About

The Antibiotic Resistance Action Center (ARAC) at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University was created to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics by engaging in research, advocacy, and science-based policy. ARAC is focused on finding out-of-the box solutions to antibiotic resistance, one of the greatest public health threats of our time.

“Our central mission is to bring together epidemiologists, microbiologists, communications experts, policy experts, together under a single roof, working day in and day out, to curb these superbugs and to protect antibiotics."

We Face a Global Crisis

The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said if we don’t significantly reduce antibiotic use in all settings—humans, animals and agriculture—we will soon be living in a world where antibiotics are no match for drug-resistant bacteria, often called superbugs. The public health consequences of losing antibiotics are almost incomprehensible. Standard medical procedures would become extremely risky and even a simple cut could kill. While the future of antibiotics is in jeopardy, this public health crisis can be turned around. The science shows that if we stop misusing antibiotics, many of the superbugs will lose their powers to resist these drugs.

We Offer a Solution

ARAC fills a unique niche. No other academic organization in the U.S. pairs original research with strategic communication and policy strategies to advance solutions to combat antibiotic resistance. ARAC is led by microbiologist Dr. Lance Price, an internationally-recognized and respected scientist pioneering the use of genomic epidemiology to understand how the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in people and food animals affects public health. ARAC is part of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University. The center and its research lab are housed in GW’s newly opened Science and Engineering Hall -- an interdisciplinary research facility with state-of-the-art research space.

Our Priorities

• Uncover the origins and drivers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria; develop probiotic therapies to block their spread
• Promote evidence-based policy and practice in human medicine and agriculture
• Identify targets for new diagnostics to guide antibiotic prescription, improve patient care and decrease costs
• Quantify the drug-resistant human infections arising from antibiotic overuse in food animals
• Engage consumers and policymakers using new and traditional media

Some of Our Accomplishments