Manager
Martin Persson, PhD, MPH, MSc
Professor of Health Sciences
Martin Persson is Professor in Health Sciences and has considerable experience in coordinating and managing over 40 international projects. He has attracted over €11 million in funding to support activities in psychosocial, health and educational areas. His research experience over the last 20 years includes epidemiological and population-based studies together with large national multicentre observational and cohort studies. One of his primary research interests is working with individuals with visible differences or negative body image concerning psychosocial and public health aspects. He has extensive knowledge of working with socially disadvantaged groups and specialises in the methodological and pedagogical development of courses ranging from basic to advanced levels in psychology, public health, and health education. In addition, professor Persson is passionate about developing training programs and knowledge mobilisation activities based on evidence-based research in order to reach relevant stakeholders. He has a PhD in Medicine and master’s degrees in Public Health and Psychology. His research has been published in academic peer-review journals. Over the last 15 years, he facilitated a variety of keynotes, lectures, workshops, and symposiums for professionals, students, and users in his areas of expertise in Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. He is a Smile Train Research & Innovation Advisory Council member and board member for the European Cleft Organization. Currently, he is involved in eight European projects, including being the coordinator for nEUROcare.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 2
Petra Lilja Andersson, RN PhD
Associate Professor of Nursing
Petra Lilja Andersson is a Registered Nurse (1985) with Postgraduate Diplomas in Specialist Nursing within the fields of intensive care (1989) as well as anaesthesia care (1990). She also has a Master’s degree in Medical Sciences (anatomy and physiology) and another Master’s degree in Pedagogics. She received her PhD in Pedagogics in 2007 and became Associate Professor of Caring Sciences at Lund University in 2015 and Associate Professor of Nursing at Kristianstad University in 2017. Over the past several decades, she has had various key leadership roles in academia (e.g., program director, head of health educations, vice Dean) and been devoted to the continuous development of the Nursing Programs at both Lund and Kristianstad Universities, where she has developed courses focusing on, e.g., supervision, ethics, leadership and professional development. She was also a key driving force in the development of the Swedish National Clinical Final Examination for nurses, which now is mandatory for final semester student nurses at a growing number of universities in Sweden. Currently, she is the coordinator for external contract education at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Kristianstad University. She is the current or past supervisor of several PhD-students and her scientific interests primarily concern emergency care, ethical aspects of care, teaching and pedagogics in nursing education, the impact of ill health from a patient and family perspective, and person-centred care. She has published several research based books within these areas, that are used in nursing and related educations in Sweden.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 4
Lena Larsson, RN MSc
Lena Larsson is a reg. nurse with MSc in dementia care. Her main clinical experience as a reg. nurse is in elderly care, especially dementia care including special homes for people with dementia and memory clinic. She also has experience from leading support groups for relatives to people with dementia. Lena works as a lecturer at Kristianstad University with focus on supervision for student supervisor in clinical settings. Besides this she is international coordinator for the nursing program. She also has many years’ experiences of Linneus-Palme partnership program in Sri Lanka, both as program manager and lecturer.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 1
Peter Hagell, RN PhD
Professor of Caring Sciences
Peter Hagell is a Registered Nurse (1989) with specialist training in neurological care. He received a PhD in Medical Science (neurology) 2002, is Associate Professor of Caring Sciences at Lund University (2007), and Professor of Caring Sciences at Kristianstad University (2011). He teaches research methodology in the master’s program in Health Science and the PhD program in Caring Sciences, serves on the Faculty Board, is head of subject for Health Sciences, and leader of the research group PRO-CARE (Patient-Reported Outcomes – Clinical Assessment, Research and Education) at Kristianstad University. His research is mainly related to neurological and other long-term conditions within the areas of development and quality assurance of methods to assess, measure and improve understanding of the impact of ill health and therapeutic outcomes, particularly from the perspectives of patients; methodological work related to development, quality assurance and application of rating scale and questionnaire based assessment and measurement methods; and the delivery of care to people with long-term disorders and socially disadvantaged groups, particularly in terms of person-centred care. Methodologically, his work is primarily quantitative with a focus on concept-driven psychometrics and metrology, particularly Rasch Measurement Theory, but also includes qualitative and mixed methods, particularly Group Concept Mapping. He is the current or past supervisor of 15 PhD-students and has published >140 peer-reviewed original scientific papers. He is or has been involved in several EU-funded projects, including nEUROcare and a project concerning metrology in neurodegenerative disorders co-funded by the European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research (EMPIR) and Horizon 2020.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 3
