The Pre-Made Podcast

Author: Matthew C Collins

In this podcast, you'll hear stories primarily from my Amherst College Class of 1994 classmates as we reflect on life 30 years removed from graduation day. What have we been up to all these years? How has Amherst and a liberal arts education impacted our lives? What college memories have stayed with us? How are we thinking about the next 20 years?
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Language: en

Genres: Arts, Performing Arts, Society & Culture

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Asim Ahmed Reflects On Caregiving, Infectious Disease Sleuthing, And The Soundtrack Of His Life
Tuesday, 13 January, 2026

Asim Ahmed has three passions: the detection and workings of infectious diseases, sports (especially his hometown St. Louis teams), and music, and in this wide-ranging conversation, he shows how each one has shaped his life. We talk about his one-of-a-kind custom jerseys (clever mashups of teams, players, and music references), his journey from pediatric infectious disease (ID) in academic medicine to metagenomic diagnostics in biotech, and the “detective work” mindset that drew him to ID in the first place. We also close with something deeply personal: Asim reflects on the reality of caring for aging parents, including how complex the system can be, and why he’s willing to help others who find themselves learning it on the fly. Highlights include: The art (and satire) of his custom sports jerseys Why he was drawn to infectious disease The promise of “liquid biopsy”–style diagnostics for infections The live shows and venues that he'll never forget The Amherst classmate he wants me to interview next For those not familiar with "Seven Nations Army" by the White Stripes, you can listen to it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY. You can email Asim at atothe3@gmail.com. Big thanks to JC Leveque for nominating him.