Nitai Steinberg, PhD, MScBMC Class of 2019. (Submitted by: N. Steinberg)
Nitai Steinberg, a graduate of the Institute of Medical Science’s Biomedical Communications program at the U of T Mississauga, was named winner of the Student Prize in the World Health Organization’s inaugural Health for All Film Festival. Steinberg received the award for his animation Antibiotic Resistance. The film festival showcased the role of individuals and communities as champions for health and well-being. Steinberg’s entry was one of 1,265 entries received from 119 countries. As the Student Prize winner, he will receive a grant of $5,000 US. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus made the announcement Tuesday at an online virtual awards ceremony hosted in Geneva, Switzerland.
Misconceptions around antimicrobial resistance
“Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of bacteria to break down antibiotics and render them ineffective,” says Steinberg, who graduated in 2019. “This is a major threat to human health. Modern medicine depends on antibiotics. Without them, many diseases could no longer be treated. Invasive surgeries and organ transplants would not be possible,” he says.
Steinberg created the film under the supervision of Jodie Jenkinson, director of the Biomedical Communications program and with financial support from Jenkinson’s SSHRC Insight Grant. He says that his goal was to address two common misconceptions.
“According to a WHO survey, the majority of people have heard of antimicrobial resistance but think that it means the human body becomes tolerant to antibiotics when in fact it is the bacteria that are resistant,” says Steinberg. “They also believe that bacteria exposed to antibiotics become resistant to them gradually. Actually, some bacteria in a population are already resistant.”
He says that after antibiotic exposure, the sensitive bacteria die, but the resistant bacteria keep living and frequent antibiotic use makes them more and more prevalent. Bacteria spread in the environment and higher numbers of resistant bacteria, mean higher antibiotic resistance everywhere.
Dr. Ruediger Krech, WHO’s Director of Health Promotion and jurist, told Steinberg at the May 12 awards ceremony that he took a public health issue, broke down the complexity, spiced it up and made it inspiring. “You tell the AMR [antimicrobial resistance] story so that we as watchers want to see more. You’ve inspired and intrigued us and this can only be done by someone who knows both the science and the filmmaking,” said Krech.
Jenkinson, who conducts novel research in the role that visual complexity plays in learning, says that film and animation are powerful media for conveying understanding.
“Difficult concepts such as the natural selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria are more easily explained through visuals. Visualizations coupled with narration are better understood. Music connected to visuals can emphasize ideas such as randomness and sound cues can emphasize importance,” she says.
Understanding leads to action
With a greater understanding of antimicrobial resistance, Steinberg hopes that society will take action and limit the misuse of antibiotics.
The WHO will distribute Antimicrobial Resistance and the other winning submissions through public screenings at festival events and through its various social and web platforms.
Steinberg earned a PhD in microbiology from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel where he researched bacterial biofilms. He says he pursued a degree in Biomedical Communications to learn how to disseminate scientific knowledge.
“It is really important that people understand the scientific theory behind diseases and behind health policies. Without this knowledge, without this understanding, it is really hard to expect anyone to change,” he says.