In joint efforts with the Alliance for Pathogen Surveillance Innovations (APSI) India—a pan-India initiative supported by The Rockefeller Foundation—and Pune Knowledge Cluster (PKC), Superheroes against Superbugs (SaS) conducted another impactful AMR Frontline Workshop for medical students in Pune on June 11, 2024.
The half-day workshop, held at Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College, was attended by over 110 medical students. The event aimed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of AMR through a blend of educational and interactive sessions.
The workshop commenced with introductions by SaS Co-founder and Co-lead, Dr. Ponnari Gottipati. She provided the workshop’s context by introducing SaS, explaining its motivation for engaging with medical students, and outlining what participants could anticipate from the session. The introductions were followed by a short presentation given by the co-organizer PKC, represented by Ms. Poornima Sangewar, Assistant Program Manager, who highlighted the various initiatives led by PKC, emphasizing the use of knowledge and technology interventions to address city issues.
To energize the attendees before the expert talks, an engaging game, ‘TABOO: AMR Edition’, was played. This activity was well-received and set a lively and interactive mood for the rest of the workshop.
Proceeding with the workshop agenda, the first expert lecture was delivered by Dr. Shraddha Karve, Research Faculty Fellow at Ashoka University. Dr Karve captivated the audience through her informative session focussed on AMR, the role of environmental and clinical surveillance in combating the silent pandemic. She highlighted the importance of hospitals being self-sufficient in genomic sequencing to enhance diagnostics and therapeutics for AMR infections and urged the students to equip themselves with the skills necessary. She also highlighted the significance of using surveillance as a crucial public health tool. This proactive approach helps anticipate infections and resistance patterns, enabling preparation for outbreaks rather than merely responding to them after they occur.
Following this, Dr. Karishma Kaushik, a Clinical Microbiologist, focused on the critical aspects of preventing infections in hospital settings and implementing effective antibiotic policies. Beginning with the history of how antiseptics and simple practices like hand washing revolutionized medical treatment, her interactive session guided the audience through the crucial role of infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in combating AMR. She also detailed the 5 ‘R’s of antimicrobial stewardship: Responsibility, Reduction, Refinement, Replacement, and Review.
Subsequently, Dr. Komal Singh, an Infectious Diseases Consultant, led a case-based discussion on the clinical challenges posed by AMR in clinical settings. Her session provided practical insights and solutions to real-world problems faced by healthcare professionals. Dr Singh shared AMR patient cases with the audience and encouraged them to think critically while deciding drugs and doses for empirical therapy. She also highlighted the use of De-escalation therapy to ensure responsible use of antibiotics.
The workshop concluded with an engaging two-level Jeopardy-style quiz competition. The first level was a fast-paced quiz, from which the top qualifiers were selected and divided into four groups. These teams then competed against each other in an interactive Jeopardy-style quiz focused on AMR.
The lively discussions and playful activities sparked a genuine interest in AMR and equipped the students with practical knowledge and strategies to tackle this pressing issue. The AMR Frontline Workshop organized at Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College was another step in empowering the next generation of healthcare professionals to take responsible actions in combating Antimicrobial Resistance.
We look forward to continuing our series and driving impactful change together.