Overview of the PRN

The Infectious Diseases Practice and Research Network (ID PRN) is composed of students, residents, fellows, pharmacists, and other clinical and research specialists who practice in the exciting area of infectious diseases. Serving 1631 total members, which includes 526 students, 140 residents, and 18 fellows, the ID PRN is one of the largest PRNs within ACCP. Members are actively engaged in advancing pharmacy practice throughout an incredible variety of practice settings and believe strongly in education, research, credentialing, and professional stewardship. In addition, members are active and dedicated leaders on committees and executive boards within ACCP and other organizations.

Members of the ID PRN are dynamic, collaborative, supportive, and innovative. With a diverse and passionate membership base, the ID PRN recognizes how essential it is to engage members and consistently work together to extend the frontiers of clinical pharmacy practice. The mission of our work is to disseminate knowledge and promote career opportunities for infectious diseases specialists to optimize patient outcomes and demonstrate the value of pharmacists across the health care continuum.

We encourage you to follow our social media and event pages to stay up-to-date with the latest practice advances in antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral pharmacotherapy! Find us at:

• Upcoming events: https://www.accp.com/prns/events
• X/Twitter: @accpinfdprn
• Bluesky: @accpinfdprn.bsky.social

Opportunities and Resources

All Trainee Opportunities (Students, Residents and Fellows)

• Opportunities to serve on any ID PRN committee, including the Awards, Publications, Programming, Nominations, Networking, Research, and Social Media committees
• Develop PRN and national newsletters, including the “A Closer Look”, “Experts in Training”, and “Between Rounds: Peer-to-Peer Reflections on Post-Grad Training” columns.
• Recognize patient safety efforts with the “Spotlight on ID PRN Member Medication Safety”
• Participate in PRN social events in person and online at annual ID/pharmacy meetings, ID pharmacist day, antibiotic awareness week
• Receive the latest information on grant/scholarship opportunities within the network
• Participate in the annual ID PRN mentorship program where students are matched with a pharmacist, resident, or fellow mentor to help guide their professional development

Resident and Fellow Opportunities

• To promote research and professional development, the ID PRN sponsors two $1000 awards to residents or fellows to present research posters at the ACCP Annual Meeting. Award recipients must present their original research in person at the ACCP Annual Meeting.
• Present at a resident and fellow learner-led journal club series, which is presented on a monthly basis to national ID PRN members, allowing trainees to develop presentation skills as well as gain invaluable feedback and insights into these topics
• Participate in the annual ID PRN mentorship program to serve as a mentor to a student
• Opportunity to serve on the Executive Committee

The email list associated with ID PRN membership is active daily, inciting compelling clinical discussions and bringing attention to critical issues in practice. Networking is promoted through virtual networking events, monthly learner-led journal clubs, email list involvement, social media outlets, Annual Meeting attendance, pharmacy conference social events, research collaborations, and more.

We welcome all who are interested in infectious diseases, even if it is not their current or primary practice area. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]!

Infectious Diseases in a Warming World:

Emerging Risks and The Evolving Role of Clinical Pharmacists

Author: Caitlyn Lucore, PharmD Candidate 2027

Mentor: William Campillo Terrazas, PharmD, MPH

The University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy

Climate change represents a significant public health threat, with infectious diseases being particularly vulnerable to climatic shifts. Global temperatures continue to rise, with 2024 marking the warmest year in recorded history and 2025 ranking among the warmest.¹ Variable precipitation patterns, marked by alternating periods of heavy rainfall and drought, are further intensifying infectious disease transmission.² These rising temperatures and changing precipitation trends are rapidly reshaping infectious diseases in the United States, particularly in three major categories: vector-borne diseases, waterborne diseases, and temperature-sensitive fungal infections.

Rising temperatures and irregular rainfall cycles are expanding vector habitats and lengthening transmission seasons, allowing diseases such as Lyme disease, dengue, and West Nile virus to emerge in previously non-endemic regions.³ Higher temperatures also accelerate both vector development and pathogen replication, which can be seen in Chagas disease where increasing temperatures accelerate triatomine development and Trypanosoma cruzi maturation.⁴ Drought-affected regions concentrate mosquito vectors and bird hosts around scarce water sources amplifying virus transmission. Alternatively, heavy periods of rainfall create favorable mosquito breeding habitats and influence the timing and location of outbreaks.⁵

Waterborne diseases are being shaped by similar climate drivers. Rising water temperatures promote the growth of pathogens such as Vibrio species, contributing to expanded geographic range, particularly northward along the United States Atlantic Coast, and longer transmission seasons. Simultaneously, heavy rainfall and extreme weather events increase contamination of water systems, increasing the risk of infections such as giardiasis.⁶ These effects disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, particularly in areas with aging or inadequate water infrastructure.

