WHO EMRO and Lebanese American University partner to advance IPC and AMR education

23 February 2026, Cairo, Egypt - The World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and the Lebanese American University (LAU) have signed a five-year agreement to advance integrated education and training in infection prevention and control (IPC), antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region.

The partnership brings together WHO's technical leadership on AMR and IPC with LAU's academic expertise to enhance the quality and consistency of health-workforce education. It aligns with the WHO regional flagship initiative on investing in a resilient health workforce, which aims to ensure access to a high-quality, fit-for-purpose, and sustainable health workforce.

"Strengthening infection prevention and control (IPC) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) education is essential to building a resilient health workforce and safeguarding health security across our Region. Our partnership with the Lebanese American University represents an important move toward equipping future health workers with the much-needed knowledge and skills," said Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Under the agreement, WHO and LAU will work together to integrate WHO-developed IPC, AMR, and AMS curricula into an elective course targeting undergraduate students in medicine, nursing, and pharmacy. The initiative responds to a decline in national IPC curricula for pre- and in-service training, limited AMR coverage in curricula for relevant cadres, and fragmented educational approaches. Integrated delivery of curricula in IPC, AMR, and AMS-essential for equipping health workers with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours needed to address AMR holistically-remains uncommon in the Region.

"By strengthening sustainable capacity in health-workforce education and operational research and equipping the next generation of health professionals with the scientific foundations, our partnership with WHO marks an important milestone in advancing IPC practices and reinforcing AMR control efforts. Together, we are investing in the future of health," Said Dr. Sola Aoun Bahous, MD, PhD, Dean of the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine.

WHO will provide technical support throughout the process, including curriculum alignment, expert guidance during course delivery, and evaluation of the course's relevance, clarity, and effectiveness.

"This partnership brings us one step closer to a future with stronger IPC and AMR education systems in the Region. This is imperative for our efforts to control AMR and advance IPC," said Dr Benedetta Allegranzi, acting Director of the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Control, at the WHO Regional Office.

The pilot course is expected to serve as a scalable model for other academic institutions across the Eastern Mediterranean Region.