Please join us for this exciting new event marking World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week. This year's theme, “One Health, One Action: Prevent AMR Now,” highlights the urgent need for coordinated action across human, animal, and environmental health to tackle one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time.
Chaired by Dominic Mellon, Chair of the Faculty of Public Health's Health Protection Committee, this event will bring together leading experts from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Fleming Initiative to explore the actions needed to prevent the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. Drawing on national and international perspectives, speakers will discuss current challenges, emerging priorities, and practical opportunities for public health professionals to drive progress on AMR prevention and stewardship.
Following presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with our speakers during a live Q&A and panel discussion.
Panellists:
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Colin Brown
- Professor Robin May
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Professor Alastair Hay
- Dr Raheelah Ahmad
Additional panellists to be confirmed
Speakers:
Colin Brown is a clinician in Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology working at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) across a portfolio that includes clinical and emerging infections, healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs), antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and global health. His time is currently split between caring for patients with infectious diseases, including high-consequence infections, at the Royal Free Hospital in London, and leading domestic infection policy as Deputy Director of Epidemic and Emerging Infections and Head of the AMR and HCAI Division at UKHSA.
Colin is also Co-Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on AMR and HCAI, and UKHSA Lead for the University of Oxford NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, where is holds an Visiting Professorship in Infectious Diseases.
Robin May is Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Birmingham, where he has spent much of his career researching host-pathogen interactions. He also serves as the current Gresham Professor of Physic, a role dedicated to public engagement and science communication.
From 2020 to 2025, Robin was Chief Scientific Adviser at the Food Standards Agency. In September 2025, he joined the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as Chief Scientific Officer, where he provides scientific leadership across the organisation's public health and health security activities.
Alastair Hay is Professor of Primary Care at the Centre for Academic Primary Care (CAPC), University of Bristol. He leads the CAPC infection research group, where they conduct multidisciplinary research to improve the management of acute infections and the use of antibiotics in primary care. Alastair has led numerous community-based RCTs and cohort studies, which have led to changes in NICE guidelines, multiple national antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) policies and a UK-wide AMS public health campaign.
Alastair is a passionate supporter of the NHS, he is an NHS GP, and patients are put at the centre of his research.
Raheelah Ahmad is Professor in Health Systems at City St George’s, University of London, Research Strategy Advisor (Health Systems & Policy) and Informed Policy Pillar co-lead at the Fleming Initiative, Imperial College London. She leads the development of an evidence-based, policy-informing tool to demonstrate and help to articulate the health system value of investing in AMR Innovations, one of the Grand Challenges to accelerate AMR research.
With expertise in mixed methods research, capacity strengthening, and healthcare innovation, she has over a decade of national and international experience. She is the Knowledge Mobilisation Lead for the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Respiratory Infections and served as Senior Mentor for the DHSC/UK Government Fleming Fund Policy Fellows Programme as well as Director for Global Engagement at the School of Health & Medical Sciences, contributing to strategic leadership.
At City St George’s, she leads “Management and Leadership in Healthcare” and “Health Innovation and Systems Change” teaching on the MSc Health Management programme and directs the Workforce Innovation Research Lab at the Centre for Health & Care Innovation Research.
