HHS advisory council frames next National Action Plan update with One Health, data, and workforce priorities

The Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic‑Resistant Bacteria met in a public virtual session to advise the Department of Health and Human Services on updating the National Action Plan.

Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brian Christine opened by underscoring the scale of the threat: “more than 2.8 million antimicrobial‑resistant infections occur every year in the United States, and that results in over 30,000 deaths, actually, over 35,000 deaths,” and urged stewardship, improved surveillance, and a One Health approach. Casey Sullivan of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation said the next plan will keep the same five goals but shift toward broader objectives tracked by quantitative indicators rather than hundreds of discrete milestones.

Council members focused discussion on five cross‑cutting priorities: (1) strengthen One Health surveillance and data sharing across human, animal and environmental sectors; (2) expand rapid diagnostics and diagnostic implementation research so clinicians can know who needs antibiotics and which drug to use; (3) support veterinary and long‑term‑care settings that are currently underserved by stewardship programs; (4) develop sustainable economic incentives and domestic manufacturing resilience to restore investment in novel therapeutics and ensure supply security; and (5) invest in workforce and training across disciplines.

Speakers gave concrete examples. Dr. Paul Plummer urged action to harmonize cross‑agency funding streams for broad One Health projects; Dr. Jennie Kwon and others urged more public‑facing communications and research on microbiomes to guide prevention; Dr. Claire Burbick and Dr. Mark Papich described gaps in veterinary diagnostics, clinical breakpoints and incentives for veterinarians; and Henry Skinner of the AMR Action Fund warned the antibiotic pipeline and specialized manufacturing talent are eroding without new incentive models.

The council also pressed for improved genomics and wastewater surveillance, better access to sequence databases, and clearer protections to encourage farm‑level data sharing. Members noted existing programs such as NARMS, FDA Vet‑LIRN and APHIS dashboards as examples to scale, while urging durable funding and attention to environmental AMR data and standardization across sectors.

The meeting closed with co‑chairs thanking participants and reminding watchers that public comments will be incorporated into the plan update; agencies and the CARB Taskforce will use input from this session as they develop the next iteration of the National Action Plan.