Luong Nguyen Thanh defends PhD on sustainability and antimicrobial resistance

We keep celebrating at UAC, and warmly congratulate Luong Nguyen Thanh on the successful defense of their PhD thesis: “Bridging the gap: Leveraging the sustainability agenda to inform policies and actions on drivers of antimicrobial resistance.” The thesis was defended at Uppsala University on November 25, 2025 and addresses how to tackle antimicrobial resistance through coordinated policy and sustainable development.

Linking AMR to global sustainability goals

Luong’s research shifts the focus beyond antibiotics alone. His thesis explores how social, economic, and environmental factors shape the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. A central question runs through his work is: How can the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) support stronger and more effective AMR policies?

Four studies in one integrated framework

The thesis is built on four research papers, which together map how governance, policy alignment, and sustainability shape AMR at a global level.

• Trends in AMR and national action across 73 countries

Countries with stronger governance showed better progress in controlling resistance. Still, reductions in antibiotic use and resistance required high policy ambition, but reductions in its drivers showed no significant correlation.

• Mapping the drivers of AMR through global evidence

The work shows that distal drivers (the upstream, indirect factors), such as poverty, sanitation, environmental degradation, governance, and health system quality, remain poorly studied compared to direct medical drivers.

• Policy alignment between AMR and sustainability goals

National AMR strategies and SDG plans were compared across 10 countries in Africa and Asia. Many drivers of resistance are addressed in parallel, in silos, or not at all, resulting in overlapping efforts, narrowly framed responses, or overlooked drivers.

• Using AI to study policy interactions

A large language model was applied to develop a new methodology for analyzing how AMR and SDG policies interact. The results reveal both synergies and conflicts at the objective and implementation level.

Clear message for policymakers

The thesis points to a major gap where many countries act on AMR and sustainability as separate agendas. This has the potential to weaken the overall response to resistance, missing opportunities along the way. Luong’s work shows that aligning AMR strategies with sustainable development policies is not optional but a requirement for long-term impact.

A strong systems-level project

This research strengthens UAC’s profile in global AMR policy, governance and implementation research, One Health and sustainability and cross-sectoral systems thinking. It also offers concrete tools for future policy design and evaluation, positioning the research from thinking to action.

We warmly congratulate Luong on a successful PhD defense and an important contribution to global AMR research. This work highlights how policy, sustainability, and resistance must be tackled together.