Vietnamese-British Professor becomes VIS honorary chairman

This comes after he resigned his post as former Deputy Chief Medical Official (DCMO) for the UK at the end of March to take up the role as Pro-Vice Chancellor for the faculty of medicine and health sciences at the University of Nottingham.

Nguyen Xuan Huan, chairman of the VIS, hailed Sir Jonathan’s role as honorary chairman. He affirmed that the Professor’s support will help VIS fulfil its mission of enhancing connection and co-operation among members, as well as strengthening co-operation between both sides in important fields such as science, technology, and economics.

During the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long expressed his confidence that Sir Jonathan will make effective contributions to the association's activities. 

The Ambassador also affirmed that education represents an important pillar in bilateral co-operation as the UK is the country’s leading partner in the field of education, especially in terms of higher education.

He went on to point out that with a network of members who are professors, PhD students, and intellectuals in the UK, VIS plays an important role as a bridge to promote educational co-operation between the two countries.

The diplomat said that the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK will try its utmost to support VIS's activities to develop the Vietnamese intellectual community in the UK, whilst also boosting educational co-operation between the two countries.

For his part, Sir Jonathan expressed his honour at taking on the position of honorary chairman of VIS. As a British national of Vietnamese origin who has worked for the British Government for a long time, he hopes to contribute to VIS's activities, as well as to boost collaboration between the two countries, which he believes has great potential. 

At the event, Sir Jonathan shared information and experience in COVID-19 pandemic prevention efforts in the UK, especially the role of science and vaccines in pandemic prevention and preparedness for future pandemics. He also talked about his reflections on performing his responsibilities as a leading health official for the British Government.

Sir Jonathan is an expert on influenza who served as DCMO for the UK from October, 2017, to March. He played important roles in a number of different incidents, including domestic outbreaks of MERS and monkey pox, the 2017 to 2018 influenza season, and most notably the response to the Salisbury novichok attack and the COVID-19 pandemic, during which time he worked with the vaccine taskforce and supported the development of treatments.

Due to his contributions in the UK’s fight against COVID-19, Sir Jonathan received a Knighthood from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

At the Vietnam National Day celebration in London in September of last year, the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK honoured the professor for his provision of policy advice for Vietnamese COVID-19 prevention and control.