A-rating for Bateman

Professor Eric Bateman's "significant" contribution to asthma management has earned him an A2-rating from the National Research Foundation.

Professor of Respiratory Medicine at UCT and chairperson of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), Bateman has played a leading role in changing the objectives of asthma treatment, which were not clearly defined, and definitions that were not patient-friendly. This was while he was chairing GINA's Science Committee and serving as an executive committee member of the Global Alliance Against Chronic Respiratory Diseases, a World Health Organisation alliance.

He has published ground-breaking papers encouraging the concept of asthma control and has demonstrated that this could be achieved in most patients. This resulted in major revisions of both national and global guidelines.

Bateman, the founder of the UCT Lung Institute and head of the Division of Pulmonology in the Department of Medicine, was delighted about this first rating.

"Achieving a scientific rating is difficult for a practising clinician," he explained.

"I have spent most of my working career running a large clinical service with all the clinical and teaching responsibilities, including a considerable component of after-hours work."

Bateman said the rating also recognises the efforts of his department and colleagues, and believes that South Africa remains a country of opportunity for innovative research.