George G. Zhanel, PharmD, PhD, FCAHS

Research summary

As research director of the Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance, Dr. Zhanel's research interests include:

• Understanding the prevalence epidemiology and spread of antimicrobial resistant infections.
• Describing the clinical relevance of resistant infections.
• Identifying and developing rapid diagnostic methods to rapidly diagnose infections.
• Investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of resistance.
• Assessing activity of marketed and investigational antimicrobials as well as agents with antimicrobial activity (e.g., preservatives, antiseptics, disinfectants, sterilizers).
• Discovering novel antimicrobials (holder of several patents) and assessing the properties.
• Efficacy and biological evolution and influence of select vaccines.
• Research using pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling and Monte Carlo analyses to provide optimal treatment and prevention of infections is occurring.
• Assessing the medical and economic outcomes of infections as well as studying the relationships between antimicrobial usage/stewardship including in dermatology (oral and topical) as well as vaccination and the development of antimicrobial resistant infections.
• Both community-associated and healthcare-associated infections and pathogens are of interest including respiratory infections (including Streptococcus pneumoniae, influenza, RSV and COVID-19 infections), urinary tract infections, skin/soft tissue infections, intra-abdominal infections, nosocomial infections in hospitalized patients as well as in intensive care units, bacteremic infections, Extended Spectrum b-lactamase (ESBL) producing and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) including community-associated CA-MRSA, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Clostridium difficile, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and antifungal resistant infections.

Research themes

• Antimicrobial resistant infections
• Diagnostics
• Discovery and development
• Pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics
• Treatment and prevention of infection
• Vaccines

Consulting interests

Discovery and development of agents used to prevent and/or treat infectious diseases including diagnostics, antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antiparasitics, antituberculers, antiseptics, preservatives, disinfectants, sterilizers, agents with antimicrobial activity and vaccines. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs.

Keywords

• Agents with antimicrobial activity
• Antimicrobials
• Antimicrobial resistance
• Diagnostics
• Pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics
• Prevention of infection
• Treatment of infection
• Vaccines

Research groups

Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance (CARA)

Dr. George Zhanel is a microbiologist and pharmacologist who received his PhD in the Department of Medical Microbiology/Infectious Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba and a Doctor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Minnesota (magna cum laude).

He is presently professor and associate head, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine and research director of the Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance (CARA). Dr. Zhanel is the founding/ Chief Editor of the CARA website.
 
Dr. Zhanel has published over 1200 papers, chapters and abstracts in the area of treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. He has presented over 1250 lectures as an invited speaker at international, national, and local meetings speaking on the topics of antimicrobial resistant infections as well as treatment and prevention of infectious diseases in Canada, United States, Central and South America, Western and Eastern Europe including Russia, Australia, Southern and Northern Africa, the Middle East and Asia. He has been extensively involved in treatment guidelines for a variety of infections in Canada, the US and internationally. 
 
Dr. Zhanel has received or been nominated for > 110 teaching awards including the Canadian Association for Medical Education (CAME) merit teaching award in 2020. Dr. Zhanel is a member of the Who’s Who in Medical Sciences Education (WWMSE).  
In 2022, he was elected as a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) in recognition of sustained excellence in research and teaching within the health sciences. Fellowship in the Academy is considered one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian health sciences community. 

Education

• PhD in Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba (1994)
• Doctor of Clinical Pharmacy (magna cum laude), University of Minnesota (1986)
• Bachelor of Sciences in pharmacy, University of Manitoba (1984)

Awards and honours

• In 2023, Web of Science identified Dr. Zhanel as one of the world’s most influential researchers selected among an elite group recognized for exceptional research influence, demonstrated by the production of multiple highly-cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year.
• Canadian Association of Medical Education (CAME) merit award for teaching excellence (2020)
• Who’s Who in Medical Sciences Education (WWMSE)