Infectious Diseases – Meet the Fellows
First Year Fellows
Alaric W. D’Souza, MD, PhD
Hometown: Anaheim, CA
College: Yale University
Med/Grad School: Washington University in St. Louis
Residency: Boston Children’s Hospital
ID Interests: Antibiotic resistance
Why Boston Children’s?: The significant intellectual horsepower and research curiosity of BCH healthcare professionals is matched by deep kindness and compassion for patients and families.
Favorite Microbe:
Bacteria – Acinetobacter baumannii
Parasite – Plasmodium falciparum
Fungi – Candida auris
Virus – Adenovirus
Favorite Food: Muscadine (as sour as possible)
Alexandra (Alex) Linn, MD
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
College: Brown University
Med School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Residency: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Program
ID Interests: Medical education, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Global Health & Tropical Medicine
Why Boston Children’s?: Experience training combined Med-Peds ID fellows, supportive and welcoming ID community, research and continuing education opportunities for fellows
Favorite Microbe: Bartonella henselae
Favorite Food: Cookies and cream ice cream (with rainbow sprinkles!)
Kate McAleese, MD
Hometown: Kensington, NH
College: Stonehill College
Residency: Combined internal medicine/pediatrics at Georgetown
ID Interests: Screening, prevention and treatment of neglected tropical diseases in immigrant/at risk-populations, especially during pregnancy and childhood
Why Boston Children’s?: BCH has amazing people who are leaders in their field and who are spearheading efforts to improve both community engagement and also healthcare access to those who need it most.
Favorite Microbe: Trypanosoma cruzi (although it’s difficult naming something a favorite when you want to see it eliminated…). A close second and a little easier to actually call a favorite would be Lactobacillus spp. since I love all things fermented
Favorite Food: Cheese!
Maria Valenzuela Almada, MD
Hometown: Mexico City
Med School: Universidad Panamericana (Mexico City)
Residency: Children’s National Hospital (Washington, DC)
ID Interests: Antimicrobial stewardship and Immunocompromised ID
Why Boston Children’s?: I wanted to train with a welcoming and diverse group of faculty and fellows with different research interests, while also getting a breadth of clinical experiences and exceptional educational opportunities.
Favorite Microbe: I love all fungi! Aspergillus flavus in particular because of the beautiful green/yellow colonies it forms!
Favorite Food: chilaquiles and sushi!
Second Year Fellows
Giancarlo Giovannini Sanguineti (aka Gigi) , MC
Hometown: Lima, Peru
College: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Med School: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Residency: Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Miami FL
ID Interests: Antimicrobial resistance and clinical microbiology
Why Boston Children’s?: I love Boston Children’s. I’m amazed on a daily basis by the wonderful medical professionals and ancillary staff that work here. Everyone is constantly working together to keep children safe and healthy. I learn something new every day.
Favorite Microbe: Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Favorite Food: All of Peruvian food!
Ashwini Joshi, MD
Hometown: Memphis, TN
College: Vanderbilt University
Med School: University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC)
Residency: Internal Medicine & Pediatrics at UTHSC
ID Interests: Med/Peds ID, HIV in adolescents and young adults, HIV primary care, STI prevention and management, and opportunistic infections in immunocompromised hosts
Why Boston Children’s? Breadth of clinical training and research resources, supportive community of faculty and fellows, prior experience training Med-Peds ID fellows
Favorite Microbe: Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Favorite Food: Chaat (Indian street food)
Hector Joel Vargas Acevedo, MD
Hometown: Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
College: University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez Campus
Med School: Ponce Health Sciences University
Residency: Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor
ID Interests: Staph aureus therapy and diagnostics, antimicrobial stewardship
Why Boston Children’s?: After training at a large institution for Residency, I wanted to be in a place were I can continue to be exposed to complex cases with a large volume. I also loved Boston Children’s culture during my interview process and their emphasis on research in the later years of training.
Favorite Microbe: Staph aureus, though it’s like asking me to pick my favorite child, they’re all my favorite!
Favorite Food: Chinese fried rice with pepper steak and plantains
Third Year Fellows
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Giordano Sosa Soto , MD
Hometown: Santa Tecla, El Salvador
College: (none) – In El Salvador you go directly from high school to Medical School
Med School: Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado Escuela de Medicina
Residency: Children’s National Hospital
ID Interests: Pediatric tuberculosis, Global Health, invasive bacterial infections
Why Boston Children’s?: Diverse patient population with “bread and butter” and unique rare medical conditions. You have opportunities to see cases virtually from all around the world! It is also a privilege to learn from faculty members who are so knowledgeable!
Favorite Microbe: Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Favorite Food: Pupusas
Nicholas Venturelli, MD
Hometown: Plymouth, MA
College: Yale University
Med School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Residency: University of Chicago Medical Center
ID Interests: Public health, adolescent health and STIs, LGBTQIA health, medical education
Why Boston Children’s?: I was so impressed by the amazing and supportive team of co-fellows and attendings and the wealth of different opportunities and resources for education and research.
Favorite Microbe: Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Favorite Food: Any kind of dumpling
