Professor Claire Rickard is an internationally respected nurse researcher who has made outstanding contributions to the field of vascular access. She established and is Director of the Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research (AVATAR), and is 2nd Chief Investigator of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Nursing Interventions in Hospitalised Patients, both based at Griffith University. Professor Rickard leads a team of >100 researchers and clinician scientists, has >100 publications including in The Lancet and mentors numerous junior researchers. Professor Rickard was inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in 2013.