Temperature-sensitive fungal infections further illustrate the impact of climate change on infectious disease patterns. Rising temperatures are expanding the range of Coccidioides sp. into regions previously considered unsuitable, including the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain states. Similarly, Histoplasma sp. are emerging beyond traditional endemic areas, while C. auris has emerged as a thermotolerant, multidrug-resistant pathogen, potentially linked to global warming.⁷ Cycles of drought followed by heavy rainfall, enhance fungal growth and spore dispersal, further increasing transmission.⁸ This is of particular concern to individuals with immune-compromise, emphasizing the need for early recognition and proactive patient counseling in newly affected areas.

These climate-driven shifts place clinical pharmacists at the forefront of an evolving infectious disease landscape, particularly as traditional geographic borders become less predictive of risk. There is a need for pharmacist-led efforts that support early recognition and reduce the risk of misdiagnosis that could delay treatment. For example, recognizing that a patient with pneumonia and recent travel to northern Arizona may prompt antifungal coverage for Valley fever, or an unexplained thrombocytopenia in a returning traveler from southern Texas could signal dengue. Pharmacists also play a critical role in providing counseling on prevention strategies, including vector avoidance, safe water practices, and recognition of infection risk. As climate change continues to reshape infectious disease patterns, pharmacist-driven education and clinical awareness will be essential in ensuring timely and effective patient care. Pharmacists can access the CDC's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, and local health department advisories to stay informed on these topics. Additional resources in Table 1.

Table 1: Surveillance Resources for Clinical Pharmacists

Table 2: Climate and Infectious Disease Risks by U.S. Region

*CAP = Community Acquired Pneumonia; GI = Gastrointestinal; HAP = Hospital Acquired Pneumonia; NSAID = Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug; SSTI = Skin & Soft Tissue Infection

References

1. World Meteorological Organization. WMO confirms 2025 was one of warmest years on record. Published Jan 14, 2026. Accessed Mar 19, 2026. https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-confirms-2025-was-one-of-warmest-years-record
2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Climate change impacts. Accessed March 23, 2026. https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/climate/climate-change-impacts
3. Thomson MC, Stanberry LR. Climate change and vectorborne diseases. N Engl J Med. 2022;387(21):1969-1978. doi:10.1056/NEJMra2200092
4. Tamayo LD, Guhl F, Vallejo GA, Ramírez JD. The effect of temperature increase on the development of Rhodnius prolixus and the course of Trypanosoma cruzi metacyclogenesis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2018;12(8):e0006735. Published 2018 Aug 15. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0006735
5. Sambado S, Sipin TJ, Rennie Z, et al. The paradoxical impact of drought on West Nile virus risk: insights from long-term ecological data. Proc Biol Sci. 2025;292(2054):20251365. doi:10.1098/rspb.2025.1365
6. Semenza JC, Ko AI. Waterborne diseases that are sensitive to climate variability and climate change. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(23):2175-2187. doi:10.1056/NEJMra2300794
7. Casadevall A, Kontoyiannis DP, Robert V. Environmental Candida auris and the Global Warming Emergence Hypothesis. mBio. 2021;12(2):e00360-21. Published 2021 Mar 16. doi:10.1128/mBio.00360-21
8. Camponuri SK, Head JR, Collender PA, et al. Prolonged coccidioidomycosis transmission seasons in a warming California: a Markov state transition model of shifting disease dynamics. J R Soc Interface. 2025;22(223):20240821. doi:10.1098/rsif.2024.0821
9. Auwaerter PG, Ritter AS, Prasad P. Lyme Disease. DynaMed Plus database. EBSCO Information Services. Updated Feb 14, 2025. Accessed Apr 18, 2026.
10. Hysell K, Prasad P, Lang E. Legionella Infections. DynaMed Plus database. EBSCO Information Services. Updated Aug 18, 2025. Accessed Apr 18, 2026.
11. Anderson KB, Rodriguez JM, Prasad P. Dengue. DynaMed Plus database. EBSCO Information Services. Updated Mar 27, 2026. Accessed Apr 18, 2026. https://dynamed.com/condition/dengue
12. Vinetz JM, Tsibris A, Vargas HJ. Leptospirosis. DynaMed Plus database. EBSCO Information Services. Updated Jan 5, 2026. Accessed Apr 18, 2026. https://dynamed.com/condition/leptospirosis
13. Terriquez JA, Tsibris A, Fedorowicz Z. Coccidiodomycosis. DynaMed Plus database. EBSCO Information Services. Updated Jan 14, 2026. Accessed Apr 18, 2026. https://dynamed.com/condition/coccidioidomycosis
14. Seas C, Prasad P. Vibrio Infections. DynaMed Plus database. EBSCO Information Services. Updated Sep 28, 2023. Accessed Apr 18, 2026. https://dynamed.com/condition/vibrio-infections

