The New Resistance

Houston Methodist is on the front lines fighting antimicrobial resistance through not only NIH-funded research projects and collaborations but through a rigorous antimicrobial stewardship program recognized by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (ISDA) as an Antimicrobial Stewardship Center for Excellence (CoE). Now, Houston Methodist is adding a T32 training program to its antimicrobial arsenal. National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grants (T32) provide graduate-level academic institutions with funds for training predoctoral and postdoctoral candidates. Earlier this year, Cesar Arias, MD, MSc, PhD, John F. III and Ann H. Bookout Distinguished Chair for Research Excellence and Co-Director, Center for Infectious Diseases at Houston Methodist, was awarded a T32 training grant for his project titled “Antimicrobial Resistance Training Program in the Texas Medical Center (AMR-TPT)”.

As home to the largest cluster of healthcare institutions in the world, the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston, with Houston Methodist taking point, is uniquely positioned to address the AMR challenge through outstanding infectious disease research and training.

“The highly collaborative environment of the Center for Infectious Diseases and the existing Gulf Coast Consortium (GCC) for Antimicrobial Resistance combined with the expertise of world-class AMR researchers is perfectly suited to develop an ambitious, innovative, unparalleled AMR training program,” said Arias. “The AMR-TPT will leverage and create resources to train the next generation of scientists and clinician-scientists focused on tackling the pressing AMR public health crisis.”