Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, or ‘JVT’ 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’s worked across the public and private sectors, contributing significantly to improving our understanding of influenza and treatments to address such viruses.
It’s hard to believe that back in his teens, JVT – the man who advised the nation on pandemic precautions and helped make the UK’s vaccine roll-out possible – nearly didn’t 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 – 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.
Produced by Lucy Taylor.
Jacqueline McGlade on monitoring the environment from space
Rachel Mills exploring the sea floor
Frank Close and particle physics
Sheena Cruickshank on the wonders of the human immune system
John Taylor on being an inventor
Cat Hobaiter on communication in apes
Caroline Dean reveals the genetic secrets of flowering
Carlo Rovelli on why time is not what it seems
Callum Roberts on the urgent need for marine conservation
Stephen Reicher on the psychology of crowds
Clare Grey on the Big Battery Challenge
John Burn and the genetics of cancer
Richard Henderson zooms in on the molecules of life
Wendy Barclay and the flu virus
Eugenia Cheng on the mathematics of mathematics
Eben Upton on Raspberry Pi
Adrian Thomas on the mechanics of flight
Ellen Stofan on being NASA chief scientist
Tim Birkhead on bird promiscuity
Steve Cowley on Nuclear Fusion
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Global News Podcast
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
The Infinite Monkey Cage
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins