Dr Bhargavi Rao is the malaria infectious disease expert at Médecins Sans Frontières and an Associate Professor in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Bhargavi describes her career as a clinician and public health doctor in infectious diseases. She talks about her work on HIV in South Africa, malaria infectious disease modelling and debates around humanitarianism. In addition, she discusses coping with ill health and personal losses in her family.