Jacinda (JAM) Abdul-Mutakabbir, PharmD, MPH, FIDSA

Research Summary

Dr. Jacinda Abdul-Mutakabbir (JAM) is an Associate Professor and Antimicrobial Resistance Researcher at the University of California, San Diego, with appointments in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences as well as the Division of the Black Diaspora and African American Studies.

She uses a translational research approach, integrating laboratory and clinical methods to investigate the syndemic relationship between noncommunicable diseases and antimicrobial-resistant infections and to develop community-based interventions that improve treatment outcomes. She has authored more than 90 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and scientific abstracts that present her findings. Her contributions have influenced national and international policies to mitigate inequities in antimicrobial resistance. She was invited to present at the 25th Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB) Public Meeting and now serves on the council as the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) designated representative. She also served as an inaugural member of the CVS Health Equity National Advisory Board and, in 2026, was the first PharmD elected to the Infectious Diseases Society of America Executive Board.

Dr. Abdul-Mutakabbir has earned both national and international recognition for her work in antimicrobial resistance research and health equity. In 2020, she was recognized as a Top Scientist Under 30 by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. She received the 2021 Gita Patel Best Practice Award from the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists, the 2023 Clinical Practice Innovation Award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the 2024 New Clinical Practitioner Award from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. In 2026, she was named a finalist for the Nancy Jamison Fund for Social Justice Award, presented by Catalyst of San Diego and Imperial Counties, and elected as a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Academic Achievements

Education: B.S in Human Performance and Leisure Studies, (2014) Howard University; Pharm.D., (2017) University of Saint Joseph; Postdoctoral Fellowship in Infectious Diseases (2020) Wayne State University; Master of Public Health (MPH) (2020) Wayne State University.

Awards & Honors:

• Healio Honoree (2023)
• Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)
• Clinical Practice Innovation Award (second PharmD awardee, first Black PharmD to receive an award from IDSA) (2023)
• Black Health Connect 40 under 40 Honoree (2024)
• American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) New Clinical Practitioner Award (first Black awardee) (2024)
• Dorothy Ingram Trailblazer Award, Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches (IECAAC) (2022)
• American Pharmacists Association Immunization Champion (Honorable Mention)
• Institute of Health Literacy Awards-Innovative Program (Program Representative) (2022)
• Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy Community Service Award (2022)
• Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists Early Career Research Award (2021)
• Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists Gita Patel Award (2021)
• Wayne State University Warrior of Distinction Award (2021)
• Pharmacy Podcast Network 50 Most Influential Pharmacists (2021)
• Women’s Pharmacist Day-Woman Pharmacist of the Year Finalist (2021)
• European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 30 under 30 Outstanding Young Scientists Award (2020)
• IDweek 2020 Trainee Award (2020)
• American Society of Microbiology (ASM) Trainee Travel Award (2019)
• Making a Difference in Infectious Diseases (MAD-ID) Trainee Travel Award (2019)
• United States Public Health Service Award (2017)

Leadership: IDSA DEI Committee Vice Chair( 2023-Present), ASM Microbe Antimicrobial Agents and Resistance AAR Track Leader (2023-2025), Clinical Microbiology Reviews Editor (2024-Present), Director of Education: COPE Health Equity Collaborative, Editorial Board Member: Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (*first Black Woman to be appointed) (2022-2025), Infectious Diseases and Therapy (2022-2026), Clinical Microbiology Reviews (*first PharmD to be appointed, also first Black woman PharmD to be appointed) (2022-2025), Appointed Expert: CVSH National Health Equity Board (2022-2025), Leadership/Advisory Board Member: Pharmgrad Wishlist, Research Mentor: Loma Linda University Pharmacotherapy Fellowship, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and Awards and Recognitions Committee: Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacist (SIDP), Chair of the Health Equity Practice Research Network (2022-2023): American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Immediate Past Chair of the Health Equity Practice Research Network (2023-2024): American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Scientific Committee Member (2021-2024): Making a Difference in ID (MAD-ID), Programming Committee, Junior Advisory Group Member (2022-2026): American Society of Microbiology, Special Issue Guest Editor: Treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii Infections (Antibiotics).

Select Publications

• Abdul-Mutakabbir JC, Opoku NS, Tan KK, Jorth P, Nizet V, Fletcher HM, Kaye KS, Rybak MJ. Determining Susceptibility and Potential Mediators of Resistance for the Novel Polymyxin Derivative, SPR206, in Acinetobacter baumannii - PMC, SPR206, in Acinetobacter baumannii. Antibiotics. 2024 Jan 4;13(1):47.
• Msdi AS, Ravari AF, Abdul-Mutakabbir JC, Tan KK. Are All Pharmacokinetic Equations Created Equal? A Comparative Analysis of Trapezoidal and Non-Trapezoidal Methods for Estimating Day 1 Area Under the Curve in Adult Hospitalized Patients with Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia - PubMed. Infectious Diseases and Therapy. 2025 Feb 17:1-2.
• Marcelin, J. R., Fadul, N., Cawcutt, K. A., & Abdul-Mutakabbir, J. C. (2022). Diversity in probiotics and diversity in clinical trials: Opportunities for improvement. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 43(10), 1508-1509.
• Abdul-Mutakabbir, J. C., Granillo, C., Peteet, B., Dubov, A., Montgomery, S. B., Hutchinson, J., ... & Belliard, J. C. (2022). Rapid Implementation of a Community–Academic Partnership Model to Promote COVID-19 Vaccine Equity within Racially and Ethnically Minoritized Communities. Vaccines, 10(8), 1364
• Dubov, A., Distelberg, B. J., Abdul-Mutakabbir, J. C., Peteet, B., Roberts, L., Montgomery, S. B., ... & Chrissian, A. A. (2022). Racial/Ethnic Variances in COVID-19 Inoculation among Southern California Healthcare Workers. Vaccines, 10(8), 1331.
• Abdul‐Mutakabbir, J. C., Simiyu, B., Walker, R. E., Christian, R. L., Dayo, Y., & Maxam, M. (2022). Leveraging Black pharmacists to promote equity in COVID‐19 vaccine uptake within Black communities: A framework for researchers and clinicians. Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 5(8), 887-893.
• Abdul-Mutakabbir, J. C., Griffith, N. C., Shields, R. K., Tverdek, F. P., & Escobar, Z. K. (2021). Contemporary Perspective on the Treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii Infections: Insights from the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists. Infectious Diseases and Therapy, 10(4), 2177-2202.
• Abdul-Mutakabbir, J. C., Nguyen, L., Maassen, P. T., Stamper, K. C., Kebriaei, R., Kaye, K. S., ... & Rybak, M. J. (2021). In vitro antibacterial activity of cefiderocol against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 65(9), e02646-20.
• Abdul-Mutakabbir, J. C., Yim, J., Nguyen, L., Maassen, P. T., Stamper, K., Shiekh, Z., ... & Rybak, M. J. (2021). In vitro synergy of colistin in combination with meropenem or tigecycline against carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Antibiotics, 10(7), 880.
• Abdul-Mutakabbir, J. C., Casey, S., Jews, V., King, A., Simmons, K., Hogue, M. D., ... & Veltman, J. (2021). A three-tiered approach to address barriers to COVID-19 vaccine delivery in the Black community. The Lancet Global Health, 9(6), e749-e