Raising Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Among Postgraduate Medicine: A Teaching Innovation During World Antibiotic Awareness Week: Embedding WHO WAAW principles into postgraduate public health education

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains a major global public health challenge requiring urgent educational and behavioural interventions. In alignment with World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2025 and the WHO global call to action, a structured AMR and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) educational initiative was implemented among postgraduate public health students at the University of Hertfordshire.

A WAAW-aligned AMR awareness session was delivered to 187 postgraduate students during 18–24 November 2025, integrating WHO and UKHSA guidance, stewardship frameworks, surveillance principles, and supplementary learning resources. Student engagement was evaluated through qualitative feedback and assessment of AMR-focused academic participation and dissertation topic selection compared with previous cohorts.

The intervention resulted in sustained increases in AMR engagement, improved awareness of stewardship principles, and increased uptake of AMR-related research projects, including studies on national action plans, stewardship interventions, and digital health and artificial intelligence applications in AMR surveillance. The findings demonstrate that embedding WAAW within postgraduate curricula offers a scalable and transferable model for strengthening AMR education and supporting global stewardship priorities.