Valérie Martel-Laferrière completed her medical doctorate and her microbiology and infectious disease training at the Université de Montréal. She underwent a two-years specialized training in viral hepatitis at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai under the supervision of Dr. Douglas T. Dieterich, a leader in the field. Simultaneously, she completed a Master of Science in Clinical Research. At Mount Sinai, she participated as a co-investigator on many phase II and III protocols. She is now a medical microbiologist and assistant professor of clinic at the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal. Her research interests focus on liver diseases in HIV-infected patients, especially the use of the new direct-acting antiviral agents in the real-life setting.