MBBS, MSc (Com. Med.), Dip (OH&S), MSc (App. Epid.), MD (Com. Med.), FRSPH
Chair Professor of Community Medicine
Department of Community Medicine
Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
- Appointments
- Qualifications & Fellowships
- Awards & Orations
- Research & Grants
- Publications
- Teaching Experience
- Projects
- Contacts
| April, 2025-Present | Chair Professor of Community Medicine | |
| Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | ||
| March, 2022-February, 2025 | Professor, Department of Community Medicine | |
| Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | ||
| January, 2025-Present & | Head, Department of Community Medicine | |
| November, 2018-November, 2021 | Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | |
| March, 2022-March, 2025 | Para-clinical Co-ordinator | |
| Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | ||
| November 2019-Present | Director, Maternal and Child Health Research Unit | |
| Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | ||
| December 2019-December 2020 | Project Co-ordinator | |
| Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) Grant - Generating Evidence for Ending Preventable Maternal Deaths (GEEPMD) | ||
| November 2016-November 2018 | Visiting Research Fellow | |
| Cambridge Institute of Public Health, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom | ||
| March 2017-August 2018 | Research Associate | |
| Temporary Employment Service, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom | ||
| October 2015- April 2016 | Post-doctoral placement (Senior Registrar in Community Medicine) | |
| School Health Unit, Family Health Bureau | ||
| September 2009-September 2014 | Lecturer, Department of Community Medicine | |
| Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | ||
| May 2022-Present | Visiting Lecturer - Department of Community Medicine and Family Medicine | |
| Faculty of Medicine, University of Moratuwa | ||
| December 2019-Present | Visiting Lecturer - Department of Health Promotion | |
| Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | ||
| August 2013- January 2016 | Visiting Lecturer - Master of Development Practice | |
| Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social sciences, University of Peradeniya | ||
| October 2010-May 2011 | Visiting Lecturer - Diploma in Health Promotion | |
| Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka |
Visiting Lecturer / Resource Person Appointments
| December, 2024-Present | Visiting Lecturer - Master of Public Health | |
| Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya | ||
| June, 2023--Present | Visiting Lecturer - Master of Public Healthh | |
| Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Peradeniya | ||
| January, 2023-Present | Module Co-ordinator - MD (Community Medicine/Dentistry) | |
| Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo | ||
| May, 2022--Present | Visiting Lecturer - Department of Community Medicine and Family Medicine | |
| Faculty of Medicine, University of Moratuwa | ||
| December, 2019-Present | Visiting Lecturer - Department of Health Promotion | |
| Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | ||
| Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya | ||
| December, 2019-Present | Visiting Lecturer - Department of Health Promotion | |
| Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | ||
| January, 2019-Present | Resource Person - MSc (Community Medicine/Dentistry) Training Programme | |
| Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo | ||
| August, 2013-January, 2016 | Visiting Lecturer - Master of Development Practice | |
| Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Peradeniya | ||
| October, 2010-May, 2011 | Visiting Lecturer - Diploma in Health Promotion | |
| Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka |
| September 2015 | Doctor of Medicine in Community Medicine | |
| Direct Pass (First in the Merit List) | ||
| Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo | ||
| March 2015 | Master of Science (Applied Epidemiology) by course work and research | |
| GPA: 3.85 (Highest aggregate for the course) | ||
| Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya | ||
| June 2014 | Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety | |
| Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo | ||
| April 2013 | Master of Science (Community Medicine) by course work and research | |
| Dr C.H. Piyaratne Memorial Gold Medal for the best performance at the MSc Community Medicine 2013 | ||
| Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo | ||
| December 2010 | Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health | |
| Module: Maternal Mortality | ||
| People’s Open Access Educational Initiative | ||
| April 2008 | Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery | |
| Distinction in Community Medicine Distinction in Pharmacology | ||
| Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya |
Fellowships
Fellow: Royal Society for Public Health, United Kingdom
International Practitioner Member: Faculty of Public Health, Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom
Board Certified Specialist in Community Medicine, Sri Lanka
Orations
‘Burnout: A Burning Issue among Sri Lankan Students’ - Dr F.A. Wickremasinghe Oration 2021, College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka 2021
Academic Awards
| 2013 | 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
International
| 2024 | World’s Top 2% Scientists | |
| Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators, Stanford University and Elsevier BV | ||
| 2023 | World’s Top 2% Scientists | |
| Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators, Stanford University and Elsevier BV | ||
| 2022 | Best Oral Presentation | |
| Paper titled “Nutritional Care Services in Long-Term Care Institutions; Evidence from a National Surveyin Sri Lanka" The 14th Southeast Asia Regional Scientific Meeting of the International Epidemiological Association and International Conference on Public Health and Sustainable Development, Chiang Rai, Thailand | ||
| 2022 | Young Investigator Travelers Award (YITA) | |
| 53rd Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium Conference for Public Health (APACPH), Manila, Philippines | ||
| 2014 | ACOH 2014 Young Investigator’s Award | |
| 21st Asian Conference on Occupational Health, Fukuoka, Japan |
National
| 2024 | Dr H.M.S.S.D. Herath Research Award for the best paper in ‘Environmental and Occupational Health’ | |
| Paper titled “Prevalence and associated factors of depression, anxiety and stress among primary school teachers in government schools in Kalmunai Educational Zone, Sri Lanka” 29th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka | ||
