UoN alumnus Sir Jonathan Van-Tam has been appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the university

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Sir Jonathan Van Tam has been elected as the new Pro-Vice-Chancellor for UoN’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The University of Nottingham alumnus, who graduated in 1987 with a degree in Medicine, is stepping down from his current position as within the government to take on his new role at the university.

In 1997 Sir Jonathon Van-Tam joined University of Nottingham as a Clinal Senior Lecturer, later joining the government’s Department of Health and Social Care in 2017 on his secondment. Since then he has played a large role in the public health response to the ongoing COVID pandemic.

Van-Tam will be stepping down as Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England by the end of March this year and is expected to join the university this semester, saying that he will “look forward to the next challenge”.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “It has been an honour to work side-by-side with Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam and I am hugely grateful for his advice and guidance since I became Health and Social Care Secretary.

“JVT’s one-of-a-kind approach to communicating science over the past 2 years has no doubt played a vital role in protecting and reassuring the nation, and made him a national treasure.

“I pay tribute to his relentless work ethic, sense of public duty and leading role in our incredible vaccination programme – on behalf of DHSC, I wish him the best of luck on his return to the University of Nottingham.”

University of Nottingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West said: “All of us at the University are incredibly proud of Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam’s work as Deputy Chief Medical Officer, in which he has played a major role in steering the nation through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am delighted that Jonathan is returning to Nottingham to join our executive team and lead our renowned Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences as its next Pro-Vice-Chancellor. His academic and leadership expertise is second to none, and the integrity that he has demonstrated in his government role is fully aligned to our values. I know that he will take our university’s reputation for excellence in medicine and health sciences to new heights.”

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Featured image via YouTube