Dr. Gabriela Salmon, PhD in International Health | Researcher at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru

In this episode, we discuss what led Gabriela to pursue PhD in International Health, her doctoral research on the epidemiology of Dengue in Peru, and her current work as a researcher at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru.

Hosted by Brooklyn Arroyo

To connect with Gabriela and to learn more about her story, visit her page on the PHutures #100AlumniVoices Project website.

Transcript

Brooklyn Arroyo

Hello I'm co-host Brooklyn Arroyo and this is 100 Alumni Voices podcast, stories that inspire, where we explore the personal and professional journeys of a diverse group of 100 doctoral alumni from Johns Hopkins University. Today we're joined by Gabriela Salmon, PhD, in International Health and currently working as a researcher at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru. Welcome to The PHutures podcast. I'm so excited to be able to work with you today.

Gabriela Salmon

Thank you very much for the invitation.

Brooklyn Arroyo

Of course. So, I I really just, I'm excited to hear about your journey of of entering international health and what led you to want to study that as a PhD.

Gabriela Salmon

Let's see. I I studied biology in my undergrad in a university in Peru that was mainly oriented to agriculture. But I always had an interest in epidemiology, even though I wasn't really sure what it was. And I got the opportunity to work at the Naval Medical Research Unit in Peru as the as an assistant to the program. So, I decided to start working there and try to figure out what if if that was something I was interested in. I was more interested in areas of conservation and biodiversity conservation. But I started to find out about what they were doing there in epidemiology and I got very interested in females and so noses and, you know, the linked with the environment and biodiversity and of course, many various infectious agents and vectors and vectors versus there. So that's how it sort of started and I was very lucky to have very good mentors along the way who, you know, got me interested in international health.

Brooklyn Arroyo

Definitely. I think that mentorship has come up in a lot of other podcasts and is really important for people's journey. And do you feel like now you've had opportunities of being on the other side of that mentorship and and mentoring other people?

Gabriela Salmon

Yes, yes, I have and it's usually you're supposed to be mentoring all the people that aren't. So, you never stop learning either, and I like that very much.

Brooklyn Arroyo

Very true. So, within your PhD, what sort of work were you were you studying, researching, and and doing and do you feel like it's influenced the work that you're still doing today?

Gabriela Salmon

Well, when I was for my PhD studies, I worked on Dengue, the epidemiology of Dengue in an area of Peru where it had, you know, been reintroduced recently and had grown in population, and it was a very I liked it very much because, you know we've got information on the location of the cases, and I actually studied this you know component on migration and people moving into this area were coming from areas where they were not, they hadn't been exposed before to Dengue, so you basically had an incoming population that was naive to the to the, to the virus, so it was very, very interesting to see how that how that happens.

Brooklyn Arroyo

So exactly what does the work that you're doing now look like? What does your day-to-day and and your overall focus entail?

Gabriela Salmon

Well, right now I'm involved in a couple projects. One of them is very different I would say because it's more on it's focused on again of these filings, but again, my previous work is related to an issue in the environment which is water scarcity. And and I've worked with researchers from the UK, from the US, from Indonesia and from Peru. I worked with conducting in Indonesia and Peru, just finishing it up and it has been very interesting. I'm currently living in Spain, so I kind of have to work in three time zones. And yes, and I'm also involved in a project in the Amazon Basin and it involves a lot of things that I've been working through.

Brooklyn Arroyo

So, I'm interested to hear about how your influence on health and STEM and international health have impacted your projects looking at gender-based violence? And that sort of I think that's a really powerful topic, and I'm interested on on what sort of specific research you're doing in there?

Gabriela Salmon

Yeah, well, that came from a previous collaboration that I had with Doctor Power Palman in the University of Chicago and I had worked with her before and she has done a lot of work in the Amazon basin. So, we knew each other and she for this call, for to collaborate. And it started to be an interesting topic, which is something of of course new for me, but it's something that has helped me before. It's a very public health call. So, I decided to go 1st and and you know it's definitely the interesting thing is, you know, looking at it in Indonesia or in Peru, there are several things that underlie and how these dynamics and these patterns go on to, you know, to create these divide and issue for women which end up impacting their health when they develop them.

Brooklyn Arroyo

Definitely that it's interesting to hear that perspective of it's not just a a horrible thing that exists that's happened socially, but also it impacts people's general physical health as well and well-being. So really, do you feel that when it when you went about approaching staying in academia was it a choice or do you think that it just sort of happened that you stayed in that researcher position?