Emma Edberg Matei, MSc
Emma Edberg Matei is a Registered Nurse with Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Nursing in Psychiatry on MSc level. Her main clinical experience as a registered nurse is in psychiatric acute- and intensive care settings. Emma works as a lecturer at Kristianstad University with focus on psychiatry, intimate partner violence, ethical aspects of care and person-centred care in the nursing programme. Besides a MSc in Nursing Science, she has a double BSc in Behavioral Science (Psychology and Criminology). She is affiliated to the research group PRO-CARE (Patient-Reported Outcomes – Clinical Assessment, Research and Education) at Kristianstad University. She further has a special bond to Sri Lanka as she was an exchange student within the Linneaus-Palme program as a nursing student (2012) and as a lecturer (2022).
Manager
Trin Jagomagi
2014-… Tartu University, Institute of Dentistry; Associate Professor, Lecturer, Director of postgraduate training in orthodontics 2000-… Unimed United Clinics (Ortodontiakeskus OÜ), orthodontist Triin Jagomägi graduated from the University of Tartu, Estonia in 1993 with DDS in stomatology, soon after that from University of Kuopio, Finland with master’s degree (MSc) in Orthodontics in 1995. In 2005 she got diploma of Membership in Orthodontics (MOrth RCSEd) by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, UK. In January 2012 she acquired PhD in medicine from the University of Tartu, Estonia. Currently she works as Associate Professor and Researcher at the Institute of Dentistry by the University of Tartu, the same time also being head of the orthodontic postgraduate training. Since 2000 she has also been working as orthodontist at Unimed United Clinics in Tartu. She is active member of numerous professional associations and work-groups, such as World Cleft Organization: Task Force “Beyond Eurocleft”; member of the professional committee of doctors and orthodontists of Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs; World Federation of Orthodontists; Estonian Orthodontic Society; Baltic Orthodontic Association (BOA); Baltic Orthodontic Society; CEN TC 424 Project Committee – Care services for cleft lip and/or palate; the Nordic Association for Myofunctional Therapy (NAMT) and is also active member and lecturer of Estonian Association of Assistance and Therapy Dogs. Main fields of research:
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 4
Andres Koster
Research and publications
PhD topic: “The effect of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy with auto-feedback in patients with Mild or Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea”
Involvement with EU projects (as work-group member)
Ended EU projects (as work-group member):
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 1
Pille Taba 2021 -… Head of Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Estonia 2018 -… Head of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Tartu University Hospital 2016 -… Professor of Neurology, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu 2011 –… Consultant Neurologist, Department of Neurology, Tartu University Hospital 2021 –… Chair of the European Section of the Movement Disorders Society 2020 –… Member of the Programme Committee of the European Academy of Neurology 2018 –… Member of the Council of the Medical Faculty, University of Tartu 2008 –… President of the Estonian Ludvig Puusepp Society of Neurologists and Neurosurgeons 2008 –… Member of Board of the Estonian Movement Disorders Society 2003 – PhD in Neurology: Epidemiology of Parkinson’s disease in Tartu, Estonia: prevalence, incidence, clinical characteristics, and pharmacoepidemiology’ (University of Tartu, Estonia) 1985 – MD, University of Tartu Professor Pille Taba is a Head of Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery and Head of Institute of Clinical Medicine of the University of Tartu, President of the Estonian Society of Neurologists and Neurosurgeons, and Head of the Neurology Commission for the Ministry of Social Affairs. She serves as a Chair of the European Section and a member of the International Executive Committee of the International Movement Disorders Society, a Co-Chair of the Panel on Movement Disorders of the European Academy of Neurology, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group of Neurology of the European Medicines Agency. Pille Taba was graduated from the University of Tartu, Estonia, and received her postgraduate medical training at the University of Vienna, the University College London, the Karlstad University Hospital, and the Minneapolis Clinic of Neurology. Her research interests have been focused on movement disorders including variable aspects of Parkinson’s disease, toxic parkinsonism, and infections of the central nervous system. She has broad research contacts, among them collaboration with the University College London, University of Helsinki, and Uppsala University. Pille Taba has been an invited speaker at many international congresses and educational courses.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 2
