Studying Antimicrobial Resistance with 2022 STAT Wunderkind Awardee Dr. Alainna Jamal

Dr. Alainna Jamal has become a familiar face in our University of Toronto community. Dr. Jamal, who completed her bachelor’s degree at U of T, returned to complete the combined MD-PhD as a Vanier Scholar studying the transmission of carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPOs) – a family of antibiotic resistant bacteria, deemed by the WHO to be among pathogens posing the greatest threat to human health. Today, she’s a PGY1 resident in the DoM and a 2022 STAT Wunderkind Award winner, which celebrates the accomplishments of doctors and researchers in the early stages of their careers.

Dr. Jamal’s research has made substantial impact in the field of CPOs. Employing epidemiological and genomic methods to investigate transmission, Dr. Jamal’s work has already informed infection prevention and control programs for CPOs in hospitals across the province. Her work in this area continues as the Principal Investigator on a research grant from the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) investigating CPOs among residents of long-term care facilities.

Please join us in sharing a joyous congratulations with Dr. Jamal on receiving the 2022 STAT Wunderkind Award! We look forward to seeing what comes next!