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A message from the new head of clinical and veterinary sciences

by Chris Pinto
Chris Pinto
Dr Chris Pinto, head of clinical and veterinary sciences at the AMR Centre.

This month I started a new challenge, accepting to lead the clinical and veterinary science pillar of the AMR Centre.

As a veterinarian educated in One Health, I am excited to bring my skills and collaborate with so many renowned academics and scientists, building in interdisciplinary collaborations to advance One Health research in AMR.

The bar has been set very high as Dr Heidi Hopkins has done an amazing job at advancing research and collaborations in this pillar.

In the upcoming months I will diligently work to highlight AMR research done under the One Health umbrella at the school and internationally. In the pillar, we will bring to your attention research that focuses on:

  • analysing the linkages between AMR in animals and humans and how the environment plays an essential role at providing the perfect route of endless cycles of transmission
  • providing AMR surveillance tools for AMR and AMU/C that facilitates data collection and intersectoral collaborations
  • interventions in infection prevention and control in humans and animals and their potential to contribute to reduce burden of infections and AMR
  • microbiological and molecular research in bacteria of importance in clinical and veterinary practice: ESKAPE organisms (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp.) and Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. in animal food products.

Research covering these areas will contribute to the information provided in other pillars of the AMR Centre and stimulate fruitful discussions.

Featuring One Health at the centre of the veterinary pillar, we will highlight the importance of working towards a more comprehensive view of the AMR problem where the contribution of animals and the environment is also revealed. The likely animal origin of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown more than ever the inextricable interconnectedness between human and animal health.

Unlike COVID-19, AMR could be catalogued as a long-lasting pandemic that affects not only humans but also animals and their ecosystems. A pandemic that is embedded in the structures of our society and continuously exposes inequalities, and failing health and production systems. One where a vaccine or a 'one size fits all' solution is very unlikely to resolve the situation.

Thus, it is extremely important that we integrate our efforts to find sound solutions to this multi-layered challenge. A new publication from an LSHTM AMR Centre team is one example of such interdisciplinary thinking.

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