University of Nottingham 'excited' to welcome back Van-Tam

A university has said it is "incredibly excited" to be welcoming back Prof Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, who is leaving his role with the government.

The professor announced he would be stepping down as England's deputy chief medical officer on Thursday.

He will become the university's next pro-vice-chancellor for the faculty of medicine and health sciences.

Prof Van-Tam, who has been on secondment from the university, is due to take up his new post in May.

He became well-known for his plain-speaking approach during coronavirus briefings, often using football analogies to explain complex science.

Dr Paul Greatrix, registrar at the university, said staff were pleased when the professor went off on secondment to the government but "incredibly excited" to have him return.

"Given all that he has done, we are really delighted he is coming back into a very senior leadership position in the university when he returns.

"It was great to see him being able to translate the really difficult issues the country was facing into straightforward talking. That is the sign of a really impressive communicator.

"His reputation for using fresh and interesting analogies to explain the battle against Covid was really terrific to see," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Dr Greatrix, who is responsible for the academic administration of the university, added: "He is a person who has enormous respect from everyone for his ability to communicate and his research and scientific analysis. It puts him in a very strong position to offer leadership in the university."

Prof Van-Tam said his time as deputy chief medical officer had been "the most challenging" of his professional career.

"We all wish Covid had never happened," he said. "Notwithstanding, it has been the greatest privilege of my professional career to have served the people of the UK during this time.

"I am delighted to become faculty pro-vice-chancellor for medicine and health sciences at Nottingham and am looking forward to returning to the university that has been part of my academic and professional life since 1987.

"It will be a pleasure to work with colleagues old and new throughout the faculty and more widely."

Health Secretary Sajid Javid paid tribute to Prof Van-Tam for his "one-of-a-kind approach to communicating science over the past two years" that "has no doubt played a vital role in protecting and reassuring the nation".

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