Professor David Watson

Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Surgery

College of Medicine and Public Health

place Flinders Medical Centre
GPO Box 2100, ADELAIDE, SA, 5001

Professor Watson was appointed to the position of Head of the University Department of Surgery at Flinders Medical Centre in 2002. He has clinical interests in the areas of surgery for benign and malignant oesophageal disease, upper gastrointestinal surgery, advanced laparoscopic surgery and interventional endoscopy. He has been active in the development of laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery in Australia, pioneering the development and evaluation of laparoscopic surgery for gastro-oesophageal reflux, oesophageal motility disorders, and oesophageal cancer. He has linked this activity to the evaluation and refinement of techniques within prospective randomised clinical trials. He has authored more than 450 refereed research papers and book chapters. Since 1997 he has also received 19 major research grants from NHMRC, MRFF and NIH, as well as major grant support from other funding bodies. In 2015 he was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (FAHMS), and appointed a Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor at Flinders University

Qualifications

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)

Doctor of Medicine (MD)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Fellow Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS -General Surgery)

Fellow ad hominem of theRoyal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCSEd (hon))

Fellow Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (FAHMS)

Honours, awards and grants

John Mitchell Crouch Fellowship - Royal Australasian College of Surgeons-2003

British Journal of Surgery Lecturer to the Associationof Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, 2003

James IV Traveling Fellowship, James IV Association of Surgeons, 2006

British Journal of Surgery Lecturer to the Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, 2007

Honorary Visiting Professor, Tianjin NanKai Hospital, & Honorary Consultant Surgeon, Tianjin Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, China, 2005 & 2011-12

Honorary Visiting Professor, Tianjin TEDA Hospital, Tianjin, China, 2011

ChineseAnti-Cancer Association Science and Technology Award 2009 - 3rdhonor for "The clinical study of surgical comprehensive treatment foresophageal cancer" conducted by the Tianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin, China for“medical scientists and units which apply advanced scientific and technologicalachievements to make outstanding contributions in aspects of prevention andtreatment of tumors”

HonoraryMember, Shijiazhuang Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, China, 2011

Honorary Professor, Central South University, Changsha, China, 2014

Fellow Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (FAHMS), 2015

Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor, Flinders University, 2015

Fellow ad hominem Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCSEd (hon)), 2018

Key responsibilities

Head, Flinders University Discipline of Surgery

Teaching interests
Surgical teaching in clinical years of medical course
Expert for media contact
Surgery
Barrett's oesophagus
Gastric Cancer
Gastro-oesophageal reflux
Oesophageal Cancer
Upper Gastrointesinal Surgery
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Media expertise
  • Surgery
Interests
  • Barrett's oesophagus
  • Gastric Cancer
  • Gastro-oesophageal reflux
  • Oesophageal Cancer
  • Upper Gastrointesinal Surgery