Guest Editors
Gosha Colquhoun
Edinburgh Napier University
<p>Dr. Gosha Colquhoun (formerly Wojcik) is a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer specialising in the application of behaviour change science to healthcare, with a focus on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Her research centres around theory-informed interventions to optimise antibiotic use across clinical settings. She currently leads the process evaluation within the NIHR-funded SHORTER trial, assessing the effectiveness of short-duration antibiotic therapy. Alongside her academic work, Gosha holds an Honorary Advanced Research Fellowship with NHS Lothian (UK), supporting research integration into clinical practice and leading quality improvement initiatives in critical care. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges behavioural science, public policy, and health systems to promote sustainable, evidence-based strategies for improving patient care and tackling AMR.</p>
Jamie Brian Smith
Edinburgh Napier University
<p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Dr. Jamie Brian Smith is a senior research fellow at Edinburgh Napier University and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Trained as a nurse in Sheffield, Jamie’s career spans specialist clinical practice, organ donation, and academic research at the intersection of nursing, sociology, and philosophy of science. His work critically engages with posthumanism, feminist theory, and new materialist approaches to reimagine the politics of care, health workforce well-being, and the role of technology in healthcare.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Jamie’s research explores innovative and mixed-methods approaches, from posthuman institutional ethnography to participatory digital tools, often highlighting the embodied, relational, and ecological dimensions of nursing practice. He has published widely in journals such as </span><em style="background-color: transparent;">Nursing Inquiry</em><span style="background-color: transparent;">, </span><em style="background-color: transparent;">Nursing Philosophy</em><span style="background-color: transparent;">, and </span><em style="background-color: transparent;">Catalyst: Feminism</em><span style="background-color: transparent;">, </span><em style="background-color: transparent;">Theory</em><span style="background-color: transparent;">, </span><em style="background-color: transparent;">Technoscience</em><span style="background-color: transparent;">, and co-edited special issues on critical posthumanism in nursing.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Committed to knowledge exchange beyond traditional academic boundaries, Jamie co-founded the Compost Collaborative, a creative interdisciplinary group combining nursing, art, and activism to foster social change. His work consistently bridges the sciences, humanities, and lived experience, highlighting the often-overlooked practices and politics of care.</span></p>
Collection Overview
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most urgent global public health challenges of the 21st century. It threatens the foundation of modern medicine by rendering once-treatable infections increasingly difficult, or impossible, to manage. The World Health Organization has identified AMR as one of the top 10 global health threats, with serious implications for patient outcomes, healthcare systems, and global economies.
In 2019, bacterial AMR was linked to an estimated 5 million deaths globally. Without effective intervention, this figure is projected to rise to 10 million annually by 2050, with an economic burden exceeding 100 trillion US dollars. These projections demand urgent, coordinated, and innovative responses.
A major driver of AMR is the inappropriate and prolonged use of antibiotics across healthcare and community settings. In hospitals, delayed antibiotic reviews and inconsistent adoption of stewardship practices compound the problem. Addressing AMR requires a multidisciplinary approach integrating clinical practice, microbiology, behavioural science, implementation science, and policy research.
This special collection highlights methodological innovations and cross-sector strategies addressing AMR. We invite contributions that focus on the following:
- Evaluate new methods in antimicrobial stewardship
- Apply implementation science to AMR interventions
- Explore behavioural and systems-level drivers of resistance
- Develop diagnostic or surveillance tools using diverse methods
- Assess policy and regulatory frameworks
By uniting diverse perspectives, this collection aims to support scalable, evidence-based approaches to combat AMR and promote sustainable antimicrobial use worldwide.