Jonathan Iredell

Biography

Professor Jonathan (Jon) Iredell is an infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist specialising in critical infections and transmission of antibiotic resistance. He led an NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) in Critical Infectious Diseases at the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research from 2011, is a Fellow of the Australian Society for Microbiology and was ASM President from 2014-16. "The critically ill are the most vulnerable people in our health system”, says Professor Iredell. “Most ICU admissions are precipitated or complicated by infection, which is the commonest cause of preventable mortality. We aim to identify which patients admitted to ICUs are at highest risk, deliver this critical information early and to develop rapid diagnostic tests to assist intensive care specialists in making treatment decisions, with the objective of optimising infection management and control strategies, which benefits the patient and the hospital system”. He developed Australia’s first Short Course in Critical Infection, for clinicians who manage infection in critically ill patients. Professor Iredell has a strong interest in antimicrobial stewardship and works to inform policy on antibiotic use in the hospital environment. He has served on the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) Multi Resistant Gram-negative Taskforce and on the Gene Technology Technical Advisory Committee of the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator and leads the national Gram-Negative surveillance outcomes program of teh Australian Group for Antmicrobial Resistance (AGAR). He has full professional membership of the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society, is a Foundation Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Faculty of Science.

Research Interest

Professor Iredell conducts basic and clinical research, combining his clinical expertise in critical care and long-standing research in molecular genetics. He develops and coordinates nationwide clinical trials related to life-threatening infections. His research covers critical infections and microbial ecology, especially in relation to transmissible antimicrobial resistance in bacteria.