Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam to Reflect on Covid-19 in Guest Lecture on Science, Policy and Leadership
2 June 2023
Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, former Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, who served at the heart of the UK Government whilst the country faced the worst public health crisis of a lifetime during the Covid-19 pandemic, will deliver a public guest lecture in his home county of Lincolnshire this summer.
Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, former Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, who served at the heart of the UK Government whilst the country faced the worst public health crisis of a lifetime during the Covid-19 pandemic, will deliver a public guest lecture in his home county of Lincolnshire this summer.
The University of Lincoln, UK, welcomes Professor Van-Tam as the latest prestigious guest speaker in its long-running Great Lives public lecture series. The talk, entitled ‘Science, policy and leadership during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic’, takes place on 24 July 2023, with registration from 6.30pm. In the talk, Professor Van-Tam, who is originally from Boston in Lincolnshire and was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Lincoln in 2021, will reflect on how science, public health policy, and politics were, out of necessity, in the room at the same time as the UK navigated the Covid-19 crisis.
Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam said: “The recent Covid-19 pandemic was an immense burden on individuals and societies around the world, costing over 15 million lives in total. Many people, including myself, are now reflecting on the last few years and what it all meant.
“I was in a unique and auspicious position, at the interface between science, leadership and public health policy. In the forthcoming lecture, I’m happy to share some key parts of the journey that took me from Lincolnshire to Downing Street, and my perspective on what then unfolded.”
As former Faculty Pro-Vice Chancellor for Medicine & Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham, which is partnered with Lincoln Medical School, Professor Van-Tam has a treasured relationship with the University of Lincoln and was recently a special guest at the official opening ceremony of the Ross Lucas Medical Building on Lincoln’s Brayford Pool Campus.
In recognition of his public service, he was knighted in the 2022 New Years Honours. In March of the same year, he was awarded by his hometown the Freedom of the Borough of Boston, in appreciation for his work on the Covid-19 pandemic.
The University of Lincoln’s Great Lives guest lecture series connects audiences with inspiring guest speakers from a variety of professions and perspectives. Previous speakers in the series have included the former Poet Laureate Dame Carol Ann Duffy, the cosmologist Lord Martin Rees, and the computing pioneer Dame Stephanie “Steve” Shirley.
The University of Lincoln is delighted to invite Professor Jonathan Van-Tam to lead this latest instalment in the series in a public lecture that will map the journey from a frightening new virus in humans, to one that we are all learning to live with as a society that is gradually returning to normal.
Taking place in the Isaac Newton Building on the University’s main Brayford Pool Campus, the event is free to attend but prior booking is essential. For more information and to book, please visit the University website at: www.lincoln.ac.uk/studentlife/whatson/events/great-lives-jonathan-van-tam-24-july.html