St Cross DPhil contributes to parliamentary discussion on antimicrobial resistance
Iyiola Oladunjoye, a DPhil student in Clinical Medicine, recently contributed to a parliamentary roundtable at the House of Commons examining the impact of infection and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on cancer outcomes.
Iyiola currently serves as a British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) Parliamentary Intern, supporting the office of Dr Beccy Cooper MP on antimicrobial resistance and science policy. Through the internship, he has contributed to research, policy discussions and parliamentary engagement on one of the most significant global public health challenges of our time.
The roundtable brought together Members of Parliament, clinicians, researchers and patient advocates to consider how infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship could be better integrated into the UK's National Cancer Plan. During the discussion, Iyiola shared perspectives from his DPhil research at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford, highlighting the vital role that effective infection prevention and management plays in enabling advances in cancer treatment.
Reflecting on the discussion, Iyiola said:
At the parliamentary roundtable, I made a case that the new National Cancer Plan champions exactly the kind of preventive vaccine science I work on, but that it has a blind spot. Across all seven chapters, sepsis and antimicrobial resistance are not mentioned once. Infection is the second leading cause of death in cancer patients, and the Plan’s bets on vaccines, CAR-T and immunotherapy all collapse without infection control and working antibiotics. Infection control is not separate from cancer care. It is cancer care. What stayed with me most was hearing a patient and a bereaved family member describe that gap in their own words.
The discussion has since been featured by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (APPG AMR), recognising the importance of bringing together policymakers, researchers and healthcare professionals to address the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance and improve outcomes for patients.
St Cross warmly congratulates Iyiola on this opportunity to contribute his research expertise to discussions helping shape future health policy and improving patient care.
Find out more about the BSAC Parliamentary Internship Programme and read the APPG AMR's summary of the roundtable discussion.
