Course Format

Asynchronous, completely online self-paced on-demand via UBC Canvas Catalog. The AST&I program is designed with maximum flexibility to accommodate your professional and personal schedule. The program consists of two core courses—AST 101 and AST 102—with each course structured to take approximately six weeks to complete. While the standard track allows you to move through the full program in about 12 weeks, you also have the freedom to learn entirely at your own pace. If you need more time, you can take up to one year from your initial enrollment to complete both courses, ensuring you can balance your studies with your other commitments. Your invitation to the course website will arrive in your email one week following your registration.

Learning objectives will be logically ordered into modules and supported by multimedia content to deliver principles and reinforce applied practices in the laboratory setting.

Learning Objectives

• Appropriate selection and collection of microbiology specimen
• Isolation and accurate identification of clinically relevant bacterial pathogens
• Biological mechanisms of action and of resistance to Antimicrobials
• Review AST methods, Disk Diffusion, MIC broth microdilution and agar dilution
• Understanding breakpoints, interpretive categories, and international standards & guidelines
• Internal Quality control and Quality assurance for AST, cumulative antibiograms
• Detection of intrinsic resistance, mechanisms of resistance and appropriate reporting
• Selection of effective Antimicrobials based on laboratory information and clinical use case, including selective reporting.
• Data utilization and practical and effective implementation in the clinic setting, Effective communication within the clinical management team (including site administrators)
• AMR and One Health

Resources

Required and suggested readings include CLSI M100 and EUCAST documents, etc.

Requirements

Students should have a foundational knowledge of microbiology before considering enrolment.

Course Authors

Lucy A. Perrone, MSPH, PhD

Donald B. Rix Professor of Laboratory Quality, Director, Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management (POLQM), Chair, Canadian Microbiology Proficiency Testing Program (CMPT), Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Veronica Restelli, MSc

Editor and Education Coordinator, Canadian Microbiology Proficiency Testing Program (CMPT), Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Ghada Al-Rawahi, MD, DTM&H, D(ABMM), FRCPC

Medical Microbiologist, Honorary Adjunct Professor, UBC, Vancouver, BC

Robert Rennie, PhD FCCM, D(ABMM)

Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, University of Alberta Hospital

David J. M. Haldane, MB FRCPC

Clinical Director Provincial Public Health Laboratory Network of NS, Director of Special Pathogens, Nova Scotia Health, Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Medicine, Dalhousie University

Janet Reid, MLT, ART, BMLS

Manager, Microbiology – Gestionnaire de microbiologie, Laboratory Medicine Program – Programme de Région de Saint John, Saint John Regional Hospital – Hôpital régionale de Saint JohnHorizon Health Network / Réseau de santé Horizon

Tanis Dingle, Ph.D., FCCM, D(ABMM)

Clinical Microbiologist | Public Health Laboratory (ProvLab), Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL), Clinical Associate Professor| Pathology and Laboratory Medicine| University of Calgary, Assistant Adjunct Professor | Laboratory Medicine and Pathology | University of Alberta

Jennifer Grant, BS, MD CM (McGill University)

Clinical Associate Professor
Microbiologist, at Vancouver General Hospital 

Mathew Diggle PhD, MSc, DLSH&TM FRCPath (UK) 

Clinical Microbiologist at Alberta Precision Labs, Alberta Public Health Laboratory.

Lynne Li MDCM, MSC, FRCPC

Medical Lead for infection prevention and control at BC Mental Health and Substance Use at BC Children’s Hospital

Jennifer Tam BSc, MD

Program director for Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training program at BC Children’s Hospital

Ruwandi Kariyawasam PhD, FCCM

Clinical Microbiology Fellow-Alberta Precision Labs l Assistant Professor-University of Alberta 

Kayley McCubbin DVM, Ph.D. 

AMR – One Health Consortium:Veterinarian, PhD Candidate, and Project Manager of the Alberta Antimicrobial Resistance Implementation Plan

Claudine Desruisseaux MD, FRCPC

Medical Microbiologist and Infectious Disease Physician, Division of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver Coastal Health
Clinical Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, The University of British Columbia

Ross Davidson PhD FCCM D (ABMM) 

Director in the clinical microbiology laboratory, Head for the bacteriology section of the laboratory, Health Sciences Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Professor, Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology & Immunology and Medicine,Dalhousie University.