Professor Thashi Chang
Professor Thashi Chang
Professor Thashi Chang is Senior Professor in Neurology in the Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at the Professorial Unit in Medicine, National Hospital of Sri Lanka. In 2016, he was appointed the first Professor in Neurology at the University of Colombo and was promoted to Senior Professor in 2024.
His educational journey began at DS Senanayake College, Colombo, where he distinguished himself in academics, leadership and sport, serving as Head Prefect and captaining the Under-19 First XV Rugby team. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, with First Class Honours and distinctions in ten of the thirteen subjects, receiving 20 medals and awards including Gold medals in Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics, Pharmacology, Parasitology, Physiology and the Final MBBS. He graduated first in the national order of merit among Sri Lankan medical graduates in 1996 while representing both the Medical Faculty and University Rugby teams for which he was awarded University colours. He was selected as the University of Colombo’s Student of the Year. He subsequently obtained his MD in Medicine and specialist certification in Neurology and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London and the Ceylon College of Physicians.
A Commonwealth Scholar, Professor Chang obtained his DPhil in Clinical Neurosciences from the University of Oxford, where he also served as a Clinical Lecturer in Neurology. During this time, he trained in Clinical Neurology at the Radcliffe Infirmary and the John Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust in Oxford.
His research interests span neuroimmunology, movement disorders, stroke, neuroinfectious diseases and neurological education. He has led and collaborated in major national and international research programmes, including the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2). Through collaborations with the University of Oxford, he has contributed to establishing advanced diagnostic services for autoimmune neurological disorders in Sri Lanka, including nationally accessible antibody testing within the state healthcare sector. His research has received several President’s Awards for Scientific Research and the University of Colombo Excellence in Research Award.
Professor Chang has made substantial contributions to undergraduate and postgraduate neurological education, including the development of curricula and specialist training programmes in Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology and Rehabilitation Medicine. He is a postgraduate trainer and examiner and an examiner for the MRCP(UK) PACES examination.
He has delivered several prestigious named lectures, including the Sri Lanka Medical Association Oration, EV Pieris Memorial Oration, JB Peiris Oration, and the Sir Byrom Bramwell Lecture at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. He has also been an invited speaker at numerous international scientific meetings.
Professor Chang has held several national leadership roles in neurology, including serving as President of the Association of Sri Lankan Neurologists (2019–2020) and Secretary of the Specialty Board in Neurology of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine. He is a founder member of several national neurological organisations and has contributed extensively to the development of neurological services, specialist training and research in Sri Lanka.