Global Disparities in Antimicrobial Access

Authors: Ayssel Aly PharmD Candidate 2028’, Precious Ulel PharmD Candidate 2028’, and Eden Amanios PharmD Candidate 2028’

Mentor: Lee Nguyen, PharmD, APh, BCPS, BCIDP

Affiliation:

University of California, Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice

802 W Peltason Drive, Irvine, CA 92617, USA

Introduction

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a widely recognized global health crisis. Inequitable access to antimicrobial therapy is an urgent part of this issue; however, it is often overlooked. While efforts to curb inappropriate antibiotic use remain critical, limited access to effective antimicrobials in many regions around the world continues to drive preventable morbidity and mortality. Antimicrobial overuse accelerates resistance on a global scale, but many patients in high-income countries have access to novel antimicrobial agents to treat multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections through pharmaceutical distributors and clinical trial enrollment. On the other hand, low and middle income (LMICs) face barriers to accessing appropriate therapies, causing infections that could be treatable to become life threatening. These disparities demonstrate the need to address both overuse and limited access to effectively combat AMR and improve global health outcomes.¹ 

The Dual Burden of Antimicrobial Use

The global use of antimicrobials reflects a critical imbalance between excess and scarcity. In high-income countries, antimicrobial overuse is driven by multiple factors. Inappropriate prescribing in clinical and non-clinical applications (i.e., agricultural antibiotic use), has contributed to the acceleration of MDR organisms. In contrast, LMICs face significantly different challenges, including inadequate and inconsistent access to essential antibiotics due to regulatory limitations and fragmented supply chains. It is estimated that every year over 3 million deaths worldwide are due to treatable infections.² This demonstrates that access to effective antibiotics remains insufficient globally. Limited access to appropriate therapies often results in alternative or second-line treatments that can be considered less effective, associated with more severe adverse effects, or excessively broad-spectrum. Second-line therapies may result in worse clinical outcomes and/or antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobial access in LMICs is complex. In many settings, antibiotics are available without the need of a prescription (over the counter, “OTC”) or consultation of a pharmacist.  Depending on the country, access to reliable and effective medication often falls short of the average individual’s needs due to shortages of healthcare professionals and limited infrastructure. OTC antibiotics can improve access to treatment, but likely eliminates those antibiotics as options when more severe infections occur. Access to OTC antibiotics without clinical evaluation may result in inappropriate utilization, such as for treating viral infections.³ OTC antibiotic access and use represents both an access point and a driver of misuse. This imbalance has broader implications for patient care and global health equity as it drives commonly available OTC antimicrobials to become useless due to over utilization and resistance, which results in the need for broader spectrum antibiotics that may not be readily available to the masses.⁴

Drivers of Global Disparities

Global disparities leading to unequal access to appropriate care for infectious diseases can be attributed to various factors. These include structural, economic, and healthcare system barriers that are most apparent in LMICs. Weak supply chain operations such as production or quality issues, inconsistent availability and distribution affect the delivery of vital antimicrobial therapies which results in inequitable access to antimicrobials.⁵ Pharmaceutical manufacturers often prioritize higher-income markets due to higher return on investment. As a result of this prioritization LMICs often deal with reduced access to newer and more effective treatments. These disparities in access are one of the causes of healthcare gaps and inadequate healthcare delivery.⁶

The Role of Pharmacists 

Pharmacists are essential in advancing equitable antimicrobial access by ensuring that availability is paired with appropriate use. As medication experts, pharmacists play a central role in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), supporting optimal antibiotic selection, dosing, and duration across healthcare settings. Evidence demonstrates that pharmacist-led stewardship interventions, including audit and feedback, education, and guideline implementation, significantly improve prescribing practices and reduce inappropriate use.⁷

Pharmacists are often among the most accessible healthcare professionals and frequently serve as the first point of contact for patients in both LMIC and high-income countries (HIC).⁸ This positions pharmacists well to impact patients’ health outcomes in both settings. As pharmacists, not only can we provide adherence counseling and patient education, but we can also actively enhance antimicrobial utilization at the point of care to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use. Moreover, our expertise in drug therapy can be leveraged to support antimicrobial policy advocacy, increase awareness of antimicrobial resistance and its implications, and contribute to antimicrobial stewardship initiatives. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance emphasizes these broader strategies in coordinated and sustainable efforts to address inequities.

