Professor Leighton contributes to invitation-only Focus Group of the Microbiology Society

On 30 June 2020 Professor Leighton contributed to an invitation-only Focus Group of the Microbiology Society, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations on “Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)”, to bring his experience and insight on having founded Global-NAMRIP. 

The issue of antimicrobial resistance had become particularly germane during the COVID-19 pandemic, as had Global-NAMRIP’s focus, since its founding, on vaccination and infection prevention in addition to the topics of diagnostic and therapeutics that are more traditionally funded for AMR research. The AMR networks across the UK remain a powerhouse in the battle for good healthcare, secure food and water supplies, and a functioning economy. The inclusion of humanities, engineering and other subjects into a study area (AMR) that used to be thought primarily the reserve of microbiology, healthcare and global health, has been a key feature of this strength. The contribution of the Microbiology Society to ensuring this resource that these networks represent is supported and utilized for the UK, is of national importance.