Professor Sorrell was integral to establishing Infectious Diseases as a specialty of internal medicine in Australia.
She is recognised internationally for research in the lethal fungal disease,  cryptococcosis, development of new fungal diagnostics and education/training in clinical mycology/research. She has held NHMRC grants in since 1990s. She serves/served on NHMRC Research and Ethics Committees; project, fellowships, program and CRE grant panels. She has chaired expert committees for WHO and been on Commonwealth and NSW Advisory Committees in Infectious Diseases. For services to infectious diseases/research she was awarded an AM (2014) and life membership of the Australasian Society Infectious Diseases (2010).