| 2024 | Dr Ranjan de Sylva Research Award for the best paper in ‘Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases’ | |
| Paper titled “Mobilizing rural communities in prevention and control of cutaneous leishmaniasis: Can bottom-up approaches cherish better public health?” 29th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka | ||
| 2024 | Best Oral Presentation - First Place | |
| Paper titled “What lies beneath the numbers?; Unmasking the cutaneous leishmaniasis awareness in rural Sri Lanka” | ||
| 2024 | Best Poster Presentation - Second Place | |
| Paper titled “Mapping global literature on intangible cost in health-related studies: results from a scoping review” | ||
| 2023 | Best Oral Presentation - Second Place | |
| Paper titled “What hinders early diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis? A qualitative exploration in a disease endemic region, Sri Lanka” | ||
| 2023 | Best Oral Presentation - Category ‘Improving Mental Wellbeing’ | |
| 25th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka,Colombo, Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | Best Oral Presentation - Fifth Place | |
| Paper titled “Zoom fatigue and associated factors among primary school teachers in the Mawanella education zone”
15th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Anuradhapura Clinical Society, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka |
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| 2022 | Dr Ranjan de Sylva Research Award for the best paper in ‘Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases’ | |
| Paper titled “‘Do I Really Need Treatment for This?’: The Journey of Seeking Healthcare for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Rural Sri Lanka”
27th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
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| 2022 | Best Oral Presentation | |
| Paper titled “Is my first response to the lesion really important?: Experience of cutaneous leishmaniasis patients in a rural disease endemic region in Sri Lanka”
14th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Anuradhapura Clinical Society, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka |
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| 2022 | Best Oral Presentation - Third Place | |
| Paper titled “Human intestinal nematode infections (HINI) in Sri Lanka: A review of the literature”
14th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Anuradhapura Clinical Society, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka |
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| 2020 | Dr Ranjan de Sylva Research Award for the best paper in ‘Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases’ | |
| Paper titled “Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the COVID-19 patients in the initial case series: Is Sri Lanka an outlier?”
25th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
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| 2020 | Best Poster Presentation | |
| Paper titled “Medical undergraduates’ perception of their role and willingness to assist in COVID-19 health sector response”
25th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
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| 2020 | Best Oral Presentation - Category ‘COVID-19’ | |
| Paper titled “Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the COVID-19 patients in the initial case series: Is Sri Lanka an outlier?”
25th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
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| 2020 | Best Oral Presentation - Category ‘Improving Mental Wellbeing’ | |
| Paper titled “A systematic approach in mental health assessment in early pregnancy: An experience from Rajarata Pregnancy Cohort”
25th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
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| 2020 | Best Poster Presentation - Category ‘COVID-19’ | |
| Paper titled “Medical undergraduates’ perception of their role and willingness to assist in COVID-19 health sector response”
25th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
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| 2020 | 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 |
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| 2019 | National Research Council Merit Award for Scientific Research | |
| 2nd Annual Research Sessions of Rajarata University Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura | ||
| 2013 | National Research Council Merit Award for Scientific Publication | |
| 2012 | National Research Council Merit Award for Scientific Publication | |
| 2011 | 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 |
University
| 2025 | RUSL Research Excellence Gold Award 2024 | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2025 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2024: Top ten researchers with the highest number of indexed journal articles | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2025 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2024: Top ten researchers with the highest H-index | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2025 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2024: Top ten researchers with the highest citations | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2024 | Top 20 Researchers of the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka for 2023 (First Place) | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | RUSL Excellence Award for the Most Outstanding Senior Researcher 2023 | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2023: Top ten researchers with the highest number of indexed journal articles | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2023: Top ten researchers with the highest H-index | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2023: Top ten researchers with the highest citations | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | Top 20 Researchers of the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka for 2022 (First Place) | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2022: Top ten researchers with the highest number of indexed journal articles | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2022: Top ten researchers with the highest H-index | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2022: Top ten researchers with the highest citations | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | Vice Chancellor’s Awards 2022: Top three researchers with the highest number of indexed journal articles in the Faculty of Medicine & Allied Sciences | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | Vice Chancellor’s Awards 2022: Top three researchers with the highest H-index in the Faculty of Medicine & Allied Sciences | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | Vice Chancellor’s Awards 2022: Top three researchers with the highest number of citations in the Faculty of Medicine & Allied Sciences | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2022 | Top 20 Researchers of the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka for 2021 (Second Place) | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2022 | Dean’s Award for Scientific Publications | |
