Faculty Spotlight: José Caro

Meet José Caro, MD, an infectious disease physician at Tufts Medical Center and assistant dean for multicultural affairs at Tufts University School of Medicine. He is originally from Lima, Perú and attended medical school in Mexico City. He is a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and has been named 2022 Top Boston Doctor in Infectious Diseases.

"The past couple of years have been an incredibly challenging time for the entire world population due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For many of us, it has represented both a tremendous challenge as well as a unique opportunity for reflection over our societal and personal paths.

I developed a fascination for infectious diseases early on in my career for reasons that cannot necessarily be dissected into words, but more due to a confluence of interests and circumstances. My first patient was a woman who was septic from suspected typhoid fever. She was from a poor area of México and had little resources. Her infection was advanced and allowed for an unfortunately florid clinical presentation. This and other encounters early on in my career made me think about the ecologic and societal circumstances that allowed for this to happen, and how as physicians and citizens we can make a difference along many time-points that could prevent similar presentations.

I came to the U.S. at the age of 26, first for residency and then a fellowship in infectious diseases. I have practiced in different settings in Massachusetts both from a primary care and specialty perspectives, having the opportunity to serve a very diverse patient population. I now practice in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Tufts Medical Center where I am privileged to work alongside incredibly smart and compassionate colleagues, and able to teach and train students, residents, and fellows with the common goal of improving the health and lives of our communities. I am fortunate to work as Assistant Dean for Multicultural Affairs at Tufts University School of Medicine, this role allows me to work more directly in fostering true belonging for all students, so that they can excel at what they do. My professional interests include HIV infection, Human Papillomavirus, sexually transmitted infections, and improving the student and trainee experience in the teaching clinical environment."