Born in Lima, Peru, Dr. Pezo Salazar's training and career choices have always gravitated towards working with underserved populations in both clinical and research settings. He pursued internal medicine training in Texas, where he focused on working with uninsured minorities. Selecting infectious diseases as his subspecialty further allowed him to work with underserved populations, especially people living with HIV. He began to cultivate a passion for correctional health while training at the Dallas County Jail HIV clinic. He currently serves as an internal medicine physician and state-wide infectious diseases consultant for the Washington State Department of Corrections.