UCT celebrates late visionary leader, master negotiator Prof Eric Bateman

On a sunny autumn afternoon, friends, colleagues, and mentees gathered on the Groote Schuur Hospital precinct to celebrate the life of Emeritus Professor Eric Bateman – a visionary leader, master negotiator and the founder of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Lung Institute. His legacy will remain woven into the fabric of UCT “with a golden thread” for generations to come.

The globally acclaimed scholar in respiratory medicine died earlier this year. And though he has passed on, his contribution to the field of respiratory medicine, tuberculosis (TB), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma in particular, have been invaluable. During the tribute event, organised by the Faculty of Health Sciences, he was remembered for his impeccable bedside manner and commitment to improving the lives of his patients, especially those from resource-constrained settings. Emeritus Professor Bateman also shaped how many of his mentees, who have gone on to become seasoned clinicians in academic medicine in South Africa and around the globe, approach their cases.

The hybrid event was held on Thursday, 15 May, and was co-hosted by Professor Mashiko Setshedi, the chair and head of UCT’s Department of Medicine; Professor Lara Fairall, the director of the Knowledge Translation Unit (KTU); and Professor Rod Dawson, the director of the Lung Institute.

A celebration of life

The event was a celebration of a life well lived and highlighted Bateman’s illustrious, deeply impactful career, as friends, colleagues and mentees, as well as members of his immediate family listened on. At the podium, speakers shared special anecdotes like their fondest memories, as well as what it was like working alongside him and learning from him.

One common thread that bound their sentiments was that his legacy is immeasurable, and speakers likened it to an inextinguishable light that will illuminate UCT and the world for a very long time.

“This afternoon we are here to celebrate the life of a remarkable man. We are happy to be here today to honour Professor Bateman’s legacy and to pay tribute to his life and immense contributions to this institution and indeed the world,” Professor Setshedi said.

Here’s what some of the speakers had to say (in order of appearance).

Emeritus Professor Wieland Gevers – former deputy vice-chancellor for planning and academic process at UCT

“I knew Professor Eric Bateman in a particularly personal way. He saved my life on two occasions and none of the other speakers here today can boast of that. So, it’s at the very heart of the tribute I’d like to make to [him]. On the occasions that I had very serious asthmatic attacks with almost no air left in my lungs, he drove me to the hospital, oversaw my admission and made sure that I would survive, and didn’t leave until he was absolutely sure. This happened not once, but twice.

“This shows you a physician who was absolutely dedicated, in control and had every skill needed to look after his patients. In this way, I came to know Eric extremely well because he continued to look after me and kept me out of trouble.

“This was an exceptional person, always calm, friendly and extremely compassionate.”

“Eric was a man after my own heart. He was an institution builder; a person who built people and institutions. And his Lung Institute was very carefully planned, carefully arranged so that it would be set up in a way that it would be sustainable and it would last. This was an exceptional person, always calm, friendly and extremely compassionate. This was truly a wonderful human being.”

Emeritus Professor Solomon (Solly) Benatar – former chair and head of the Department of Medicine

“I said to Eric’s family the other day that I have difficulty believing that he is not here. I want to pay this tribute to Eric, and [in doing so] I want to say that he is South Africa’s most accomplished respiratory physician ever. Of all the respiratory physicians there’ve been in this country, he has surpassed all of them and I think it will be a long time before anyone reaches the heights that he reached.

“He was a remarkable person in every possible human and professional capacity. What made Eric excel in all he did was the combination of his attention to detail, his desire to understand mechanisms, his dedication to applying knowledge with rigor and honesty, and skills in planning, managing and financing across several domains: clinical, laboratory and in the community. In all of Eric’s life he was unpretentious, loyal, with a good sense of humour and totally dependable.

“His integrity, collegiality and good judgement enhanced the general spirit in the Department of Medicine during some very many difficult years. Eric’s legacy is that of a special and exemplary person and physician at work, at home, in his local community and internationally. In mourning is premature death, I celebrate a life fully lived and I carry endearing memories of him into the future.”

Dr Mamphela Ramphele – former UCT vice-chancellor

“There are no adequate words to fully pay tribute to the gentle giant that Eric Bateman was. I’d like to focus [this tribute] on his extraordinary gifts as healer, a teacher, a mentor and a colleague. What stands out about him was his humility, his wisdom, his calmness in all situations. He pushed the boundaries of what it means to be human by engaging with all people as being worthy [of being] treated with the utmost respect and compassion.

“His practical innovations were driven by his passion to ease the pain and suffering of his patients and to save lives. For Eric, everyone received the best treatment until the very end, without him giving up on them.

“UCT is blessed to have had this towering intellect, teacher, healer and colleague as an alumnus and a member of staff. His dedication to the profession, his patients, his alma mater and country as a whole is born out of the incredible impact of his work. His students and mentees are found across the world shaping and sharing the inextinguishable light that was ignited by this gentle giant. How should UCT and all of us whose lives were touched by this man, honour him appropriately? I’d like to suggest that the biggest honour we can pay to Eric would be to live his values in our own personal, professional and citizenship roles in our beautiful but troubled country and world.”

Professor Lara Fairall – director of the KTU

“I met Eric 30 years ago when I was a medical student in fourth year, when he gave a tutorial in respiratory physiology. It was very clear and very crisp, which grabbed my attention because not all tutorials at medical school were very clear or very crisp.

“His passion for medicine was evident. I was also struck by his advocacy for people living with COPD and asthma to breathe easily. I saw in him a person who had enormous empathy for suffering and his response was to turn his intellect and his work ethic towards it. And so, it was to him [where] I returned in my community service year when I became aware of the extent of uncontrolled asthma, particularly in young people on the Cape Flats.

“The institute, the many people he mentored and trained and the impact of his work have their roots in Eric’s extraordinary capacity for hard work.”

“I knew he was a busy clinician, academic and entrepreneur. So, I was quite surprised when he soon found time to meet with me. I would come to know Eric as someone who always had time to meet with junior colleagues and always listened, really listened to their ideas. When I arrived at the institute determined to develop an educational programme for people living asthma, I had no idea that meeting would change the course of my career and my life.

“Eric was an excellent mentor. He took risks. But armed with the industry of 100 men and acute intellect, they almost always paid off. Eric’s intelligence and work ethic were legendary, at times intimidating and always inspiring. The institute, the many people he mentored and trained and the impact of his work have their roots in Eric’s extraordinary capacity for hard work, for 25-hour days, his business acumen and his imagination. I miss Eric terribly and struggle to accept that I can no longer drop him a mail, phone him for his sage advice on how to navigate a thorny problem, bounce study designs or sneak mid-morning nougat with him. [To his family], thank you for sharing this extraordinary man with all of us and with me.

Others who contributed reflections on the day included Emerita Professor Jill Ainslie, professor in pulmonology in the Department of Medicine; Associate Professor Greg Calligaro, senior lecturer in pulmonology; Professor Rod Dawson, the director of the Lung Institute; Professor Keertan Dheda, the chair and head of the Division of Pulmonology; Professor Alvaro Cruz, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil; and Associate Professor Lionel Green-Thompson, the dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

An additional segment during the event included video messages shared by colleagues and friends around the globe.