Edinburgh work with Fleming Fund fellowships highlighted by ICARS
The University of Edinburgh's work with the Fleming Fund fellowship Scheme has been highlighted by the conference organised by the International Centre for AMR Solutions (ICARS).
On 15-17 November 2021, the ICARS Call to Action on AMR conference brought together experts from around the world to identify the most impactful and actionable solutions for AMR at a time of significant pressure on healthcare resources.
Pioneers from a wide range of countries and across the One Health spectrum shared evidence and learnings from AMR programmes that have been effective.
At the conference Dr Adrian Muwonge, a Chancellor's fellow at the Roslin Institute, presented the ongoing work at the University of Edinburgh with the Fleming Fund Fellowship Scheme.
This work has now been featured on the ICARS website.
One Health surveillance system in Uganda
Over the past three years, the University has supported AMR fellows from Uganda, Malawi and Kenya with backgrounds in human and animal health.
Adrian described to the ICARS conference how the Fleming Fund fellowships are helping to deliver a One Health surveillance system in Uganda. This collaborative project brought together six fellows from across the One Health spectrum to gain a more detailed understanding of the intersectoral initiatives needed to effectively tackle AMR.
The pilot studies have sought to better understand the impact of antibiotic use in both hospital and community settings, on the incidence of AMR – the project implemented a two-way approach to surveillance, using a hospital-initiated system to trace back into communities, and a community-initiated system tracing back into the hospital.
Over the past three years, this project has built capacity in AMR diagnostics, surveillance and stewardship in human and animal health in Uganda, and enabled to the Fellows to play an active role in implementation of the country’s National Action Plan for AMR. The fellowship team at the University of Edinburgh are now developing a blueprint of how such a surveillance system can be implemented in Uganda.
Regional impact
Based on the success of the pilot initiative, the approach is now being expanded to another 11 fellows from Uganda and Malawi, as well as a new cohort of policy fellows in Kenya. The programme will have trained 19 experts by 2023.
By working together as a cohort at local, national country and regional levels, the Fleming Fellows will be equipped to engage in tackling the challenges posed by AMR across east and southern Africa.
Related links
Fleming Fund fellowships at the University of Edinburgh
Capacity building for developing and implementing a one-health AMR surveillance plan
International Centre for AMR Solutions (ICARS)
Report from third ICARS Call to Action Conference