DrEnrique Castro Sanchez

Enrique is a clinical academic, combining positions as Infection Prevention and Control Nurse Specialist at national Infection Prevention and Control team at the UK Health Security Agency (London, UK); Honorary Lecturer at Imperial College London (London, UK); and Adjunct Professor in Planetary Health at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC, Barcelona, Spain).

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.

In 2023-25, Enrique joined Brunel University London as Senior Lecturer in Planetary Health, developing undergraduate and postgraduate education in planetary health. He was Director of Postgraduate Research for Transdisciplinary Challenges at Brunel between 2023-5, and Lead for Sociocultural and Legal Impacts of Antimicrobial Resistance at the Antimicrobial Innovations Centre between September 2024 and January 2025.

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 was Editor-in-Chief of Infection Ecology and Epidemiology journal (2022-5), and collaborates with the European Society of Specialist Organisations in Brussels, advising on IPC and AMR.