Hi! My name is Sofia and I am a young medical professional from Austria. I graduated from medical school in early 2023 and after completing my medical internships in various hospitals of Austria, I went on to work as a junior doctor in internal medicine in southern Germany.

However, I soon became frustrated with deeply ingrained issues in the healthcare system, such as rigged policies, financial cuts, and understaffed teams, which all too often hindered effective care of patients. I felt stuck and unhappy and wondered why I had even chosen this field in the first place.

I had always enjoyed studying medicine and had never doubted my decision to pursue this career, so I struggled to cope with my daily life as a doctor. I found myself questioning why I had chosen this profession and what had kept me passionate. It was only when I remembered having consistently chosen this one single elective – even when it no longer contributed to my credit requirements – when my passion for infectious disease and tropical medicine was reignited. More importantly, I remembered that medicine – and the world ! – is so much more and diverse than a small patch of rural Europe.

I have always felt drawn to different countries and cultures. This interest led me to study intercultural applied linguistics even before starting my career in medschool, a short but very enriching experience. Traveling has also been a constant in my life and I did not let go of it even during stressful times at university – I sometimes even pushed my exams to be free during the winter months and spent them on the opposite hemisphere. Whether solo-traveling across Europe, South America, Africa, or Asia, I’ve always felt the urge to explore new places and learn about diverse cultures.

It was also during my travels in Vietnam with a friend that the idea for this blog was born. Whether catching a random illness during my travels and needing hospital care abroad or randomly being in need of some Covid-Antigen-Tests in rural Tanzania, my own experiences with health challenges made me keenly aware of the disparities around the world as well as of the challenges one might face during travels.

This blog merges my passion for medicine, travel, and global health, and is dedicated to sharing evidence-based information. Nowadays misinformation circulates faster than ever, and especially in something fundamental to life as health and well-being, it is crucial to rely on credible, well-researched and evidence-based sources in medicine. Through this space, I aim to provide accurate insights into global and public health challenges, offering a better understanding of healthcare systems, infectious diseases, and travel medicine worldwide.