Welcome to ‘AMR Aware News’, a voice for the AMR Aware Canada collaboration, annual campaign, and CAN AMS! webinar series.
UPCOMING CAN AMS! WEBINAR
Check out the next event in our ongoing Canadian Antimicrobial Stewardship Webinar Series, or CAN AMS!, for short.
Register for access to a live event, or view a recording of past events.
MARCH 25
STEWARDSHIP WITH A HUMAN TOUCH: Handshake stewardship at the BC Children’s Hospital
Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at handshake stewardship rounds at BC Children’s Hospital, a novel way of making antimicrobial stewardship interactive, helpful and impactful.
MODERATOR:
Carsten Krueger, MD FRCPC
Medical Lead, Pediatric ASP, Southern Alberta, Pediatric ID Consultant, Alberta Children’s Hospital
FEATURED SPEAKER:
Alastair McAlpine, MBChB, FRCPC, Director, PHSA
Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Infectious Diseases Pediatrician, BC Children’s Hospital
REGISTER HERE
CONTEST WINNERS!
The Explain It Like I’m 6: An Antimicrobial Resistance Education Contest invited students and recent graduates to tackle a serious topic with creativity and clarity in science communication. Hosted by the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium (EPIC), alongside partners CAN-AMR-Net and bioMérieux, the challenge was to explain antimicrobial resistance (AMR) so a six-year-old could understand it.
Judging included a unique panel—five grade 1 and 2 classes and their teachers—who helped evaluate 32 submissions from 10 universities across Canada. Entries combined scientific accuracy with humor and practical, everyday insights.
Photo: Screen capture from the first place video by Cianne Coutinho, Molecular Biology & Genetics, McMaster University.
AND THE WINNERS ARE…
Winners of the ‘Explain it Like I’m 6 – AMR’ contest were announced on March 12th at the One Health: Antimicrobial Resistance and Emerging Zoonoses Conference in Calgary:
First place: Cianne Coutinho, Molecular Biology & Genetics, McMaster University
Second place: Md Ramim Tanver Rahman (坦弗), MEng, PhD, Postdoctoral fellow, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (University of Ottawa)
Third place: Blair Reid, School of Nursing, Western University
Kids’ Choice Award: Paige Vowels, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Western University
Explore the winning entries and see how complex science can be made accessible for all.
AMR Aware Canada congratulates all the contest winners and applauds everyone who submitted their thoughtful and creative work.
PARTNER’S EVENT
AMMI Canada – CACMID Conference
Date: April 28 – May 1, 2026
Location: St. John’s, NL
The AMMI Canada – CACMID Annual Conference is coming soon to St. John’s, Newfoundland. This fully in-person event will bring together clinicians, researchers, and lab professionals to explore advances in infectious diseases and diagnostic microbiology. Participants can expect engaging speakers, timely topics, and plenty of opportunities to learn, share ideas, and reconnect with colleagues from across Canada and beyond.
Early Bird Registration Deadline March 20, 2026
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One Health Moves Forward: Addressing the Environmental Surveillance Gap in AMR
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is expanding how it tackles antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by asking a critical question: what role does the environment play? Its newly released Environmental Surveillance Strategic Framework highlights how resistant microbes can spread through water, soil, air, and food systems, linking human, animal, and environmental health.
Why focus on the environment? Evidence shows it can accelerate AMR development and exposure.
Who is most affected? Communities near agricultural or wastewater sites, certain Indigenous and remote populations, and people with limited access to clean water or healthcare face higher risks.
The framework also asks: what data do we need, and how do we act on it? PHAC aims to strengthen surveillance, close data gaps, and integrate findings into national systems to better assess risks and guide interventions.
Ultimately, this work advances a more coordinated One Health approach—recognizing that tackling AMR means understanding how it moves across the world we all share.
This bulletin is produced by the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID), the coordinating lead for the AMR Aware Canada collaboration. NCCID receives funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Agency.