Health expert and singer-
A KEY figure during the Leicester lockdowns and a 1990s hit-maker were among the latest luminaries to have been honoured by a university.
Professor Ivan Browne “fulfilled his father’s wishes” when he received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Leicester on Friday, for his exceptional track record in public health leadership.
Also recognised at the De Montfort Hall ceremony was singer, essayist and art historian David McAlmont, honoured for his museums heritage work.
Professor Brown, a former director of public health with the city council, said: “It is an incredible honour to receive this award from the University of Leicester.
“I grew up on Adderley Road, just next to the university, and my father worked on it as a carpenter, particularly the science laboratories.
“The university has always been part of the landscape of my life, so for me to now be considered part of this fine institution gives me great joy. My dad would have been ecstatic.”
Prof Browne was a key figure in the city’s response to the pandemic.
His leadership skills, public sector expertise and understanding of the community were fundamental to the city’s response to the pandemic, said a university spokesman, not least during the extended Leicester lockdown when restrictions were lifted across the rest of England.
Prof Browne’s parents were part of the Windrush generation.
His mother was a ward sister at Leicester Royal Infirmary for many years and his father was part of the construction team that built the university’s Engineering Building.
Mr Browne Sr’s lifelong wish was that his son would one day graduate from the university he helped to build.
After taking O-levels at evening classes and A-levels at a college, Prof Browne studied for a degree at the University of Leeds.
A career lasting more than 35 years in various NHS and local authority posts culminated in his appointment as director of public health with the city council.
In 2023, he stepped down from that post to become professor of public health at De Montfort University.
Prof Browne is a fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, which awarded him its President’s Medal.
Last year, he was awarded the Chief Medical Officer’s National Impact Award by the Association of Directors of Public Health and he was elected a deputy lieutenant of Leicestershire in February 2022.
He has worked closely with the University of Leicester for years, and continues to do so as a vital part of the team developing the Civic Universities Partnership between the three Leicestershire universities. The professor is already an honorary graduate of Loughborough University.
David McAlmont, best known for his music collaborations with composer David Arnold and musician Bernard Butler during the 1990s, has