Gabriela Salmon

It was, I mean I this is what I like, doing research and you know if I could choose, I want to do it all the time. So yes, it has been actually, even though it's hard, it's difficult, especially in Peru kind of you know, it's not a very stable situation. But I mean, I still would like to continue doing it. You know, if I can get away with it, I want to do it. I really like my work.

Brooklyn Arroyo

Definitely because it sounds like you're doing some important work and and who can get away from research like that? So has there been any surprises for you on any of your projects that have really been a pivotal point in your research?

Gabriela Salmon

I I was just thinking when you mentioned that if there have been things that have been unexpected that usually will still work, thinking about that most of the things are, you know, that somehow don't end up working as planned, but probably what I would not have expected, even though you know I've been working on emerging infections and even training for other response is finding myself a couple of years ago in lockdown in the city and doing classes online on how they respond now, right and this and that.

Brooklyn Arroyo

The pandemic definitely impacted a lot of of everyone really. I think that no matter what you were doing at that time, it was going to drastically change the way that you were doing it. And in a lot of ways, it helped us grow as professionals and people because we were forced into these conditions. So, is there a favorite part of the projects you're doing right now? Do you have a favorite? Do you try not to choose favorites?

Gabriela Salmon

Of the project that I'm doing?

Brooklyn Arroyo

Yes. 

Gabriela Salmon

Long space to get to the parts that are like that actually of any project, usually is the field work and trying to answer the question, but I really enjoyed every part of it and then writing the reports and the paper, you know, some students getting setting specific topic and then they start developing something from there like to see that process.

Brooklyn Arroyo

Well, it's good that you enjoy also the writing of the papers part, because sometimes that can be the the least fun part of the entire project. Have you found there to be any challenges for you when it comes to this work, whether that be implementation or applying knowledge, or perhaps even not even being well equipped for the subject area? What have been the challenges for you within your research?

Gabriela Salmon

Well, really what I found is that I want to learn more skills. I want to learn new tools because I feel like I'm kind of outdated in terms of how you get the data and the software that I've used. So, I guess yeah, have to keep on learning new things, coding, how to communicate.

Brooklyn Arroyo

What is the best career advice you would have for people who are in the first phases of entering academia or have you know, thought about entering academia as a former researcher standpoint and how would you go about being in that space authentically and and and working in a fulfilling manner?

Gabriela Salmon

I would say go for what you what you love. Go for what you want, what moves you. I'm also a very practical person, so sometimes you know if it's going to take, you know, several steps to go to where you want and you will have to build from there. But you know, you just enjoy the ride and keep learning just to learn in every step along the different things that you may do.

Brooklyn Arroyo

Again, back to the you're constantly learning. We're always growing and we we never stop being a student. So, do you have any common myths about your job? Do you feel that sometimes you explain what you do to people and people don't quite understand what actually you do, and if you could address those?

Gabriela Salmon

I don't know. It feels like most of us are now living urban centers and we don't we think that this is part of our environment. And we interact with it. So, it's hard to get that through. And now that I've got into this topic of you know gender-based violence currently of the Reaper, it's even harder. The nice thing though is that you start talking about it and a lot of people, you know, start to connect the dots. And be like, oh, I hadn't thought about it that way, and yeah. I like that.

Brooklyn Arroyo

So, I think that that those are all really interesting points to make about people's perception of not only the work you're doing, but also research. I definitely think that sometimes people misinterpret what research and academia means and think that it's just one thing you know or research in general is just some guy in a lab coat mixing chemicals together. So, I think that those are really important, important points to make. So basically, the grand finale of each interview and and I really want to thank you again for, for bringing all your points and and thoughts and perspectives to the podcast. But the last question is what inspires you right now?

Gabriela Salmon

My children.

Brooklyn Arroyo

It's a good answer.

Gabriela Salmon

You know, for the future, I hope they can become good citizens and that I can, you know, we're trying to build a better place for them to be and that they will be, you know, passionate about it as I am. Whatever they decide to do.

Brooklyn Arroyo

Well, I think that with all your passion and knowledge, they'll, they'll definitely will be. And throughout each episode I see that more and more people that I interview and you included are just really passionate and excited for what the future could hold and the next generation. And I think that's a very shared, you know, sentiment that we don't really know what could happen in the future. But there's a lot of hope with that, and I think that's something that we need in this world is hope. So, thank you again for for coming on to the PHutures Podcast and and I really enjoyed speaking with you today.

Gabriela Salmon

Thank you very much.