The Alliance Lift is the series that spotlights the journeys of Alliance alumni shaping health systems around the globe. In this Q&A, we meet Dr Carol Zavaleta-Cortijo, a Peruvian medical doctor, health scientist and Indigenous scholar from a Quechua community in Ancash. Her work focuses on transforming health systems through intercultural approaches rooted in Indigenous knowledge, climate resilience and equity. Carol’s unique journey combines academic training with deep personal reflection and cultural reconnection. Currently affiliated with Cayetano Heredia University in Peru, she also co-chairs the Indigenous People’s Observatory Network and has contributed to major global scientific initiatives. In this interview, Carol reflects on her path from clinical medicine to health systems research and on how Indigenous worldviews can reshape our understanding of health and the environment.