Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Intellectual Association (VIS) in the UK held a ceremony on May 6 to announce its honorary presidentProfessor Sir Jonanthan Van-Tam.
He left his post as a former Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) for England at the end of March to take on a new role as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of England’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. ‘University of Nottingham.
VIS President Nguyen Xuan Huan spoke highly of Jonathan Van-Tam’s role as Honorary President. He affirmed that Professor Jonathan Van-Tam’s support will help VIS fulfill its mission of promoting ties and cooperation among members, as well as strengthen cooperation between Vietnam and the UK in important areas. such as science, technology and economics.
During the ceremony, Vietnam’s Ambassador to the UK, Nguyen Hoang Long, expressed his belief that Jonathan Van-Tam will make an effective contribution to the association’s activities.
The ambassador affirmed that education is an important pillar of bilateral cooperation, as the UK is Vietnam’s main partner in the field of education, especially higher education.
He pointed out that with a network of members who are professors, doctoral students and scholars in the UK, VIS plays an important role as a bridge to promote educational cooperation between the two countries.
The Ambassador said that the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK will do its best to support VIS activities aimed at developing the Vietnamese intellectual community in the UK and the educational cooperation relations between the two countries.
For his part, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam expressed his honor to assume the position of Honorary President of VIS. As a Briton of Vietnamese origin who has worked for the British government for a long time, he hopes to contribute to the activities of VIS as well as promote collaboration between the two countries, which he believes has great potential.
At the event, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam shared information and his experience in preventing the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, in particular the role of science and vaccines in preventing the pandemic and preparing for future pandemics. He also spoke about his thoughts on carrying out his responsibilities as a government health official.
Jonathan Van-Tam, an influenza expert, was Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England from October 2017 to March 2022. He played a significant role in a number of different incidents including national outbreaks of MERS and monkeypox, from the 2017 to 2018 influenza season. and more specifically the response to novichok attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic where he worked on the Vaccine Task Force and supported the development of treatments.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, he has become famous for his press conferences on the situation which have attracted millions of viewers. The Sunday Times called him an “unexpected hero of the pandemic”.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam received a Knighthood from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to the fight against COVID-19.
During the Vietnam National Day celebration in London in September last year, the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK honored the professor for his policy advice for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Vietnam. /.
