The Laboratory of Medical Microbiology proudly congratulates Dr. Ines Pauwels on the successful defence of her PhD thesis, under the supervision of Em. Prof. Herman Goossens and Prof. Erika Vlieghe.
Ines began her journey with the Global-PPS team at LMM in 2018. Since then, she has made significant contributions to the field of antimicrobial stewardship, culminating in her recent doctoral research. On 15 September, she presented her thesis, titled “Global antimicrobial prescribing patterns and the initiation of stewardship activities in hospitals within the Global-PPS network.”
Her work explores how antimicrobials are used in hospitals worldwide, the implementation of Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) activities, and the factors that influence their success. By leveraging the WHO AWaRe classification, Ines analyzed global prescribing practices and identified key barriers and facilitators to effective stewardship. Her research also focuses on the drive-AMS programme, which applies behaviour change theory and hands-on training to help hospitals develop sustainable, context-specific and data-driven stewardship programmes.
Congrats to Ines Pauwels! The recording of her defence is now available on the drive-AMS website, offering insightful information on antimicrobial use and AMS implementation for anyone interested in these important topics.