Professor Sally Bloomfield is an acknowledged expert on home hygiene, with more than 40 years' experience in hygiene research and education. In 2000, Professor Bloomfield was awarded the Rudolf Schulke Hygiene Medal for her outstanding contribution in the field of hygiene and preventive medicine.

Professor Bloomfield was educated at the University of Nottingham, where she obtained an honours degree in pharmacy in 1966 followed by a Ph.D. in 1970. In 1972 she moved to King's College London as a Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Microbiology and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1995. Her academic research was concerned with the study of the mode of action of antimicrobial agents used in the community and in medicine. Her other research interest is the role of hygiene, including the role of cleaning and disinfection, in preventing the spread of infectious disease in the hospital, food processing, domestic and other environments.