Dear AMR Centre community,

Usually this bit of the newsletter is filled with light topical news, and maybe a bit of banter. I myself thought about writing a ‘back to school’-themed newsletter, as it’s that time of year in the Global North. But last week, Wernli et al wrote an article that was published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases. In it, the authors advocate for an online, international One Health AMR platform with a focus on interventions. 

This is important. We in the AMR Centre support this call to action. We really do need quality evidence on AMR interventions at:

• all stages of the intervention pathway – from design and implementation straight through to evaluation
• all types of intervention – from infection prevention control and WASH solutions straight through to technological and biomedical to economic, behavioural, and regulatory solutions
• all levels of intervention – from the individual and local to the supranational
• all traditions of knowledge(s) – from qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods academic traditions
• all disciplines of knowledge(s) – Anthropology to Zoology and everything in between.
• and crucially, all settings of AMR – the evidence base on AMR interventions is woefully overbalanced in favour of high-income countries, as Wernli et al themselves point out.

Furthermore, we need that evidence to be open access. We would urge centre members to support research on AMR interventions, and attempts like this to compile and collate open-access resources that span high, middle, and low-income country contexts. It may not be perfect, but it is a start. Moreover, we would contend, and have argued previously, that some gaps in AMR knowledge could be overcome with truly interdisciplinary grant proposals, research agendas, and equitable funding of such research.

Anyway, follow along with us for the new LSHTM academic year (there, I’ve shoehorned in a back-to-school reference!) for events, seminars, and perspectives on all things AMR. We know it’s not a typical start to the school year, but we’re here, and we’re committed to pushing the AMR research agenda forward, even if we cannot meet in person for some time.

All the very best to you and yours,

The AMR Centre management team.