The Foundation of Modern Medicine Is at Risk!

Spring 2024 Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecture

The discovery of antibiotics revolutionized medicine during World War 2 and have served as the foundation of almost every modern pillar of medicine that we take for granted, including organ transplantation, premature birth, chemotherapy, and infectious disease.  However, the pipeline of new antibiotic discovery has essentially stopped, and the rate of resistance development threatens the utility of these drugs in maintaining the health of animals, humans, and crops. This lecture will provide an overview of this issue and will discuss One Health approaches to mitigating this risk while optimizing the health and welfare of animals, humans, and crops.

Dr. Paul Plummer is a Professor of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, the Anderson Chair in Veterinary Medicine, and Associate Dean of Research and Graduate studies in the College of Veterinary Medicine. In 2023, Dr. Plummer was appointed chair of the U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on Combatting Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria. Plummer also serves as the executive director of the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education (NIAMRRE). The national institute seeks to improve the understanding of antimicrobial resistance to reduce its societal impact. Based at Iowa State University, NIAMRRE seeks to improve health for people, animal, and the environment.

This lecture has been recorded and can be viewed on the Available Recordings page.