Sir Ewen Waterman was a highly respected South Australian pastoralist, wool executive and businessman. In 1993, his estate, through the decision of his daughter, Sandra Waterman, provided a bequest to the Flinders School of Medicine to establish the Sir Ewen Waterman Foundation.
Since its inception, the Waterman Foundation has enabled Flinders University to access international expertise which complements the educational developments in the MD course.
Universities must be sites of critical and lively debate. After all, their role is to create knowledge and deeper understanding. But more importantly, they help students to gain that knowledge and understanding. These students will become critical academics; academics who do not just take matters at face value but critically question and interrogate diverse perspectives. Imparting these critical thinking skills requires the exchange of ideas and the establishment of external connections. Each opportunity for critical dialogue with international experts represents a golden opportunity in the academic world.
The Waterman family has supported these enriching exchanges with colleagues from all around the world through the Sir Ewen Waterman Foundation Fellowship program.
Waterman Fellows have had – and continue to have – a major impact on the educational thinking and practical improvements made to Flinders University’s Doctor of Medicine (MD) course and the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery course (BMBS) that preceded it. These Fellowships form an inseparable part of the rich tradition of innovation and improvement at Flinders.
