The AMR Narrative

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In Conversation with Bill Pullman: Breaking the Silence on AMR

On 10 July 2025, our Executive Director and AMR patient survivor and advocate, Vanessa Carter was delighted to take part in a panel discussion at the Shionogi London office to address the urgent global health threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Among the panellists was an unexpected advocate, actor Bill Pullman, best known for his numerous roles, including in the film Independence Day.

Joining Vanessa and Bill on the panel were Dr Alicia Demirjian, Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Clinical Lead for Antimicrobial Resistance & Prescribing at the UK Health Security Agency, and Huw Tippett, current CEO of Shionogi Europe. The discussion was moderated by Jo Taylor and Sarah Hornby.

Inspired by his brother, an infectious disease specialist, Bill has become an active voice for AMR awareness, using his platform to help communicate this critical issue more widely. He is currently producing a documentary featuring leading global experts to highlight the scale and urgency of the problem.

During a wide-ranging discussion, the panel reflected on the need to rethink how we engage patients and the public as well as policy audiences on AMR. A ‘moonshot’ approach was proposed, one where people from all sectors are united by a shared mission to inspire action and change minds.

Key takeaways included:

  • Collaboration and inclusion of people from diverse backgrounds is essential to tackling AMR effectively.
  • Patient and public voices are too often absent from key discussions — this must change.
  • AMR is not a silent pandemic, but an immediate and pressing issue that affects us all.
  • Equitable access to quality medicines is vital, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Compelling storytelling can build an informed and engaged public audience, helping to make this complex issue more understandable and relatable.

The AMR Narrative looks forward to following Bill’s work as it evolves, helping to raise the profile of this critical global health issue.

[Vanessa Carter, Dr Alicia Demirjian and Bill Pullman are independent of Shionogi and their participation in this event does not represent an endorsement of the company]

Chris Shaffer

Chris Shaffer was a music, special education teacher, and high school principal for 45 years. At the end of his educational career, he was thrust into the world of AMR infections when a number of abdominal surgeries left him with an E-coli infection which failed to respond to antibiotics. After doctors in the USA left him with little hope for a cure, diminishing health, and a bleak prognosis, he set out on his own.

Chris found success in phage therapy at the Eliava Phage Therapy Center in Tbilisi, Georgia. With phage therapy giving Chris his life back, he has dedicated his retirement years to advocating for and helping raise awareness of phage therapy used for AMR infections. He tells the story of his phage journey in a book titled, Finding Phage: How I Partnered with a Friendly Virus to Cure My Deadly Bacterial Superinfection. His website, phagetherpyusa.com helps others learn to understand the healing power of phage therapy.

Demi Christofi

Demi is an Associate Scientific Director at a medical communications agency, with a background in microbiology and a longstanding focus on antimicrobial resistance. She holds an MSc in Microbiology, where she first became interested in the global challenge of resistance and the need to bring scientific understanding to wider audiences.

Demi’s career has centred on a simple but powerful belief: that how we communicate science matters. Her work focuses on making complex data clear, engaging, and accessible – whether for healthcare professionals, policy makers, or the patients most affected by infection and resistance. She has contributed to a wide range of AMR-focused projects, including educational programmes, congress communications and stewardship initiatives.

A central thread in Demi’s work is the importance of the patient voice. She is passionate about making sure real-world experiences of treatment failure, recurrent infections, and the anxiety surrounding resistance are not lost in the data. She believes that listening to patients and involving them meaningfully is essential for shaping more effective, human-centred responses to AMR.

Demi is also a strong advocate of the One Health approach, recognising AMR as a complex, interconnected issue that spans human health, animal health, and the environment. She is particularly drawn to efforts that move beyond siloed thinking and focus on practical, joined-up solutions.

In 2025, Demi joined The AMR Narrative as an Independent Advisor, where she supports the charity’s mission to centre communication, community, and inclusion in the global AMR response.

Outside of work, she is a Girlguiding unit leader and a qualified yoga teacher. These roles reflect her commitment to care, learning, and creating supportive spaces for others.

Andrea Hartley

Andrea has worked in health communications and campaigning for 3 decades. She is committed to fighting AMR through timely and appropriate communications globally,.

Andrea set up Skating Panda, the creative social and environmental impact consultancy, over a decade ago and drives its impact and growth. Focused on original and lasting public interest communications as well as issue strategy and advocacy, the Panda team has a track record of prompting tipping points in the status quo that drive better social and planetary outcomes.

Andrea’s combination of commercial marketing and development experience with deep issue knowledge have been sought by decision-makers at global summits, corporate and NGO board members, and have enabled her to set up multi-million fundraising platforms and push through policies that change and save lives. 

Andrea is Vice Chair of mothers2mothers, the world’s largest employer of women living with HIV, and a Board Director of Maymessy, a food poverty social enterprise.

A lifelong advocate for gender equality, she played a key role in establishing the UK’s Women’s Equality Party.

Esmita Charani

Professor Esmita Charani is a pharmacist and researcher investigating how we use antibiotics in different cultural and social contexts. She works with teams in the UK, India, and South Africa to develop research programmes investigating all aspects of antimicrobial resistance in human populations with a focus in hospital settings.

She has experience in communicating her research with patients and the public through various media including animations, blogs, and educational videos.