| Faculty of Medicine & Allied Sciences, Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2022: Top ten researchers with the highest citations | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2022: Top ten researchers with the highest citations | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2022: Top ten researchers with the highest citations | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2023 | RUSL Excellence Awards 2022: Top ten researchers with the highest citations | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2021 | RUSL Research Excellence Awards 2021: Top ten researchers having the highest H-index based on Google Scholar | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2021 | RUSL Research Excellence Awards 2021: Top ten researchers having the highest number of citations based on Google Scholar | |
| Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2021 | Dean’s Award for Scientific Publications | |
| Faculty of Medicine & Allied Sciences, Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2020 | Dean’s Award for Scientific Publications | |
| Faculty of Medicine & Allied Sciences, Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2019 | Dean’s Award for Scientific Publications | |
| Faculty of Medicine & Allied Sciences, Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2018 | Dean’s Award for Scientific Publications | |
| Faculty of Medicine & Allied Sciences, Rajarata University Sri Lanka | ||
| 2017 | Dean’s Award for Scientific Publications | |
| Faculty of Medicine & Allied Sciences, Rajarata University Sri Lanka |
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)” - Co-investigator | |
| 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
| 2022 | Young Investigator Travelers Award (YITA) to participate 53rd Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium Conference for Public Health (APACPH), Manila, Philippines | |
| Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health | ||
| 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 |
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| 2018 | Travel grant to participate 19th World Congress of Psychophysiology, Lucca, Italy
International Organization of Psychophysiology |
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| 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 |
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| 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
| September, 2014-Present | Senior Lecturer (Grade II), Department of Community Medicine | |
| Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | ||
| September, 2009-September, 2014 | Lecturer, Department of Community Medicine | |
| Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | ||
| May, 2022-Present | Visiting Lecturer - Department of Community Medicine and Family Medicine | |
| Faculty of Medicine, University of Moratuwa | ||
| December, 2019- Present | Visiting Lecturer - Department of Health Promotion | |
| Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka | ||
| August, 2013-January, 2016 | Visiting Lecturer - Master of Development Practice | |
| Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social sciences, University of Peradeniya | ||
| October, 2010- May, 2011 | Visiting Lecturer - Diploma in Health Promotion | |
| Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka |
Projects
| 2018-2020 | Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) Grant for the research project titled “Generating Evidence for Ending Preventable Maternal Deaths (GEEPMD)” - Co-investigator | |
| 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 |
Consultancies
- Analysis of Influenza surveillance data; preparation of manuscripts; preparation of data management training materials and assist trainings in two member states and development of transmission thresholds for 11 SEAR member states per the Agreement on Performance of Work with World Health Organization
- A review of the influenza related documents to identify the gaps and provide recommendations with a view of providing technical support for strengthening of pandemic influenza preparedness in Myanmar as per the Agreement on Performance of Work with World Health Organization
- Technical report on “National Survey on the availability of Nutrition Care Services (NNQS) in residential care institutions for older persons” as per the Agreement on Performance of Work with World Health Organization
- A senior consultant of the team of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka for the preparation of the ‘Facilitator manual for community empowerment in COVID-19 control and other emergencies’ (Consultancy for the World Health Organization)
- A senior consultant of the team of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka for the preparation of the ‘Situation analysis and Country Report on Drowning’ (Consultancy for the Directorate of NCD, Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization)
- Pillar Lead for ‘Financing of NCD Services’ of the review of the ‘National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs’ as per the agreement with Multi Tech Solutions (Pvt.) Ltd. (Consultancy for the Directorate of NCD, Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization)
- Technical report on ‘Quality of life and community health assets in elderly in rural Sri Lanka’ as per the Agreement on Performance of Work with World Health Organization
- Technical report on ‘Rapid assessment of status of implementation of adolescent health and school health programme in Sri Lanka’ as per the Agreement on Performance of Work with World Health Organization
- Technical report on ‘EPI Coverage Evaluation Survey for Timor-Lesté’ as per the Agreement on Performance of Work with World Health Organization
| Phone | : | (+94) 252226252 (office) |
| E- mail | : | nuwick74@yahoo.com |
| nuwick@med.rjt.ac.lk |
