OPERA 2025: Ryan Hamilton

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health threat. Ryan’s research aims to inform the response to this threat, by focusing on the optimal use of antimicrobials to enable patients to use antibiotics more effectively and empower those who are living with AMR with the information they need to lead healthier lives. 

Ryan’s research spans from bench to bedside; from developing implantable antimicrobials to understanding the experience of people who are living with drug-resistant infections and identifying their support needs.

“Part of that research is also exploring how we communicate as health professionals to patients about AMR, particularly when someone’s carrying it. It’s not just antimicrobial stewardship. Patient care is also important and we’re exploring what the pharmacist’s role in that is as well because the medicine would be supplied from community pharmacies and that can be one of the stumbling blocks,” Ryan explains.  

Ryan is most proud of his work on identifying the lived experiences and support needs of people living with resistant organisms in the UK. “Identifying and finding these patients was really challenging. For example, did they really have a resistant infection? Or did they just have recurrent infections or have some other condition, and they had self-diagnosed? So, I was proud that we were able to kind of scoop those patients out and really focus on these people who were living day-to-day with the challenges of AMR. And the fact that the interviews for each patient took 60–90 minutes on average (when normally similar interview-based research take up only 30 minutes), I feel proud and also privileged that I’ve been able to tell those people’s stories.”

His work on treating infections caused by carbapenemase-producing enterobacterales (CPE) has been cited in the International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD) peritonitis guideline recommendations 2022. Ryan’s recent work on returning unused antibiotics to community pharmacies has identified patterns by which some aspects of an antibiotic amnesty campaign may be more beneficial than others. His research on nurse’s behaviours around intravenous to oral switching (IVOS) of antimicrobials is shaping education and support for nurses to empower them to review patients on IV antimicrobials. Ryan’s involvement in the ‘A Germ’s Journey’ team takes him around primary schools around Leicestershire, running classes for primary school children on infection, antibiotics and AMR, and doing pre-, post-, and long-term knowledge and attitude evaluations with them. 

Ryan’s foray into research began in an undergraduate lab on crystallisation, followed by a focus group study on patient materials for children and their use of medicines. “I loved that freedom trying things and seeing if it works,” Ryan said. He also credits the many inspiring consultant pharmacists he met quite early on in his career who carried out research as part of their roles and then used that to improve patient care and services.

“As a pharmacist, we’re often seen as not being a research active profession. And say, you know, it’s the medics that do that. I quite liked the challenge and opportunity to prove that wrong. So I did my PhD straight after my pre-reg. On reflection, those research and problem-solving skills are invaluable in clinical practice.”