Washington is rallying specialists across the nation to address the growing concern of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and infections. Johns Hopkins infectious disease researcher and associate professor of medicine Sara Cosgrove, MD, is one such expert.
As part of a White House initiative, more than 150 researchers in the field, Dr. Cosgrove among them, outlined current and future contributions to antibiotic stewardship. This work will be part of a federal plan to implement changes over the next five years to slow the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, detect resistant strains, preserve the effectiveness of existing antibiotics and prevent the spread of resistant infections.
Dr. Cosgrove has researched the impact of resistant infections on patients and the methods needed to ensure patients receive the best antibiotic treatment for more than a decade. She is the director of the Johns Hopkins Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and as part of her commitment to the White House, will help lead a team at Johns Hopkins to create and implement similar programs in all of its hospitals over the next two years.
"With more than 14 years of work in the field of antibiotic stewardship, Johns Hopkins is well-poised to bring its expertise to the table and demonstrate its commitment to optimizing the use of antibiotics," Dr. Cosgrove said in a statement. "We're honored to have the opportunity to work with such a profound group of experts to help find real solutions to the problem of antibiotic resistance."