About Us

The AMR Policy Accelerator uses research and evidence to advise the world’s governments, public health institutions and decision makers on policies to ensure sustainable antimicrobial use for all.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats humanity faces today. The impact of AMR is far-reaching with consequences for human health, the global economy, the environment and global health equity–and the magnitude of this problem grows every year. In 2019, AMR was responsible for 1.27 million deaths worldwide. By 2050, it is estimated that AMR will cause 10 million deaths annually and will cumulatively cost the world economy US$100 trillion.

Our Advisory Board provides strategic and technical guidance on the prioritization of the Accelerator’s efforts to address emerging AMR policy needs at the global level. The board is composed of global leaders in the AMR and policy fields and provides representation across One Health sectors – human, animal and environmental health.

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Professor Dame Sally Davies (Chair)

United Kingdom

Professor Dame Sally Davies is UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance and a member of the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance. She was Chief Medical Officer for England and Chief Medical Adviser to the UK government from March 2011 to September 2019 and on an interim basis from June 2010.

Dr. Muhammad Pate

Nigeria

Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate is the Minister of Health and Social Welfare of Nigeria. Before taking on this role, he was the Julio Frenk Professor of Public Health Leadership in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health. Other earlier roles included serving as global director, health, nutrition and population (HNP) and director, global financing facility (GFF), with the World Bank Group in Washington, DC.

Dr. Fajer Al Salloom

Kingdom of Bahrain

Dr. Fajer Al Salloom, is the Director of Animal Health Directorate in Animal Wealth Resources in the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs & Urban Planning in the Kingdom of Bahrain. She graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Medical Sciences in 1994 from Cairo University in Egypt and a Master of Science in Medical Biotechnology in 2004 from Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain. She is President of the Regional Commission of the Middle East for the OIE.

Sunita Narain

India

Sunita Narain is an environmentalist and writer. She serves as the director-general of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Editor of the fortnightly magazine, Down To Earth. Narain plays an active role in policy formulation on issues of environment and development in India and globally and serves on various national and international committees on the environment including One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance set up by WHO/OIE/FAO.

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Dr Javier Yugueros-Marcos

France

Dr Javier Yugueros-Marcos is the Head of the AMR & Veterinary Products Department at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). After years in the field of infectious disease diagnostics development and commercialization, he now leads an international team accountable for the enhanced quality of veterinary medicines and diagnostics. He also coordinates actions supporting the responsible use of antimicrobials, in close collaboration with other Quadripartite partners.

The AMR Policy Accelerator Team consists of an interdisciplinary group of researchers and policy analysts with professional backgrounds in epidemiology, international law and veterinary science. Our team includes representation from all One Health sectors and is trained in providing consulting services that include an equity perspective.

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Geneviève Boily-Larouche

Managing Director

Geneviève Boily-Larouche is the Managing Director of the AMR Policy Accelerator. In her role, she draws upon her significant expertise in global health research and policy to provide strategic leadership to the team, while overseeing critical policy advisory projects and day-to-day activities of the Accelerator.

Mathieu Poirier

Scientific Director

Mathieu Poirier is the Director of the Global Strategy Lab, York Research Chair (Tier II) in Global Health Equity, and Assistant Professor of Social Epidemiology at the School of Global Health. His research ranges from evaluating international law to developing health equity metrics and generating policy-relevant research on socially and politically determined inequities in health.

Kay-Ann Aarons

Administrative Coordinator

Kay-Ann is an administration professional with fourteen years of work experience in healthcare and non-profits. Kay-Ann enjoys coordinating the operations of the AMR Policy Accelerator team to ensure excellence. She supports coordination activities for travel, workshops, and conferences. Kay-Ann is currently pursuing a MEd in Adult Education and Community Development.

Chloe Clifford Astbury

Research Associate

Chloe Clifford Astbury is a Research Associate in the AMR Policy Accelerator, with interests in One Health approaches to AMR governance and policy. Prior to joining GSL, Chloe’s research focused on the application of systems thinking to food system policy for the prevention of both communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Julia Bishop

Director of Global Engagement

Julia Bishop is the Director of Global Engagement for the Policy Team, where she focuses on strategic planning and decision-making, operations, and building meaningful partnerships. Julia’s background is in international and human rights law; she holds a JD from Queen’s University and an LLM from the University of Cape Town.

Nicole Chung

Research Assistant

Nicole Chung is a Master of Global Affairs candidate at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor’s in Global Health and Development.

Fiona Emdin

Dahdaleh Research Fellow

Fiona champions global AMR policy research at the Global Strategy Lab bolstering the Accelerator’s program of work. She is a practicing veterinarian with extraordinary experience in infectious disease surveillance, contributing to the development of evidence-informed policymaking within the One Health space.

