It's a hot humid day in New Delhi, little shops line the street, food stalls, a kite

store, and a small neighborhood temple nestled among them.

And just outside the orange temple gate, a pile of flip flops and sandals.

The temple bells are calling, so I take off my shoes and head inside.

The walls are covered in floral tiles.

And all around me, people pray barefoot in the glow of the fluorescent lights.

There are offerings of flowers and sweets in front of the statue of the elephant-headed

Hindu god, Ganesh.

And nearby, a less familiar figure, the goddess Shitalamata.

She's riding a donkey with a pitcher of water in one hand and a broom in the other.

She wears a fan on her head like a crown.

There's a garland of marigolds strung around her neck.

Shitalamata, the goddess of smallpox.

I'm Dr. Celine Gounder.

I'm an epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist.

My dad grew up in a rural part of Southern India, and his childhood there was shaped by

relative poverty.

Dad was the first person in his village to make it past the fifth grade.

Smart, unfortunate enough to make it to a prestigious university.

He came to the United States for grad school and became an engineer.

But he told us stories of the big divides back home in India, in health and education

and opportunity.

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