Chris Waterer
Chris Waterer
By Hannah Bateman
For Henry “Chris” Waterer, Mississippi State University was not just a place for an education; it was a place for family. Waterer, who earned his bachelor’s degree in general science/biology from MSU in 1981, followed in his father’s footsteps by attending MSU where Waterer says he “spent the best four years of [his] life.”
Waterer’s fondest memory at MSU took place his freshman year in Lee Hall during a French I class where he first saw the woman he would eventually marry. After graduating from MSU, Waterer and his wife continued their education at the University of Mississippi Medical Center where they completed their internal medicine residency programs.
Waterer then went on to complete his cardiology fellowship in 1992. He remained on faculty at UMMC until 1996 before entering into the private practice where he currently is a physician-interventional cardiologist at Baptist Medical Center in the Baptist Heart clinic in Jackson, Mississippi.
When asked about his greatest success, Waterer lists a few. “Having the opportunity to continue my education at MSU, meet my wife of 31 years, have 2 children who attended MSU, who met their spouses at MSU, where we all received an education that has prepared us for our next stages of life in Mississippi,” said Waterer.
Waterer credits MSU and the College of Arts and Sciences for preparing him to continue his education at UMMC. Waterer lists a few favorite classes taught by some of his favorite faculty members at MSU: Dr. Tom Morrow who taught physiology, Dr. William McMahan who taught chemistry, and Dr. Robert Cook who taught physics.
When offering advice to current and future MSU students, Waterer states, “MSU offers you the opportunities to begin your careers in any field and prepare you for the next steps in your journey in life. Seek and use all the resources available to you as the faculty, administrative staff, and alumni can and will help you along the way.”
Waterer enjoys attending MSU athletic events and his favorite traditions are those that are a part of the MSU athletic teams, specifically MSU baseball. He is now a grandfather and hopes to share the traditions of MSU with his grandchild and will encourage him to continue in the family’s footsteps to become a fourth generation Bulldog.
Waterer is pictured above with his wife, Rebecca.