Profile

Dr. Nuwan Darshana Wickramasinghe is a Board Certified Specialist in Community Medicine the current Head of the Department of Community Medicine. He joined the faculty in 2009 as a probationary lecturer and became a senior lecturer in 2014. He obtained his MBBS from the University of Peradeniya in 2008, followed by MSc in Community Medicine (PGIM, Colombo), MSc in Applied Epidemiology (PGIS, Peradeniya), MD (PGIM, Colombo).

His research interests are public mental health, occupation health and safety, school and adolescent health, and maternal and child health 

Qualifications

Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 2008

Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health Module: Maternal Mortality, 2008

Master of Science (Community Medicine), University of Colombo, Sri Lanka 2013

Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka 2014

Master of Science (Applied Epidemiology), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 2015

Doctor of Medicine in Community Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka 2015

Positions held

Current

Head, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (November, 2018 – to date)

Director, Maternal and Child Health Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (November, 2019 – to date)

Project Co-ordinator, Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) Grant – Generating Evidence for Ending Preventable Maternal Deaths (GEEPMD) (December, 2019 – to date)

Senior Lecturer (Grade II), Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (September, 2014 – to date)

Head, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (November, 2018 – to date)

Director, Maternal and Child Health Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (November, 2019 – to date)

Project Co-ordinator, Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) Grant – Generating Evidence for Ending Preventable Maternal Deaths (GEEPMD) (December, 2019 – to date)

Senior Lecturer (Grade II), Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (September, 2014 – to date)

Visiting Lecturer – Department of Health Promotion Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (December, 2019 – to date)

Previous

Visiting Research Fellow, Cambridge Institute of Public Health, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom (November, 2016 – November, 2018)

Research Associate, Temporary Employment Service, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom (March, 2017 – August, 2018)

Post-doctoral Placement (Senior Registrar in Community Medicine) School Health Unit, Family Health Bureau (October, 2015 – April, 2016)

Lecturer, Department of Community Medicine Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (September, 2009 – September, 2014)

Visiting Lecturer – Master of Development Practice, Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social sciences, University of Peradeniya (August, 2013 – January, 2016)

Visiting Lecturer – Diploma in Health Promotion, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (October, 2010 – May, 2011)

Intern Medical Officer, Base Hospital (Teaching) Gampola (July, 2009 – July, 2010)

Sri Lanka’s Public Health Education Institutes Network (LANKAPHEIN) – Secretary 2020/2021

Member

Board of Study in Community Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medicine – Member

International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL) – Member

Sri Lanka College of Community Physicians (CCPSL) – Life Member

Peradeniya Medical School Alumni Association (PeMSAA) – Life Member

Sri Lanka Epidemiological Society – Ex-Co Member

Sri Lanka Medical Association Expert Committee on Ergonomics (SLMA ECE) – Sub-committee Member

Forum of Sri Lankan Medical Educationists (FOSME) – Life Member

Sri Lanka’s Public Health Education Institutes Network (LANKAPHEIN) – Steering Committee Member

Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) – Life Member

College of Medical Educationists (CME) – Life Member

Awards and Honors

Best PGIM Student of the Year 2013 (MSc/PG Diploma Category), Conferred by the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, 2013

Dr C.H. Piyaratne Memorial Gold Medal for the best performance MSc Community Medicine Conferred by the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, 2013 

Award in recognition of obtaining the highest score in MSc Community Medicine, Awarded by the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka Research Awards, 2013

Best Oral Presentation – Second Place, Paper titled “Prevalence and pattern of bullying victimization among early adolescents in Sinhala medium government schools in the Kegalle educational zone” 42nd Annual Academic Sessions of The Kandy Society of Medicine, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 2020

Dean’s Award for Scientific Publications Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, 2018

Dean’s Award for Scientific Publications Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, 2017

ACOH 2014 Young Investigator’s Award, 21st Asian Conference on Occupational Health, Fukuoka, Japan, 2014  

National Research Council Merit Award for Scientific Publication, 2013

National Research Council Merit Award for Scientific Publication, 2012

Gold Medal – Best Presenter, Paper titled “Post partum maternal morbidity: A descriptive cross sectional study in the Anuradhapura district” 2nd Annual Research Sessions of Rajarata University Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura, 2011

Orations/Keynote Speeches

Guest Lectures

‘Development of Objectives’ at Pre-congress Workshop on ‘Research through Ward Work’, 13th Annual Scientific Sessions of Anuradhapura Clinical Society, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, 2019

‘Global Mental Health’ at Global Health Teaching Day, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, United Kingdom, 2018

‘Family Study Programme: A Unique Public Health Experience from Sri Lanka’ at Institute for Health and Human Development, University of East London, United Kingdom, 2017

‘Presenting Results’ at Pre-congress Workshop on ‘Scientific Writing’, 9th Annual Scientific Sessions of Anuradhapura Clinical Society, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, 2015

Grants

Research grants 

2018 – 2020 – Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) Grant – for the research project titled “Generating Evidence for Ending Preventable Maternal Deaths (GEEPMD)” – Coinvestigator 

2015 – 2016 – Tropical Disease Research WHO Grant – for the research project titled “Implementation Research, Training for Control of Tropical Diseases in Sri Lanka” – Co-investigator 

2015 – 2016 – Postgraduate Research Grant from University Grants Commission-Sri Lanka – for the research  tilted “Prevalence of Burnout, Its Correlates and Association of Burnout with Work Engagement among Grade Thirteen Students in Sinhala Medium Government Schools in the Mawanella Educational Zone” – Principal Investigator 

2010 – 2012 – Engender Health Grant – for the research project titled “Disease Burden and the Economic, Impact of Maternal Morbidity in Sri Lanka” – Co-investigator 

Travel Grants 

2019 – Travel grant to participate 12th European Public Health Conference, Marseille, France Faculty Development Fund, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka 

2018 – Travel grant to participate 19th World Congress of Psychophysiology, Lucca, Italy International Organization of Psychophysiology 

2015 – Travel grant to participate 8th European Public Health Conference, Milan, Italy Faculty Development Fund, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka 

2014 – Travel grant to participate 21st Asian Conference on Occupational Health, Fukuoka, Japan Faculty Development Fund, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka 

2010 – Travel grant to participate Global Maternal Health Conference, New Delhi, India Maternal Health Task Force, Engender Health Scholarships 

2015 – Collaboration of University of Peradeniya and Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan to attend an intensive training course on “Epidemiology and Survey Methods” Organised by the Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan