Transforming antimicrobial stewardship with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC): CLINICAL24 Forum

Ron Daniels is an NHS Consultant in Intensive Care, based at University Hospitals Birmingham, U.K. He’s also Founder and Chief Executive of the UK Sepsis Trust and Vice-President of the Global Sepsis Alliance. In 2016 he was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to patients. Ron’s expertise lies in translational medicine and leadership. He leads the team driving dissemination of the Sepsis 6 treatment pathway and is part of the team responsible for much of the policy and media engagement around sepsis in the U.K. and elsewhere, including as a core member of the team securing the adoption of the 2017 Resolution on Sepsis by the WHO. At home, Ron’s worked with the NHS over the last 10 years to ensure that by 2019, in England, more than 80% of patients presenting with suspected sepsis were receiving appropriate antimicrobials rapidly. He is now leading a team working with his Majesty’s government to once again drive sepsis improvement work in the post pandemic era. He’s ever mindful of the perceived conflict, and the synergies and need for collaboration, with the antimicrobial stewardship agenda.

Prof. Giuliana Lo Cascio is a distinguished Italian microbiologist and clinical microbiologist whose career spans over three decades of academic excellence, clinical leadership, and research innovation. Since April 2024, she has held the position of Associate Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology at the University of Parma, where she teaches in the degree programs of Medicine and Surgery and Nursing. Her academic role complements her clinical responsibilities as Director of the Clinical Pathology Department and Director of the Microbiology and Virology Laboratory at the Local Health Authority (AUSL) of Piacenza, positions she has held since January 2023 and January 2021, respectively. Her clinical expertise encompasses bacteriological and mycological diagnostics, clinical microbiology consulting, and antimicrobial resistance. She is an active member of the Hospital Infection Committee, where she contributes to epidemiological surveillance and the development of institutional diagnostic pathways and guidelines for infection prevention and control. Prof. Lo Cascio’s research interests include mycology, new diagnostic methods, susceptibility testing, and antifungal stewardship, as well as the epidemiology of antibiotic resistance and related surveillance methodologies.

Jerod Nagel, PharmD, BCIDP is a Clinical Pharmacist Specialist in Infectious Diseases and an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan. He leads the pharmacy team for the Infectious Diseases & Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, which focuses on drug-based stewardship, outcomes-based stewardship, and infectious disease consultations. Jerod has served in a leadership capacity at several organizations, including as president of Antimicrobial Stewardship in Cancer Consortium; Leadership group for the antimicrobial subcommittee of Infectious Disease society of America; and Vizient Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. His research centers on improving patient outcomes through antimicrobial stewardship, and he has authored approximately 75 peer-reviewed publications.