Nine Academics from the Faculty of Medical Sciences of USJ, Honored with SUSRED Awards 2023

SUSRED is a support scheme for supervision of research degrees awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under two categories, MPhil and PhD. The awards are made in recognition of the commitment of the supervisors of the MPhil and PhD research projects and their contribution in achieving impactful research outcomes efficiently. The research projects have to be conducted in Sri Lanka and completed before five years.

This year nine academics of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura received SUSRED Awards for 2023. The title of the project, names and the departments of the supervisors and the Higher degrees by research student is given below.  The three projects address the SDG 3, Good health and wellbeing with a multi-disciplinary approach. While two of them are related to prevention and treatment of infections one research is on the mental health of pregnant women which is a vulnerable group.

PhD category

Title 1-Fluorescence in situ hybridization assay to diagnose cutaneous leishmaniasis and characterization of the microbiome & biofilms in lesions caused by Leishmania donovani in Sri Lanka- Dr. Thilini Dilhara Jayasena Kaluarachchi

Awardees-

1. Professor D R Wickreamasinghe(Department of Parasitology)
2. Professor Shalindra Ranasingha(Department of Parasitology)
3. Professor Surangi Yasawardene(Department of Anatomy)
4. Professor Manjula Weerasekera(Department of Microbiology)

Title 2-Perinatal anxiety and its association with obstructive sleep apnoea and other maternal and foetal outcomes in women of selected Medical Officer of Health areas in Colombo District- Ms. M N Pryadarshani

Awardees-

1. Professor D M S Fernando (Department of Physiology)
2. Professor C S E Goonawardena(Department of Community Medicine)
3. Dulshika Amerasinghe Waas (Department of Psychiatry)

MPhil category

Title 1- Central venous catheter related bloodstream infections and catheter colonization
in intensive care unit patients and characterization of coagulase negative Staphylococci as a common cause – Ms. Sohani Medis

Awardees –

1. Jananie Kottahachchi (Department of Microbiology)
2. D.M.B. Thushari Dissanayake (Department of Microbiology)