Vesela Ivanova

Policy Advisor

Vesela holds a Master of Science in Public Health & Global Health from the University of Montreal and is passionate about health equity and system-level approaches to addressing complex public health challenges.

Sahar Yar Khan

Associate Director of Strategy & Operations

Sahar supports strategic planning, decision-making, execution, and partnership cultivation and management for the Accelerator. Sahar has a consulting background, and significant strategy and finance experience in both for-profit and nonprofit settings.

Clare McGall 

Policy Advisor

Clare McGall is a Policy Advisor at the AMR Policy Accelerator. In this role, she collaborates with national governments, civil society organizations, and academic researchers to provide evidence-informed AMR policy guidance.

Karthik Mishra

Research Assistant

Karthik is currently pursuing his B.Sc. in Global Health at York University and has a deep interest in global health issues, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research, and equity-focused policy initiatives.

Suzanne Naro

Policy Advisor II

Suzanne has a Master of Science in Human Security from Aarhus University and a Bachelor of Science from McMaster University where she majored in Biology and minored in Psychology.

Heba Qazilbash

Policy Advisor

Heba is a dedicated public health professional committed to advancing social justice, health equity and improving health outcomes for marginalized communities worldwide. She has served as a Policy Analyst in the Office of International Affairs at the Public Health Agency of Canada, contributing to Canada’s international health engagement, and has conducted extensive research on access to medicines, human rights, and the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers and students.

Kadia Petricca

Senior Policy Lead

Kadia draws on her expertise in global health policy and implementation science to lead the Smart Choice process in advancing national AMR action planning with partner countries. Kadia is deeply committed to strengthening the translation of evidence into real-world impact.

Arne Ruckert

Director of Research

Arne Ruckert is the Director of Research at the Global Strategy Lab’s AMR Policy Accelerator, overseeing all research activities and contributing to the development of policy products. His previous academic work revolved around understanding how social determinants of health are driving global health inequities, using political economy and social sciences approaches.

Sahran Shafaque

Research Assistant

Sahran Shafaque is currently completing her Master of Global Affairs at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She previously earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, majoring in Health Studies and Psychology.

Sepinoud Siavoshi

Research Dissemination Assistant

Sepinoud is a fourth year Public Administration student at York University’s School of Public Policy and Administration. She has previously worked with the Global Strategy Lab’s Public Health Institutions program as a Research Assistant where she tracked changes made to Canadian public health legislation since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kayla Strong

Research Lead

Kayla Strong is an Epidemiologist at the Global Strategy Lab, where she synthesizes and translates evidence specific to antimicrobial resistance and supports study design development. She completed her Ph.D. in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary, specializing in antimicrobial resistance transmission modelling within beef supply chain operations, aiming to influence both policy and practice in the Canadian beef industry.

Ramdhanie Sukhai

Finance Officer

Ramdhanie holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Social Science Degree in Economics from the University of Guyana. He is also a certified Project Manager (PMP) and is trained in financial management, results-based budgeting and monitoring & evaluation.

Demetria Tsoutouras

Director of Communications

Demetria oversees communications at the Global Strategy Lab leveraging over 20 years of marketing and communications experience across the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Her areas of interest include strategic communications, knowledge mobilization, and participatory product development.

Isaac Weldon

Investigator

Isaac Weldon holds a PhD in Political Science. Before coming to York, Isaac completed a Master of Science in International Health Policy (with Distinction) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) in History, Political Studies, and Economics from the University of Manitoba.

Amina Yaqoob

Research Assistant

Amina is a fourth-year Global Health student at York University. She currently serves as an Editorial Assistant with Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees and actively volunteers with various student organizations on campus. Amina aspires to become a social worker, driven by her passion for promoting equity and justice within marginalized communities.

Lauren J. Wallace

Research Associate

Dr. Lauren J. Wallace is a medical anthropologist and public health specialist with expertise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), health policy, and systems research.

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Patrick Fafard

Policy Advisor

Patrick Fafard is a Senior Investigator with the Global Strategy Lab and Full Professor cross-appointed to the Faculties of Social Science and Medicine, University of Ottawa. Earlier in his career he served as a senior executive with the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan. His current research focuses on public health policy and governance and the role of scientific evidence in the making of public policy.

A.M. Viens

Ethics Advisor

Dr. A.M. Viens is York Research Chair in Population Health Ethics and Law and Inaugural Director of the School of Global Health at York University. He is also a member of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Global Governance of Antimicrobial Resistance. He has degrees in philosophy and law from the Universities of Toronto, Oxford, and London.

Are you working in AMR surveillance and epidemiology? Join our network for the opportunity to contribute to research that will inform global and national policy responses to AMR. As part of our network, you’ll receive information about upcoming research projects and opportunities for collaboration.

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