Vedanth Ramji

Future of AMR,

Youth Advocate

Vedanth Ramji is a 15-year-old interdisciplinary computational researcher exploring solutions to large scale, real life existential challenges. He is a passionate advocate for SDG #3 (Good Health and Well-Being), more specifically in the area of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).  He believes AMR is an existential crisis faced by life on earth that requires immediate, large-scale and  multi-dimensional intervention. He is actively doing his part in countering the AMR pandemic by creating societal awareness, developing a surveillance software platform for Plants, and actively seeking private capital participation.

Vedanth’s family faced a severe health crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. As successive family members were hospitalised for longer durations, antibiotics became staple medicines administered. Vedanth himself was hospitalised for nearly 2 weeks and was administered a concentrated regimen of antibiotics before being diagnosed with Dengue (caused by a virus) which does not respond to antibiotics! On the 10th day, amidst the tense atmosphere, the doctor hesitated to administer more antibiotics for the fear of complications in future. Vedanth realised that despite having access to best healthcare, AMR cannot be treated and chances of survival is akin to the roll of a dice.

Vedanth’s research on AMR led him to the One Health Initiative by the UN. He is developing an AMR surveillance software for Plants (Thaavaram, which he hopes will be ready by Q1 of 2024) as his contribution to the initiative. He is a remote student researcher at the Big Data Biology Lab at QUT, Australia and is currently working on an AMR research paper. He also develops software tools for AMR research. Recently, Vedanth won a USD 20,000 research grant from George Mason University, USA (Mercatus Center) for his work on AMR. 

After college, he aspires to have his own lab to develop healthcare solutions that would have large scale impact for the benefit of life on earth, for people and for planet. He welcomes the mentorship and support of global organizations, including the UN and its ecosystem, to empower his cause and drive collective action in this important area.