Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to both animal health and human health worldwide.
Nationally there are several AMR initiatives to monitor for antimicrobial resistant microbes; conduct research to find alternatives to antibiotics and understand the ecology of resistance to help determine mitigation strategies; and enhance antibiotic stewardship activities through education and outreach.
In 2015, the White House released the Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (CARB) National Action Plan which provides detailed actions for five interrelated national goals (antibiotic stewardship, surveillance, diagnostics development, research, and international cooperation) to be achieved by 2020 in collaboration with partners in healthcare, public health, veterinary medicine, agriculture, food safety, academia, and industry.
As part of this effort the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and Office of the Chief Scientist will host a stakeholder webinar on July 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern time to discuss, prioritize, and develop strategies to help meet the most pressing animal health research education and extension needs related to AMR.
Registration for the webinar will open 4-6 weeks prior to the event. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis, and slots are limited. Whenever possible, we ask that multiple participants at the same location register only once and join the webinar as a group to accommodate the maximum number of participants.
To make efficient use of the webinar time, we are asking for pre-webinar input to help drive the discussion during the live event. Please give us your perspective on the top five antimicrobial resistance issues in the context of animal health by sending an email to animal.health@usda.gov (include “AMR” in the subject line). All comments received by July 5 will be reviewed and incorporated into the discussion. Only the first 500 characters in each comment will be reviewed.
We encourage stakeholders to provide input even if they cannot attend the webinar and, for the top five issues proposed, to consider and share with us (1) the largest gaps of knowledge, (2) the major research, education or extension questions that need to be answered, and (3) the tools needed to address the knowledge gaps and answer major questions.
