Peter Collignon, M.D., a prominent antibiotic resistance expert and infectious diseases physician and microbiologist at Canberra Hospital in Australia, has joined the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center (ARAC) at Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University as a visiting scholar. He will study the issue of antibiotic resistance with a particular focus on the connection between antibiotic use in food-animal production and antibiotic-resistant human infections.
Dr. Collignon will be in residence at ARAC from May to July 2016 and will work collaboratively with Dr. Lance Price, director of the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center and professor at Milken Institute SPH, and his team of scientific researchers as well as his policy and communications experts. Dr. Price, an internationally-recognized and respected scientist, is pioneering the use of genomic epidemiology to understand how the misuse of antibiotics in food animals affects public health.
“Dr. Collignon is both a renowned scholar and a leader in the field of antimicrobial resistance,” said Dr. Price. “He has extensive experience promoting antibiotic stewardship in Australia and around the world, notably through his work at the World Health Organization. His knowledge and expertise is a welcome asset to my team as we try to improve antibiotic stewardship in the U.S.”
During his tenure with ARAC, Dr. Collignon will engage in advocacy, strategic communications and U.S. public policy activities as it relates to antibiotic resistance. He also will advise on best practices to increase awareness among consumers, policymakers and the general public, as well as the actions needed to combat the global crisis of antibiotic resistance.
Dr. Collignon is also a professor at Australian National University Medical School and Executive Director of ACT Pathology, which is associated with the Canberra Hospital.