Clinical activities of the Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center are focused on antibiotic stewardship programs to limit the use of antibiotics as well as clinical trials to test novel antibiotics, vaccines and other interventions to improve patient health.
Emory ARC faculty lead the Antibiotic Stewardship Programs based at Emory University Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Grady Memorial Hospital, and the Atlanta VA Medical Center with support from infectious disease-trained pharmacists at each facility. The directors of the antibiotic stewardship programs at each hospital also play active leadership roles in the antibiotic utilization subcommittee of each hospital's Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. Current areas of interest include standardization of antibiotic use by developing local guidelines, a prospective study assessing the impact of elevated MIC to vancomycin on outcomes in patients with MRSA bacteremia, studies to document the prevalence of healthcare associated infections and antibiotic use in hospitals, and the impact of stewardship interventions on C. difficile infections.
Clinical trials include testing of novel antibiotics through the Emory+Children’s Cystic Fibrosis Center of Excellence as well as novel interventions and vaccines to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria through the Hope Clinic, the clinical arm of the Emory Vaccine Center.