In this conversation, Amy Gaskin shares her journey into bioinformatics, detailing her transition from an ecological background to a career in public health. She discusses the pivotal moments that led her to discover her passion for bioinformatics, the essential skills she acquired during her master's program, and her experiences working in pathogen genomics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amy emphasizes the importance of workflow management, containerization, and standardization in bioinformatics, particularly in the context of public health. She also reflects on her current work modernizing HIV pipelines and the collaborative efforts within the field.