Introduction

Sandy Middleton is a Professor of Nursing and Director of the Nursing Research Institute. Professor Middleton has a particular interest in stroke and implementation research and has been successful in obtaining grants totalling over $44.8 million. She was the lead investigator on the landmark NHMRC-funded QASC cluster trial demonstrating decreased death and dependency following implementation of nurse-initiated protocols to manage fever, hyperglycaemia and swallowing post-stroke, winning multiple national and international awards. These protocols are currently being translated into hospitals in 20 European countries. Professor Middleton is a Ministerial appointment to the NHMRC Health Translation Advisory Committee (HTAC) and sits on the board of directors for the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation and the Clinical Excellence Commission. She is Director of the Sydney Partnership for Health Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE) Implementation Science platform; Director of the SPHERE Nursing and Midwifery Implementation Science Academy; and Chair of the Steering Committee of the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry.