Benedikt is the unit head of Research, Access, Stewardship and AMU surveillance (RSA) in the Department of Antimicrobial Resistance at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, where he leads WHO’s technical work on AMR-related research, antimicrobial stewardship, access and antimicrobial use surveillance. Between March 2021 and October 2023, Benedikt has been team lead for Essential Medicines in the Division of Access to Medicines and Health Products at WHO, where he led the development of the WHO AWaRe antibiotic book.
Benedikt obtained his medical degree in Munich, Germany, in 2001 and then moved to Switzerland to train in infectious diseases. Between 2006 and 2021, he worked at Geneva University Hospitals as a clinician (responsible for local antimicrobial guidelines and antimicrobial stewardship) and as an academic researcher. His research focused on antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial stewardship, and the appropriate use of medicines in general. From 2010 to 2012, he completed a research fellowship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, USA, and earned a master’s degree in the Science of Clinical Investigation from the University of Utah in 2012.