Moving Toward Equitable Solutions

In response to these challenges, the World Health Organization and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative partnered in 2016 to establish the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP). GARDP was created to address critical gaps in antibiotic research, development, and equitable access, particularly for populations in LMIC. The current 2024-2028 GARDP strategy focuses on developing new treatments for priority drug-resistant infection, including gonorrhea, neonatal sepsis, and serious bacterial infections, but with a simultaneous goal of ensuring affordability, sustainable supply, and responsible use through integrated access and stewardship frameworks.⁹  Healthcare professionals including student pharmacists can contribute to these efforts by advocating for policies that expand access to essential medicines, supporting international initiatives led by organizations such as the WHO and GARDP, contributing to research, education, or outreach efforts that address antimicrobial resistance in underserved communities.

Conclusion

Systemic and structural barriers continue to drive global disparities in antimicrobial access. As medication experts, our role in healthcare intersects with all other healthcare professions. More can be done to improve health disparities by increasing inter-organization collaborations between pharmacy and other healthcare professions such as public health and medicine. We need to start collaborating on projects that align between organizations and build upon our successes.

 As one of the most trusted and accessible professions, the pharmacists’ role in reducing health disparities is even more important than ever. Our impact can be seen by each individual patient that we help, but it can also be in the form of advocacy for change in health policy and best practices to reduce inappropriate antibiotic access and use. The pharmacists’ role in both community and clinical settings is essential in improving access and equitable antimicrobial use globally.

Readers are encouraged to consider joining the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA), where free membership connects individuals to an international network focused on promoting the appropriate and responsible use of antibiotics. APUA offers educational resources including antibiotic cards, webinars on emerging AMR topics, stewardship position papers, participation in scientific events, and a forthcoming platform to support optimal antimicrobial selection for targeted therapy.

References

1. Patra M, Gupta A, Kumar D, Kumar B. Antimicrobial resistance: A rising global threat to public health. Infection and Drug Resistance. 2025; Volume 18:5419-5437. doi: 10.2147/idr.s530557
2. Mendelson M, Afari-Asiedu S, Schellack N, Wertheim H, Mpundu M, Gautham M. Facing up to reality: over-the-counter access to antibiotics in low-income and middle-income countries needs a paradigm shift in thinking. The Lancet Global Health. 2025;13(12):e2175–e2179. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(25)00394-8
3. Nammi J, Pasala R, Andhe N, Vasam R, Poruri AD, Sherikar RR. Antibiotic Misuse: An In-Depth Examination of Its Global Consequences and Public Health Challenges. Cureus. 2025;17(6):e85941. Published 2025 Jun 13. doi:10.7759/cureus.85941
4. Llor C, Benkő R, Bjerrum L. Global restriction of the over-the-counter sale of antimicrobials: does it make sense?. Front Public Health. 2024;12:1412644. Published 2024 Jul 3. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1412644
5. Baraldi E, Årdal C, Aho E, Popescu GA, Melaku T. The multifaceted nature of lack of access to antibiotics: types of shortage and specific causes, consequences, and solutions. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2024. doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2024.11.012
6. Otaigbe II. Mitigating inequitable access to appropriate antibiotics in low- and middle-income countries. JAC Antimicrob Resist. 2025;7(2):dlaf061. doi:10.1093/jacamr/dlaf061
7. Nampoothiri V, Hisham M, Mbamalu O, Mohamed ZU, Singh SK, Charani E. Evolution of pharmacist roles in antimicrobial stewardship: A 20-year systematic review. Int J Infect Dis. 2025;151:107306. doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107306
8. Sajal K Saha, Eugene Athan, Promoting antibiotic pharmacotherapy in community pharmacies in low- and middle-income countries: why and how?, International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 2026;, riag030., doi: 10.1093/ijpp/riag030
9. Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership. 2024. GARDP Strategy 2024–2028. Accessed April 22, 2026. https://gardp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GARDP_Strategy_2024-to-2028.pdf