Ülle Krikmann 2005–… University of Tartu, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Assistant Professor in Neurology 2004–… Tartu University Hospital, Department of Neurology, Neurologist 2002–2004 member of the board of the Estonian Genome Project Foundation 1995–2002 head of the social and health care department in Jõgeva County Government 1987–2001 Jõgeva hospital, neurologist 1986 – MD, University of Tartu, Estonia Ülle Krikmann is working as neurologist in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery and as assistant professor Institute of Clinical Medicine of the University of Tartu. Ülle Krikmann is a member of the Estonian Society of Neurologists and Neurosurgeons, and Estonian Movement Disease Society, member of the board of Estonian Parkinson Disease Association. Ülle Krikmann was graduated from the University of Tartu, Estonia, and received her postgraduate medical training at the University of Paracelsus, in Salzburg, at the Minneapolis Clinic of Neurology. Her research interests have focused on movement disorders including quality of life aspects of Parkinson’s disease and palliative care of neurodegenerative diseases.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 3
Riina Runnel
University of Tartu, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Dentistry, Lecturer in Oral and Dental Diseases. Dental Clinic Blendent – Private practice, dentist Teaching: Lecturer in Oral and Dental Diseases, University of Tartu, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Dentistry.
Manager
Director, Thomas Nilsen
Executive Masters of management. Education in pedagogics, sports and guidance counselling, and as officer from Norwegian army special forces (cavalry).
Education manager who has been working with education and training since 1990.
Previosly 10 years as coach of the Norwegian national karate team and currently member of the Norwegian karate technical committee.
Has been running a large number of EU funded development projects for the last 20 years
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 3
Gareth Davies– BA (Hons)
Executive Director and founder member of the European Cleft Organisation. Gareth Davies has worked as a leader and innovator in the voluntary sector nationally and internationally for most of his career, working in the fields of human rights, homelessness, and disadvantaged children. His current interest in developing better practices for treating children born with clefts began in 1995 when he became the first CEO of the UK Cleft Lip and Palate Association. He was a key member of the UK government advisory committee on cleft care, which recommended and subsequently oversaw the development of UK centres of excellence in cleft care, working from a full multidisciplinary perspective.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 2
Steve Smith, Associate Professor, SFHEA, MPhil, BSc PGCE, RN, Specialises in teaching neuropathophysiology and neurological care; Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy.
Steve Smith is a Link lecturer to clinical areas providing care for people with neurological disorders (2002-current).
Clinical Background: Nurse Manager and Clinical Educator for care facilities for young adults with wide-ranging neurological disorders (1994-2002).
Extensive international presentations on Neurological Care / Huntington’s Disease. Co-led a collaborative project (UEA, UK and Ekwendeni Nursing School, Malawi,) in 2012, developing a Nurse Mentorship programme.
Manager
Marios Argyrides, PhD, Chair of the Psychology Department, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology
Marios Argyrides is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Neapolis University and a Licensed Psychologist in Cyprus. He is also the Head of his Department. He has worked as an instructor and researcher at universities in USA and Cyprus. He currently teaches multicultural psychology, psychology of appearance, sexuality and trains the new masters level psychologists at his university. He is also involved in several COST and Erasmus+ projects such as nEUROcare – a European initiative for capacity building to meet the challenges of caring for people with neurodegenerative disorders in Sri Lanka, EUROTEQ – clinical measurement literacy for EUROpean Transparency and EQuality in health, and Act Now – A training program development for healthcare professionals to use the principles of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to facilitate patient adjustment to the challenges of living with a visible difference. Marios is also the Director of the Eating and Appearance Research Laboratory (EARL) at Neapolis University. He has published several articles and specialized books whilst also presenting at international conferences. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Counseling Psychology. He is also a professional member of the Cyprus Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association. Finally, he is the consulting psychologist of the non-profit organization MediCleft that supports patients with Cleft and Craniofacial abnormalities.
