After 15 years working in diagnostic laboratories and completing a PhD part-time at The University of Western Australia (UWA), Tom was appointed Senior Medical Scientist in Charge of the Department of Clinical Microbiology at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Western Australia, in 1988. In 1995, was appointed as an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at UWA, and Principal Research Scientist at the Western Australian Centre for Pathology & Medical Research. In 2002, he was awarded a Personal Chair at UWA. He has had a long standing interest in healthcare-related infections, particularly the diagnosis and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection, and the antimicrobial activity of Australian native plants. He has published over 250 book chapters and refereed journal articles.