Parliamentary Internship Programme

“My BSAC interns have done amazing things on AMR and One Health”

Since 2023, we have been inviting two PhD students the opportunity to work in the heart of UK Parliament as part of our Parliamentary Internship Programme.

Working in the in the offices of Baroness Natalie Bennett, MP Dr Danny Chambers, and MP Dr Beccy Cooper, successful candidates have the opportunity to engage directly with the inner workings of government, identify and agree on areas of forthcoming business, provide research support, write briefings or summaries, prepare for committees and help advocate for action on AMR…

Parliamentary Interms MPs

Current Interns

Dr Helen Callaby

is a first year PhD student at the University of Dundee, examining the use of rapid diagnostic tests for infection in antimicrobial stewardship for patients with multiple long-term conditions, in remote versus urban Scotland. She is also a specialty registrar in Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology.

Blair Merrick

Alongside completing a PhD at King’s College, London, Blair is an infectious diseases and general internal medicine specialty registrar based in London. His academic interests include modulation of the gut microbiome to improve patient outcomes including through the use of faecal microbiota transplant (FMT).

Iyiola Oladunjoye

is a first-year DPhil student in Clinical Medicine at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford. With an academic background in microbiology, he was an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters LIVE+ (Leading International Vaccinology Education) scholar who trained across five European universities in Spain, Belgium, and France. He has extensive experience in One Health and public health consulting, spanning human, animal, and environmental health. Before beginning his doctorate, he worked with the Oxford Vaccine Group, contributing to the clinical and preclinical development of vaccines targeting outbreak pathogens. He is also the co-founder of the Triad Institute for Health Research and Development, a youth-led initiative advancing health research, innovation, and capacity development across Africa. Iyiola previously served as the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Young Ambassador to Nigeria and received the 2023 Diana Award and the 2024 ASM Young Ambassador Excellence Award for his leadership in AMR advocacy and education.

Ava Drake

is a 2nd year PhD student at the University of Stirling researching the role of seafood production in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across the supply chain, with the goal of supporting safer seafood, stronger policies, and more sustainable aquaculture. She is particularly interested in food security, international supply chains, and developing resilient farming systems. Ava completed her MSc in One Health at the Royal Veterinary College and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She is also the co-founder of NextGenAMR, a student-led network that aims to enhance collaboration between PhD students and early career researchers working on or interested in AMR.

Programme Alumni

Alice Jacobsen

is a third-year PhD student at the University of Surrey researching the motivators and barriers to AMR intervention implementation within the animal health sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. Outside of her PhD she still enjoys working as a clinical vet.

Major Scott Pallett

is a senior clinical microbiology and infectious diseases registrar with the British Army and a polar explorer. His academic interests are in antimicrobial resistance surveillance and remote diagnostics.

Emily Stevenson

is a second-year PhD student with the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory, researching microplastics as vectors of antimicrobial resistance in aquatic systems. She is also the co-founder of the award-winning marine conservation NGO: Beach Guardian.

Simonne Weeks

is a highly experienced Senior Biomedical Scientist and Senior Lecturer with a deep passion for advancing research and education in healthcare. Her primary research interests focus on enhancing education around Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) and combating Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Simonne is dedicated to improving the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals and students to address these critical global health challenges effectively.

Katy Stokes

is a third year PhD student at The University of Warwick, researching Artificial Intelligence for health screening and monitoring. Alongside her PhD Katy has maintained an active interest in medical science policy, contributing to the WHO Research and Development Blueprint through systematic review of topics relating to Infection Prevention and Control and completing a three-month policy internship with The Academy of Medical Sciences.

Julius

is a health promotion specialist and previously worked as a civil servant in the Philippines. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in Built Environment and a Hydro Nation scholar of the Scottish Government at Glasgow Caledonian University and The James Hutton Institute. Julius completed his MSc in Public Health and Health Promotion (with Distinction) at Bangor University in Wales as a Chevening scholar and obtained his BSc in Nutrition at the University of the Philippines.

Lorna Flintham

is a second-year PhD student at the University of Bath, researching the influence of lifestyle factors and age on antimicrobial resistance genes in the gut. Lorna has worked in healthcare and AMR education with the Students’ Pharmaceutical Federation and is currently pursuing an interest in public intervention initiatives as a research member of Project ACE.

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