Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam's replacement has been announced by the Government. Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, who had been on secondment at the Department of Health from the University of Nottingham since 2017, stepped down from his role as deputy chief medical officer on March 31, 2022 after rising to popularity during the Covid pandemic.
Van-Tam, who gained public affection for his use of analogies to explain coronavirus, will take up a new role as the Pro-Vice Chancellor for the faculty of medicine and health sciences at the University of Nottingham on May 1. During the initial rollout of the Covid vaccine, he spent time volunteering at a large vaccine site in Nottingham giving out doses and putting people at ease.
Dr Thomas Waite will now support Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Chris Whitty as the deputy CMO (DCMO) leading on health protection, replacing Van-Tam. His role will cover emergency response and preparedness, infectious diseases, vaccines and therapeutics.
Read more: Jonathan Van-Tam thanked by Matt Hancock for giving him first coronavirus jab
The CMO acts as the UK government’s principal medical adviser, and the professional head of all directors of public health in local government and the medical profession in government. Dr Thomas Waite said: "I am delighted to be appointed as the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Health Protection. I am looking forward to the opportunity of working with teams throughout the country to develop our preparedness for health hazards and emergencies and to protect the health of the public."
Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, said: "Dr Waite has an excellent track record of delivery. His wealth of experience in epidemiology and emergency preparedness will benefit the government’s ongoing public health responses as well as help us to prepare for future events."
