The Life Scientific
Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, or \u2018JVT\u2019 as he's arguably better known, first came to widespread public attention in his role as Deputy Chief Medical Officer during the Covid-19 pandemic.
But even before that, Jonathan had built an impressive career based on a long-held fascination with respiratory illness and infectious diseases. He\u2019s worked across the public and private sectors, contributing significantly to improving our understanding of influenza and treatments to address such viruses.
It\u2019s hard to believe that back in his teens, JVT \u2013 the man who advised the nation on pandemic precautions and helped make the UK\u2019s vaccine roll-out possible \u2013 nearly didn\u2019t get the grades he needed to go to medical school. But early challenges aside, Jonathan went on to discover a love for both medical research and public speaking: making complex public health messages easier to digest \u2013 not least by using analogies relating to his beloved football.
Speaking to Professor Jim Al-Khalili in the first episode of a new series of The Life Scientific, Jonathan discusses his life and career: from academic emphasis in childhood and imposter syndrome at medical school, to pandemic pressures around Covid-19 and big birthday celebrations.