Dr Enrique Castro-Sánchez, Brunel University London

He gained his degree in Nursing in Spain, and migrated to the UK shortly after to practice in infectious diseases. He received a Diploma in Tropical Nursing and an MSc Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. After a period centred on developing advanced practice roles in tuberculosis and HIV, Enrique worked as Lead Nurse for Research at the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance at Imperial College London, focused on developing innovations and behaviour change interventions.

He completed his PhD in 2015, and received postdoctoral funding to research participation of nurses in antimicrobial stewardship in South Africa and Rwanda, and social determinants of infections. His research funding includes grants from the NIHR, AHRC, ESRC, BRC, and the Florence Nightingale Foundation.

In 2016, Enrique was selected as Emerging Leader in International Infectious Diseases by the International Society for Infectious Diseases, and in 2017 he worked as Consultant for the World Health Organisation developing leadership education for national focal persons in infection control, supporting the Core Components in Infection Control. That year, he was also appointed by the NIHR 70@70 Senior Nurse Research Leader programme as one of the 70 nurses in the country selected to increase capacity and capability in research for nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals.

In 2020-2022, Enrique held positions at City University and University of West London, and worked as Infection Prevention and Control fellow at the national IPC unit in NHS England/Improvement, developing education for board members and senior IPC nurses, whilst supporting the local, national, and international COVID-19 response.

Enrique has been funded to carry out research and provide education in multiple settings, including Pakistan, India, Rwanda, South Africa, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Spain. He is Editor-in-Chief of Infection Ecology and Epidemiology journal, and collaborates with the European Society of Specialist Organisations in Brussels, advising in IPC and AMR.