After being knighted in recognition of his public health work during pandemic, Prof Sir Jonathan Van-Tam stated that he was now “standing on the shoulders” of others.
JVT was the nickname for Prof Van-Tam. He is known for his light-hearted delivery of Covid updates, often using football analogies.
In 2017, he was seconded from the University of Nottingham to the Department of Health and Social Care.
The Duke of Cambridge knighted him at Buckingham Palace.
Professor Van-Tam has been appointed pro-vice-chancellor of the faculty for medicine and health sciences. He was due to attend the investiture ceremony in May, but was unable to do so because he caught Covid.
He also missed the National League North playoffs of Boston United.
He was eager to pay tribute his public health colleagues when he finally reached the palace
He said, “It’s always a honour and also very humble to be recognized.”
“But I must say it again: When you get this type of thing, when your work is in the kinds of teams that we have worked in over the past two and a-half years, you stand on the shoulders others.
“Remembering the height of the pandemic is a reminder that time has compressed.
“It’s very difficult to tell the beginning and where we are now because it’s been so whirlwindy, but it was really a period of kind of crazy but determined focus.”
He was recognized alongside his former colleague, Dr. Dame Jenny Harries. She is also a former deputy chief physician for England and was awarded a Dame Commander in recognition of her support for the nation’s health and broadcasting.
Dame Jenny, the UK Health Security Agency’s chief executive, stated that she and her husband are both public health physicians and trying to manage the pandemic, understand and respond to the new pathogen, and allow the public and services to come together to get through it is what we were trained to do.
Follow BBC East Midlands via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.
