Antibiotic resistance is a global threat to public health: Strategic insights into future public health policy from the UK

Antibiotic medicines are extremely effective at preventing and treating infection caused by bacteria. They are an essential tool in our ongoing defence against severe illness and death. Unfortunately, over prescription and misuse of antibiotics has accelerated the rate of natural bacterial mutation and led to a worldwide increase in antibiotic resistance.

Conditions such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea and salmonellosis are becoming much harder to treat due to medicines being less effective against resistant strains. Patients are becoming sicker, requiring more intervention and longer hospitalisation resulting in higher costs and an increased risk of death. Action is needed to address antibiotic resistance and improve the diagnosis of infections in primary care.

Join our exclusive seminar on Wednesday1 March 2023 (in-person or via Zoom) for an in-depth look at the issue of global antibiotic resistance as visiting Professor Alastair Hay discusses how we got here and what to do next.

• Hear him share his perspective on the UK’s policy response and dissect some of their key strategies and public health campaigns.
• Discover strategic insights into the UK’s future direction for primary care and the implications for Australian public health policy.
• Participate in an open Q&A session

Meet the Speaker:

Professor Alastair Hay from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom has been awarded a Visiting Professorship from the Department of General Practice made possible by a generous donation from Professor Doris Young. Professor Hay leads the infection team at the Centre for Academic Primary Care (CAPC) and specialises in multidisciplinary research to improve the management of acute infections and the use of antibiotics in primary care. The CAPC collaborates with colleagues across the UK including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Primary Care Research.

Professor Hay has held over £50M in research grants and published over 150 original papers in journals including the Lancet, JAMA and BMJ. (Scopus and Google H-indices 33 and 43). His research has informed the United Kingdom’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Policy and directly influenced seven clinical guidelines and 30 antibiotic prescribing guidelines at the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NIHR). Professor Hay has been awarded three national research fellowships, four RCGP Research Paper of the Year Awards as well as the RCGP John Fry Award for Promoting General Practice through Research. He is also a Senior Investigator at the NIHR, was recently awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and continues to practice clinically as a GP at the Concord Medical Centre in Bristol.

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