Professor David Watson
Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Surgery
College of Medicine and Public Health
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
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)
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
Head, Flinders University Discipline of Surgery
Foundation President, Australia & New Zealand Gastric & Oesophageal Surgery Association (ANZGOSA) (2006-10)
President, International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (2020-21)
Member, NHMRC Research Translation Faculty
Fellow Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (FAHMS)
Editorial Boards:
ANZ Journal of Surgery (Editor 2003-7, Senior Editor 2007-17)
Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
British Journal of Surgery
Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology
World Journal of Surgery (Associate Editor 2018-)
Diseases of the Esophagus (Associate Editor 2021-)
World Journal of Gastroenterology
- Surgery
- Barrett's oesophagus
- Gastric Cancer
- Gastro-oesophageal reflux
- Oesophageal Cancer
- Upper Gastrointesinal Surgery
Sturt Rd, Bedford Park
South Australia 5042
South Australia | Northern Territory
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