medical
Lawrence, Massachusetts