Tackling a growing public health threat isn’t easy but that hasn’t stopped Dr. Jennifer Granick, an associate professor at the College of Veterianry Medicine, from building resources to take on antimicrobial resistance.

This resistance, in which bacteria, viruses, or parasites adapt over time to no longer respond to medication, renders antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines ineffective and increases the risk of disease spread. For her leadership in antimicrobial stewardship, Granick was named the 2024 Outstanding Faculty of the Year by the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association.

The award is presented to a CVM faculty member who provides outstanding service to Minnesota veterinarians, gives of their time and talent to the veterinary profession, is a leader who makes a difference to the profession, and is a dedicated contributor to organized veterinary medicine.

“Dr. Granick's passion for antimicrobial stewardship is infectious and pulls all of us—students, interns, residents, clinicians, and researchers—in as part of the team to improve our practice in veterianry medicine,” writes Dr. Eva Furrow in her nomination letter.

Granick is co-director of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship Initiative (ARSI) at the University of Minnesota and the Companion Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network. The network is a comprehensive disease surveillance system that combines clinical practice data from multiple electronic health software platforms.

The goal of Granick and her cohort’s work is a better understanding of what antibiotics are prescribed for what diseases and at what frequency. Over time, the shared knowledge gleaned from collected data will allow small animal veterinarians to make more informed decisions about prescribing antibiotics so pets receive the level of compassion and care they deserve.

Granick also is a member of the World Small Animal Veterianry Association’s Therapeutics Guidelines Group and is an expert for the World Association of Animal Health working to develop a list of antimicrobials of veterinary importance for dogs and cats.