Resistance and Responsibility: Confronting the Structural Roots of Antimicrobial Resistance
Dr. Jacinda Abdul-Mutakabbir
Dr. Jacinda Abdul-Mutakabbir (JAM) is an Associate Professor and Antimicrobial Resistance Researcher at the University of California, San Diego, with appointments in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences as well as the Division of the Black Diaspora and African American Studies.
She uses a translational research approach, integrating laboratory and clinical methods to investigate the syndemic relationship between noncommunicable diseases and antimicrobial-resistant infections and to develop community-based interventions that improve treatment outcomes. She has authored more than 90 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and scientific abstracts that present her findings. Her contributions have influenced national and international policies to mitigate inequities in antimicrobial resistance. She was invited to present at the 25th Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB) Public Meeting and now serves on the council as the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) designated representative. She also served as an inaugural member of the CVS Health Equity National Advisory Board and, in 2026, was the first PharmD elected to the Infectious Diseases Society of America Executive Board.
Dr. Abdul-Mutakabbir has earned both national and international recognition for her work in antimicrobial resistance research and health equity. In 2020, she was recognized as a Top Scientist Under 30 by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. She received the 2021 Gita Patel Best Practice Award from the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists, the 2023 Clinical Practice Innovation Award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the 2024 New Clinical Practitioner Award from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. In 2026, she was named a finalist for the Nancy Jamison Fund for Social Justice Award, presented by Catalyst of San Diego and Imperial Counties, and elected as a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Dr. Abdul-Mutakabbir's Athenaeum presentation is co-sponsored by the Berger Institute for Individual and Social Development at CMC.