Researcher 2
Dr Loukia Taxitari, Lecturer in Experimental Psychology,
D.Phil. in Experimental Psychology
Loukia Taxitari is a Lecturer in Experimental Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Neapolis University. In 2009, she received a PhD in Experimental Psychology and, in 2004, an M.Phil. in General Linguistics from the University of Oxford, UK. She specializes in language acquisition and development, and various methods to investigate it. She has worked as a post-doctoral researcher in Cyprus (University of Cyprus and Cyprus University of Technology), Germany (University of Potsdam) and Italy (CNR, Pisa), employing different techniques to the study of language in various populations. She has adapted the MacArthur-Bates CDI to Cypriot Greek and she has been working on the development of novel methodologies for the study of language, such as tablet apps. She has taught extensively in public and private universities in Cyprus as a part-time lecturer and she has published several articles and chapters in specialized books whilst also presenting at international conferences. She is also a reviewer for peer-reviewed journals and the annual CogSci conference. She is passionate about the communication of science to the public and has been involved in various types of activities promoting science and its understanding.
Since 2022 she has been involved in the project “nEUROcare – a European initiative for capacity building to meet the challenges of caring for people with neurodegenerative disorders in Sri Lanka”. Erasmus+. Project Code: 2020-EAC-A02-2019-CBHE.
Researcher 4
Elly Anastasiades Loizou, Associate Researcher, Eating and Appearance Research Laboratory, Neapolis University Pafos
Elly Anastasiades is a Research Associate for the Eating and Appearance Research Laboratory at Neapolis University Pafos in Cyprus. Her education and training is in the field of Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy, which she is currently actively practicing. She is also the Journal Manager for the European Journal of Counselling Psychology. Elly has published her work in international journals and has presented at various international conferences worldwide. Her principal research interests lie in understanding body image and eating behavior within different cultural and subcultural contexts. In addition, Elly has been involved in various community projects around the world, supporting underprivileged people from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds including in Zambia, South Africa and Malaysia.
Researcher 1
Androula Christodoulou, Psy.D.
Director of SKEPSI, Coordinator of MSc in Clinical Psychology,
Lecturer in Clinical Psychology,
Dr. Andri Christodoulou is the Director of the Counseling Center for Research and Psychological Services (SKEPSI) and a Lecturer in Clinical Psychology in the graduate Counseling Psychology program at Neapolis University of Pafos (NUP). She is also a practicing Registered Clinical Psychologist in the Register of Professional Psychologists in Cyprus, working with adults, adolescents and children. She holds a Doctorate degree in Clinical-Child Psychology and a Master’s degree in School Psychology from Pace University, and a Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in New York, USA. She has worked as a Lecturer at Pace University and Long Island University. She has also worked at various psychotherapeutic centers for children and adolescents in New York and was the Clinical Coordinator at a Residential Treatment Facility for adolescents. She has acted as a consultant at the Private American School of Pafos and is currently a member and advisor of the Dr. Yiota Demetriou, Dancing Queen Foundation, which aims to provide multifaceted services to children and adolescents. Dr. Andri Christodoulou is a member of the Cyprus Psychologists Association and the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Andri Christodoulou research and publications surround the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health and resiliency. Additionally, she has been involved as a partner in various European Erasmus+ and Cost projects since 2018 including nEUROcare, EUROTEQ, Gynocare, Act Now and European Cleft and Craniofacial Initiative for Equality in Care.
