• I attended a top conference for infectious disease professionals to learn about the state of public health. • Amid frustrations with funding and pay, new and seasoned attendees highlighted the importance of community. • This article is part of "IDWeek," a series on one of the leading conferences for infectious-disease experts.

Following a day of back-to-back lectures, I settled into my metal folding chair among thousands of doctors and scientists. My eyes darted between the medical society promotions projected on massive screens suspended above and the empty, blue-lit stage before us.

I was ready for my formal welcoming to IDWeek, an annual conference for professionals in infectious disease medicine and research. Instead, I got a full-on Broadway show.

At five minutes past 6 p.m.,

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