Fighting the Looming Antibiotic Crisis
Foreword
At TDL, our role is to translate science. This article is part of a series on cutting edge research that has the potential to create positive social impact. While the research is inherently specific, we believe that the insights gleaned from each piece in this series are relevant to behavioral science practitioners in many different fields. As a socially conscious applied research firm, we are always looking for ways to translate science into impact. If you would like to chat with us about a potential collaboration, feel free to contact us.
Introduction
Behavioral science insights can profoundly impact health outcomes — from encouraging prosocial handwashing behaviors during a pandemic to increasing the number of individuals who sign up for health insurance. As a socially-conscious applied research firm, TDL is interested in using empathy, technology, and design-thinking to promote better outcomes in many aspects of society, from health to education to the economic empowerment of disadvantaged groups. To amplify these impacts even further, we reach out to experts currently conducting research in areas that engage behavioral science in the pursuit of socially conscious goals.
In this spirit, we reached out to Dr. Patricia Cummings to understand how her work at the forefront of antibiotic resistance prevention harnesses behavioral science to improve society.
Dr. Patricia Cummings is the Director of the Department of Epidemiology Research and Evaluation at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. She received a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, from the University of Southern California (USC).
Her academic interests and work have included research and evaluation studies related to behavioral economics and food choices, chronic and infectious diseases, health disparities, and aging-related diseases. Currently, she focuses mainly on infectious diseases and ways to prevent antibiotic resistance.
In this article, Dr. Cummings and her colleagues track the over-prescription of antibiotics and test strategies for reducing this problem.
A full version of the paper is available here: https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/7/7/ofaa174/5854129
About the Authors
Patricia Cummings
Patricia Cummings is the Director of the Department of Epidemiology Research and Evaluation at the Eisenhower Medical Center in California. She received a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, from the University of Southern California (USC).
Nathan Collett
Nathan Collett studies decision-making and philosophy at McGill University. Experiences that inform his interdisciplinary mindset include a fellowship in the Research Group on Constitutional Studies, research at the Montreal Neurological Institute, a Harvard University architecture program, a fascination with modern physics, and several years as a technical director, program coordinator, and counselor at a youth-run summer camp on Gabriola Island. An upcoming academic project will focus on the political and philosophical consequences of emerging findings in behavioral science. He grew up in British Columbia, spending roughly equal time reading and exploring the outdoors, which ensured a lasting appreciation for nature. He prioritizes creativity, inclusion, sustainability, and integrity in all of his work.
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