Prof. Dr. M.G.J. (Mark) de Boer, MD

I am a professor of Infectious Diseases and the commission of my chair is antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antibiotic stewardship. I was trained as an internist & infectious disease specialist and as a clinical epidemiologist. I am the chair of the Stichting Werkgroep Antibioticabeleid, which is responsible for guidelines on treatment of infectious diseases and monitoring of antimicrobial use and resistance in Dutch hospitals. I serve as the scientific director AMR for the NCOH, and as honorary secretary for the European Study Group on Antimicrobial Policies and Stewardship.
We study AMR from diverse angles, ranging from surveys via twitter to clinical trials, to developing an in-vitro-model to study treatments for implant associated infection. I seek to connect clinical/epidemiological observations with an experimental approach. I enjoy the collaborations we have and that the research is not limited to hospitals, but has extended to appropriate use of antibiotics in primary care.

My research focuses on the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and on the consequences of increasing AMR for (new) antimicrobial strategies, antibiotic policy making and antibiotic stewardship.   
To what extent and at which pace AMR will affect the outcome of patients with infections remains to be studied for many common infectious diseases. Due to AMR in a strict sense, but also due to antimicrobial tolerance and biofilm formation, adaptations in empiric treatment strategies and new diagnostic approaches will be required over time. Which adaptations or interventions specifically are effective and at which level of resistance these interventions are necessary (i.e., outbalance the alternatives) needs to be studied and determined. Herein, differentiation unfolds between measures to be taken in specific hospitalized patient populations as well as in population/primary care medicine, to ensure adequate and proportional responses towards AMR.