The passing of a close relative and working with a great team have fuelled Dr Elliott’s passion to tackle anti-microbial resistance.
She has won funding to take her work to less-developed countries – an ambition she is juggling with raising two young sons.
“There has been a lot of media coverage about superbugs, but on an individual level, the message often doesn’t get through until it happens to someone you care about,” Dr Elliott said.
“Then you realise, for some infections, there really aren’t any treatments left.”
Dr Elliott had that “close to home” moment when her grandfather passed away from kidney failure.
“It really hit me then, when he got an infection and the antibiotics couldn’t save him – this happens every day in hospitals, but this time it happened to someone I love.”
“More people die every day of infection than some other diseases, but it’s just not known or talked about as it is usually the kidney failure, heart surgery or cancer which is written up as the cause of death.”
