Prof Edda Weimann is a paediatrician, endocrinologist and public health specialist with international work experience. She obtained her Medical Degree at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, her Habilitation in Paediatrics and her Master Degree in Public Health at the University of Cape Town. Her research studies were supported by national research grants. She has served as Head of Departments and hospitals of tertiary health care facilities and is a faculty member of universities in Germany, Switzerland and South Africa. Her articles are published widely in national and international peer reviewed journals and are frequently cited. Her achievements are acknowledged through national and international innovation awards. Several of her books are translated into other languages. Research topics such as the impact of high intensity training in elite athletes, hormonal treatment of tall stature, the SA National Health Insurance (NHI), Climate Change and health, and the effect of wastewater pollution on bathers gained international audience and attention. She serves as a board member of Climate Change & Health Care Committees. During 2013 Professor Edda Weimann brought concerns to the fore about ocean water quality. She published Blue Flag Beaches — Bathers at Risk for Thalassogenic Diseases (2014). Thalassogenic diseases are any infectious disease that are caused by the sea or a result of polluted coastal water (Shuval, 2003) . Weimann’s study questions the validity of the Blue Flag symbol as an indicator of scientific validity of beach and seawater quality excellence.