Others

Leadership & Achievements as the Vice Chancellor (2019-2022)

  • University Ranking:
    Sri Lanka: UoC reached No 1 in Webometrics & SCIMAGO
    Global: UoC upgraded to 801+ (from 1000+), Clinical & Health Sciences upgraded to 400+ (from 600+) in Times Higher Education (THE)
  • Executive President 2019 Asian Universities Alliance.
  • Chair, Regional Committee for South Asia, Association of Commonwealth Universities since 2020.
  • Commemorated 150 years at the Faculty of Medicine in 2020 & the Centenary Faculty of Science, Arts, & the Library on 21.1.2021 successfully amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • Two new UoC development plans are included in the Budget Speech 2021/2022 (Cancer Research and Agro-entrepreneurship).
  • Establishment of Faculty of Engineering, UoC and obtained approval from UGC in 2021.
  • Bioengineering course developed in-house by UoC scientists (1st time in Sri Lanka), 2021.
  • Initiated Research Collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and Cornell University, USA.
  • Plans submitted to UGC – Upgrade Institute of Indigenous Medicine to a Faculty.
  • Expansion of UCIARS: Acquired 250 acres of land in Lunugamwehera for value-added education and private-public-producer-partnership at UCIARS, Weligatte.
  • Streamlined Sri Palee Campus.
  • Gave leadership for UoC’s digital transformation and online pedagogy – best performing university amidst COVID19 pandemic and despite the metropolitan locality.
  • Optimized student intake from AL 2019, and increased annual intake by 550+ students.
  • Increased visibility of academic programs to woo international students.
  • Restructured UoC Career Guidance – “Train the Trainer Behavioural Skills” of UoC staff and “Future Careers Bridge” with SLASSCOM via MBA Alumni.
  • Refurbished College House and requested its recognition as a Heritage Building.
  • Commenced environmentally friendly initiatives (solar power, water conservation, solid waste disposal, plastic-polythene free and in-house landscaping).
  • Reviewed (mega-project) Faculty of Medicine 17-storied building– and instituted a plan for self-generation of funds to meet the estimated high maintenance costs at least in part.
  • Help-zone building in progress solely with generated funds, with a business plan, prepared.
  • Muttiah hostel part was exchanged for a 144 apartment condominium, without any form of student-staff agitation through dialogue and transparency.
  • Strengthened Research Management (Policy, Funding, Visibility in a holistic manner).
  • Prioritized Multidisciplinary Research mapped to the SDGs.
  • Improved opportunities for student scholarships (Rhodes, Chevening, Mitsubishi).
  • Steered UoC’s Discipline & Rule for Law as one community with a single purpose.
  • Introduced plagiarism checks and awareness of predatory publishing among students and academics.
  • Introduced Enterprise Resource Planning for Human Resource Management.
  • Finance Management: The Annual Report of UoC has been recognized by the UGC and Ministry of Higher Education to be the most efficient reporting to parliament.
  • Accepted Government Land Vested -13 acres block of prime land in Tangalle Divisional Secretariat to develop Open & Experiential Learning Centre Campus of UoC.

Contributions to Professional Organizations

  • Convenor, Diabetes Prevention Task Force and Chairperson Subcommittee on NCD, Sri Lanka Medical Association;
  • Chairperson Specialty Board in Endocrinology, Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo;
  • Past President Endocrine Society of Sri Lanka 2004-2007
  • Past President Ceylon College of Physicians, 2007
  • Representative for Sri Lanka International Society for Obstetric Medicine, since 2006
  • former Chairperson Women’s Health Committee SLMA 2005-2007
  • Current Chairperson of National Coordinating Committee for Research in Human Reproduction (WHO) in Sri Lanka. Since 2009
  • Current Chairperson, Subcommittee on Non Communicable diseases (NCD), SLMA
  • Current President Alumni Association of Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo 2010/2011
  • President Zonta Club Colombo I 2012-2014 biennium, where as a member she sponsored the first ever Golden Z club of Zonta International District 25 (South Asia) and established a volunteer female medical and law student group to foster leadership qualities through community service for the empowerment of women. Work includes on gender based violence, rehabilitating destitute women including those affected with mental disease
  • Coordinator of the ‘NIROGI Lanka’ project funded by World Diabetes Foundation to initiate a coordinated effort in providing quality care to the Colombo based needy Diabetics from all communities.

Reviewer for International Journals

  • BJOG
  • Clinical Endocrinology
  • Human Reproduction
  • Fertility Sterility
  • International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Research

Contributions to Professional Organizations

  • Convenor, Diabetes Prevention Task Force and Chairperson Subcommittee on NCD, Sri Lanka Medical Association;
  • Chairperson Specialty Board in Endocrinology, Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo;
  • Past President Endocrine Society of Sri Lanka 2004-2007
  • Past President Ceylon College of Physicians, 2007
  • Representative for Sri Lanka International Society for Obstetric Medicine, since 2006
  • Former Chairperson Women’s Health Committee SLMA 2005-2007
  • Current Chairperson of National Coordinating Committee for Research in Human Reproduction (WHO) in Sri Lanka. Since 2009
  • Current Chairperson, Subcommittee on Non Communicable diseases (NCD), SLMA
  • Current President Alumni Association of Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo 2010/2011
  • President elect of Zonta Club Colombo I 2012, where as a member she sponsored the first ever Golden Z club of Zonta International District 25 (South Asia) and established a volunteer female medical and law student group to foster leadership qualities through community service for the empowerment of women. Work includes on gender based violence, rehabilitating destitute women including those affected with mental disease
  • Coordinator of the ‘NIROGI Lanka’ project funded by World Diabetes Foundation to initiate a coordinated effort in providing quality care to the Colombo based needy Diabetics from all communities.

Other Activities

  • Through Zonta links hands between Women’s Health Committee of SLMA, University undergraduate members of Golden Z Club and Women in Need to address Gender Based Violence issues amongst the poorer socio-economic groups in Colombo and its suburbs
  • Developing a project on Building Bridges through empowerment of women – Saama MAatha- in the reconciliation process between the North and South of Sri Lanka

Consultancy

  • Coordinator IRQUE QEF Project – university of Colombo 2004-2009
  • Chairperson, SLMA Nirogi Lanka Project and NCD Subcommittee work are on a voluntary basis.