ERG’s Dr. Aylin Sertkaya Serves on National Academies Committee Examining Antimicrobial Resistance in the United States

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microorganisms become immune to the medicines used to treat them, which can cause hospitalizations, expensive treatment, long-term disability, and up to 1.71 million deaths worldwide every year. One of the major issues in combatting AMR is the need to establish appropriate economic incentives for developing new antimicrobial drugs for human and veterinary use while ensuring antimicrobial stewardship. To this end, Dr. Aylin Sertkaya, an ERG senior economist and vice president, served as a committee member for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s 2021 report, Combating Antimicrobial Resistance and Protecting the Miracle of Modern Medicine, which discusses detection, monitoring, and solutions for AMR.

Dr. Sertkaya’s work on this committee is the product of roughly 10 years of research—which is still ongoing—into AMR and related issues for the Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Contributing to one of the National Academies’ high-profile reports demonstrates Dr. Sertkaya’s position as a nationally recognized expert on the economics of AMR.