The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health problem affecting human and animal health. Modern agriculture and modern medicine are often placed at the forefront of discussions about who is to blame for this crisis and, ultimately, responsible for finding a solution. Dr. Amy Millmier Schmidt and graduate student, Mara Zelt, launched a nationwide extension and outreach effort in 2018 to improve the capacity to assess producer and consumer AMR-related food safety needs, and to develop, deliver and evaluate outreach programs that improve abilities among producers and consumers to assess and adopt practices that mitigate potential risks from food-borne AMR. A key message of the program is that everyone – not just farmers and doctors – bears some responsibility for the emergence of AMR bacteria and, as such, everyone needs to share responsibility in mitigating potential AMR-related risks.
Branding the project and focusing on visibility to develop trust among target audience members is the first phase of the project. The team launched a social media campaign in September 2018 through project profiles on Twitter (@i_AMResponsible) and Facebook (@iAMResponsibleEDU) that has amassed nearly 2,000 followers and generated inquiries from individuals interested in contributing to the project, as well as accolades from members of the FDA and CDC.
A content database of research-based articles, manuscripts, graphics, and related resources that can influence and support outreach messaging about AMR has been curated by graduate student and project coordinator, Mara Zelt. Mara has developed and disseminated over 100 original graphics highlighting relevant data from manuscripts and science-based resources via social media.
In addition to providing content for the team’s outreach programming, capturing much of the material that has already been developed is expected to help the team identify gaps in AMR education and research that they can use to guide future efforts. The iAMResponsibleTM Project is funded through 2023 by portions of three USDA-NIFA Food Safety Program grants.
Amy also led the development and delivery of a special session at the 2019 Waste-to-Worth Conference in Minneapolis, MN, on April 25, 2019, titled, One Health: Policies, Practices and Priorities to Address Antimicrobial Resistance. The session was sponsored by a nationwide team cooperating on the iAMResponsibleTM Project and featured invited experts who engaged in conversations about the shared responsibility among food producers and processors, consumers, policy makers and the medical community to understand and address antimicrobial resistance risks. Funding for the iAMResponsibleTM Project and this session was provided by USDA-NIFA Award Nos. 2017-68003-26497, 2018-68003-27467 and 2018-68003-27545.
In addition, Amy co-hosted a workshop titled, Human Dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance in Agriculture, on May 30-31, 2019 in Nebraska City with collaborator, Dr. Stephanie Lansing of the University of Maryland. The workshop was hosted to bring together researchers and educators from various disciplines who are working on producing and delivering knowledge to audiences about antimicrobial resistance in an effort to create synergy among projects in this arena moving forward. Nearly 40 participants spent two days working in small groups to review and synthesize relevant AMR educational project outputs and communications-focused research, ultimately developing detailed plans for future collaborative efforts intended to improve communication about AMR to relevant audiences.