Together with local clinicians at a tertiary pediatric hospital, Dr. Chiang and Alex are exploring a decade’s worth of data on tuberculosis in children and adolescents. The goal: to better understand patterns of care and identify opportunities for improving outcomes in vulnerable populations. Alex noted that it had been a great experience in learning every stage of the research process, from developing the study design, collecting and refining data, to learning advanced analysis techniques in R.

For Dr. Chiang, this partnership reflects the importance of cultivating thoughtful and skilled researchers. “Trainees should develop the ability to ask a focused, answerable, and actionable research question,” she emphasized, noting that strong analytical and writing skills remain essential in global health research.

Their collaboration goes beyond research logistics; it comes from empathy and firsthand exposure to the social realities surrounding tuberculosis. Alex and Dr. Chiang worked closely with Argentinian colleagues Drs. Macha, Pawluk, and González, gaining first-hand insight into the challenges faced by families affected by TB. Alex shared that the informal conversations with his colleagues were valuable in seeing first-hand what clinical management of TB looks like and the sheer vulnerability of patients with TB. Alex's immersive research experience underscores the importance of providing hands-on global health opportunities to trainees through travel, he shared “It was only being in the country that I was able to gain a visceral appreciation of how much the social determinants of health drive their outcomes". 

In addition to their research, the experience also included presenting their findings at a pediatric conference in Buenos Aires, a moment that highlighted the importance of cross-cultural collaboration and communication. Alex shared how it was a great way to get more comfortable with public speaking in his non-native language, which aligns with his interest in “becoming a physician-investigator who works with vulnerable, Spanish-speaking populations both domestically and internationally.”

Much of Dr. Chiang’s current work focuses on improving care for children and adolescents affected by tuberculosis. She is currently collaborating on a randomized controlled trial evaluating shorter treatment regimens for children younger than 10 years. Shortening treatment, she explained, could reduce the financial and social burden on families, including missed school and work, while also lowering health system costs and improving treatment completion.

Dr. Chiang’s own path in TB research has also expanded over time. Early in her career, she focused primarily on research collaborations in Peru, where she developed deep partnerships and field experience. Her work has since grown to include collaborations in Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa, and previously Ukraine. Methodologically, her research has evolved from cohort studies and qualitative research to large international meta-analyses and randomized clinical trials. While she initially focused on multidrug-resistant TB in children, she later shifted her attention to adolescent TB, an area she saw as underrecognized yet critically important.

Her research also examines the long-term consequences of tuberculosis. Through an international collaboration spanning dozens of countries, Dr. Chiang and her colleagues are collecting individual participant data to better understand post-TB lung disease and its risk factors. She hopes to further investigate the clinical phenotypes and biological mechanisms of post-TB lung sequelae among adolescents in Peru. In addition, she is studying why pulmonary TB often becomes more severe during adolescence and how mental health support can be improved for young people undergoing TB treatment.

Looking ahead, Dr. Chiang believes several key gaps in global TB research require urgent attention. Through a modified Delphi study conducted with international collaborators, including colleagues at the World Health Organization, her team identified priority research areas for child and adolescent TB. Among them, three stood out: improving diagnostics, shortening treatment regimens, and improving outcomes for TB meningitis. The study describing these priorities will be published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health around World TB Day.

Together, Dr. Chiang and Alex exemplify how mentorship built on mutual respect, learning, and shared curiosity can advance both science and equity. Their partnership embodies what World TB Day represents: a collective effort to end tuberculosis through collaboration, compassion, and a commitment to the next generation of physician-scientists.

Dr. Chiang is committed to training the future generation of infectious disease scholars as Principal Investigator of the Emerging Infectious Disease and HIV Scholars Program (H-EIDS) (2R25AI140490).