Public health director who led Leicester through pandemic to join DMU

The man who led Leicester’s fight against Covid 19 is joining De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) as a Professor of Public Health.  

As Director of Public Health at Leicester City Council, Professor Ivan Browne’s leadership and experience was vital in helping the city deal with the longest and most severe lockdown in the country, during the pandemic. 

Now, having decided to step down from his council role later this year, Ivan has accepted a role as Professor of Public Health and Social Determinants of Health at DMU, bringing his nationally and internationally renowned skills and expertise to inform education and research at the university. 

He said: “This was the right time for me to move into a new space. In my role as Director of Public health I’ve lived through something extraordinary and gained a huge amount of experience. 

“Now that Leicester has returned to a position of stability, I feel it’s right to move on and what I wanted more than anything was to help use my experience to educate young people.” 

Professor Browne has worked closely with DMU in the past, giving expert talks and lectures in his role as Professor in Public Health Practice. But the new position is a much bigger commitment to the university. 

He said: “I wanted very specifically to work with DMU for a few reasons. One of those is that around 50% of its students are from Leicester, like me. And, like me, they’re from diverse backgrounds and many won’t have had the advantages other young people might have. 

“But also, DMU is intrinsically linked to the city in very practical terms. It helps train pharmacists, nurses; so many allied health professionals. For me, as a practitioner first, DMU is a natural fit and I can’t wait to get started.” 

Professor Browne is set to join the university in the autumn. 

Professor Simon Oldroyd, Pro Vice-Chancellor Sustainability and Dean of Health and Life Sciences at DMU, said he was excited to have someone with Professor Browne’s experience join the university. 

He said: “Ivan is well known not just locally, but nationally for his work as Director of Public Health at Leicester City Council and in particular, the key role he played in leading Leicester through the pandemic lockdowns. 

“He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in the public health arena and will play a central role in our focus on research and education in the integration of health and social care.”