Education
Harvard Medical School. University of Otago.
Harvard Medical School. University of Otago.
He commenced full-time teaching and research at the Christchurch School of Medicine in 1960, and was appointed Foundation Professor in 1971. The Beaven Lecture Theatre in the School bears his name. In March 2009, Beaven was commemorated as one of the Twelve Local Heroes, and a bronze bust of him was unveiled outside the Christchurch Arts Centre.
An advocate of the Mediterranean diet, Beaven helped establish the South Island wine industry, planting vineyards and olive groves around Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.
Beaven died fighting a house fire in his bach at Little Akaloa on Banks Peninsula. A memorial service for Beaven held in the Christchurch Town Hall on 19 December 2009 was attended by nearly 1000 people.
At the memorial, the chair of the Health Research Council of New Zealand announced that the Emeritus Professor Sir Donald Ward Beaven Medal for Diabetes Research would be presented to the New Zealand researcher who makes the greatest contribution to diabetes research each year.