Goff presented at the 20th International Congress for Infectious Diseases

Debra Goff, professor of pharmacy practice at the Ohio State College of Pharmacy, has worked collaboratively with South Africa’s thought leaders for the past 15 years to implement antibiotic stewardship programs.  

Goff recently conducted an interactive antibiotic stewardship workshop alongside South African pharmacist Angeliki Messina, who trained at Ohio State more than 10 years ago, at the 20th International Congress for Infectious Diseases in Cape Town, South Africa.  

Her interest in this area was sparked when she began finding instances where prescriptions were not appropriate, the wrong dose or prescribed for the wrong duration. The misuse facilitated a rise of antibiotic resistance in patients that further stressed the importance of antimicrobial stewardship programs. These programs are required by law in the United States and help health care professionals prescribe the correct antibiotic for the thousands of organisms that humans are vulnerable to. 

It was in 2010 that Goff was appointed by the Federation of Infectious Diseases for Southern Africa as the international antimicrobial stewardship advisor to South Africa. An initial Ohio State outreach and engagement grant she received the following year helped fund the implementation of the Train the Trainer Antibiotic Stewardship Program for South African pharmacists. She has received numerous grants over the years to expand the training program and conduct research to measure its impact.