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by John Gibb
University of Otago graduate Dr Julia Matheson completed a rare family double when she gained a prestigious Rhodes scholarship this week, which her father, Dunedin orthopdaedic surgeon John Matheson, had also previously received.
The only other father-child combination in the history of New Zealand Rhodes scholars involved Justice William David Baragwanath (1964) and his daughter Emily Baragwanath (2001), both Auckland University graduates.
Dr Matheson (24), an award-winning Otago medical graduate who is a house surgeon at Dunedin Hospital, and Jesse Wall (23), a final year BA and LLB(Hons) student who is a leading undergraduate scholar and nationally prominent debater, were yesterday named as two of New Zealand's three Rhodes scholars for 2008.
Dr Matheson is an accomplished singer and musician who last year won the Emily Hancock Siedeberg Memorial Prize as the university's top female medical student. The outcome was "incredibly exciting" and meant she would now have the opportunity to pursue clinical research, she said. She plans to study for an MSC in integrated immunology and a DPhil in surgery at Oxford next year.
There was special family significance for her in gaining a Rhodes scholarship, knowing the strong influence which the Oxford University experience had had on her father's life and career, she said.
The Otago Daily Times, 20.10.07
Dr Julia Matheson already has experience of Oxford, having spent six weeks at the city's Radcliffe Infirmary on a plastic surgery elective. On her Rhodes scholarship, Dr Matheson will read for the one-year Master of Science in Integrated Immunology and then pursue a DPhil in the area of surgical management of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease, both significant health problems in New Zealand. She plans to work in New Zealand as a specialist clinician.
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From Wikipedia
The Rhodes Scholarship is a highly prestigious international award for study at the University of Oxford. Rhodes Scholars may study any full-time postgraduate course offered by the University except for the MBA - whether a taught Master's programme, a research degree, or a second undergraduate degree (senior status).
The Scholarship is for two years in the first instance, though may be held for one year only; applications for a third year are considered during the course of the 2nd year.
University and College fees are paid by the Rhodes Trust. In addition, Scholars receive a monthly maintenance stipend to cover accommodation and living expenses. Although all scholars become affiliated with a residential college while at Oxford, they also enjoy access to Rhodes House, an early 20th century mansion with numerous public rooms, gardens, a library, study areas, and other facilities.
The scholarships were initiated after the death of Cecil John Rhodes and have been awarded to applicants annually since 1902 by the Rhodes Trust in Oxford on the basis of academics and strength of character.
Rhodes' legacy specified four standards by which applicants were to be judged:
Rhodes, who attended Oxford University, chose his alma mater as the site of his great experiment because he believed its residential colleges provided the ideal environment for intellectual contemplation and personal development.
Approximately 90 Scholars are selected worldwide each year with three from New Zealand.
