Infection Prevention Innovator: Stephan Harbarth Talks Antimicrobial Resistance
Meet Prof Dr Stephan Harbarth, Chief of Infection Control at the Geneva University Hospitals and Director of the WHO Centre for Infection Prevention and Antimicrobial Resistance Control.
30 + Years in a Nutshell
Stephan Harbarth earned his medical degree in 1993 from Ludwig-Maximillians-University in Munich, Germany and completed his internal and tropical medicine residency at Munich University Hospitals. After serving as a clinical fellow in the Infectious Diseases Division at Geneva University Hospitals, Prof Harbarth completed his master's degree in epidemiology at Harvard University in Boston, United States. He is board-certified in infectious diseases and was appointed full professor at the University of Geneva in 2018.
He has extensive experience in antibiotic stewardship and control of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). He has seen his work published in leading medical journals and garnering several awards, including the 2022 prestigious Robert Koch Prize for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention. In his acceptance speech, he stated:
"There is a clear need for better screening, even of asymptomatic patients"
Current Research
Prof Harbarth's research group has a strong academic track record. It is conducting several clinical and epidemiological studies to evaluate key questions related to the control of the acquisition, transmission, and infection by multidrug-resistant microorganisms and related clinical and health-economic bundles. He actively participates in several ongoing large-scale EU-funded studies and coordinated the DRIVE-AB project to address this public health threat.
Due to the nature of his senior position, Stephan spends much of his valuable time stimulating and mentoring more junior colleagues, which he finds extremely rewarding.
Infection Control in Real Life
This deep-rooted interest in AMR and infection prevention led him to the REVERSE project, where he leads work package 3 - infection prevention and control (IPC). This work package comprises multiple interventional components, but the overarching goal is to improve infection control in the participating hospitals. Stephan feels one of the main strengths of the REVERSE project is its ability to perform a reality check and ask - what's really going on in these hospitals?
Working with work package 5 (implementation) is essential to his work, dissecting the real-world barriers and challenges, This reality check enables a clear picture of what's happening on the ground and the many hurdles we must overcome - essentially providing a view of infection control in real life. He says:
"We face many challenges and barriers that are not necessarily related to resources, but behaviour. It's about awareness and interdisciplinary communication in hospitals. This is the real beauty of REVERSE - we are putting our fingers on the pulse of infection control in these four countries, revealing the strengths and weaknesses. It's a question of culture and behaviours".
A Catalyst for Change
Stephan is optimistic about the outcome of REVERSE.
Whatever else it shows, for the first time in European IPC history, we will have an autopsy enabling us to understand 100% why hospitals may not be implementing best IPC practises - all painstakingly documented and recorded. Even if the study is negative the project will generate extremely valuable evidence and have substantial policy implications, allowing IPC to move forward.