Researcher 3
Dr. Marilena Mousoulidou, Assistant Professor of Cognitive Psychology, PhD
Marilena Mousoulidou is an Assistant Professor in Cognitive Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Neapolis University Pafos. She received her PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Leicester, UK (2010) and her BSc in Psychology from the University of Derby, UK (2004). She has taught various psychology modules for undergraduate and postgraduate students since 2010. Her main areas of teaching are Cognitive, Developmental and Forensic Psychology. She is also the Program Coordinator of the BSc in Psychology at Neapolis University Pafos, which involves developing the curriculum and upkeeping the program, leading, advising, and assisting the faculty and staff.
Her primary research interests focus on the developmental course of reading comprehension, examining the factors that affect one’s mental health across the lifespan, and examining forensic issues from the perspective of psychology. She has published articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented her research at many scientific conferences. You can access her work here: www.researchgate.net/profile/Marilena-Mousoulidou
She also participated in COST and Erasmus+ research programs in Europe and is therefore aware of the importance of collaborating with multidisciplinary and multicultural teams to achieve the program’s goals successfully. Currently, she participates in: (1) Erasmus+ “nEUROcare – a European initiative for capacity building to meet the challenges of caring for people with neurodegenerative disorders in Sri Lanka”, (2) Erasmus+ “EUROTEQ – clinical measurement literacy for EUROpean Transparency and EQuality in health”, (3) COST European Action CA18117 “GYNOCARE – European Network for Gynaecological Rare Cancer Research: From Concept to Cure”.
Manager
Prof. dr. Gorazd Drevenšek
gorazd.drevensek@mf.uni-lj.si
Gorazd Drevenšek is pharmacologist, a professor and researcher at University of Ljubljana and University of Primorska, Koper. At present, he is involved in interdisciplinary projects combining the knowledge of pharmacology and neuroscience to psychology, physiology, and social work in neurodegenerative diseases research. He is focused on innovative approaches for neurodegenerative diseases’ studies. Through successful interdisciplinary integration, he contributes to the introduction of comprehensive approaches of caring for patients to the care practice.
His main research interests are pharmacology, neuroscience and neurobiology. At the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, he is the head of the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. In his laboratory, he conducts also research coupling psychopharmacology with EEG and autonomic nervous system-based studies. He teaches the subjects of Psychopharmacology, Molecular Basis of Neurodegeneration and Psychopharmacology of Mental Disorders for students of Biopsychology and Psychology at the University of Primorska in Koper, Slovenia. He was supervisor to 4 PhD students of medicine, dental medicine and pharmacy and is currently a supervisor or co-supervisor to another 4 PhD students. He supervised over 100 masters and undergraduate students of Biopsychology, Cognitive science, Medicine and Dental medicine, Psychology, Pharmacy and Biology.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 2
Katarina Galof, PhD, Occupational Therapy
With her research work, Katarina contributes to the development of community long-term care services in Slovenia and contributes to appropriate adaptations of living spaces to preserve the independence of older people in their home environment. Her research areas thus include the fields of occupational therapy, gerontic occupational therapy, senior assistive devices and technology, interprofessional collaboration in health care, community care and dementia.
Pedagogically, Katarina is a lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ljubljana, where she teaches the subject of occupational therapy.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 4
Jakob Sajovic, MSc, PhD student
Jakob is a PhD student of neuroscience, at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana. He is employed at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. His research area is coupling measures of physiological activity and psychological assessment measures.
In teaching, he is involved in the practical exercise of three subjects: Psychopharmacology, undergraduate studies, Pharmacology of Mental Disorders, master studies, and Molecular Basis of Neurodegeneration, Master studies, at the University of Primorska. He had also taught a course in EEG (electroencephalography) data analysis for the Urgench State University of Uzbekistan.
His research is oriented on EEG/fNIRS studies, behavioral studies and psychopharmacology as well as clinical studies in oncological and cleft palate patients.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 1
Jurij Bon, MD, PhD, psychiatrist
Jurij focuses his research interests on developing diagnostic methods and individualized treatments for psychiatric disorders, by combining descriptive and phenomenological psychopathology, cognitive neuroscience methods and novel treatments like non-invasive brain stimulation. He treats patients with chronic psychiatric disorders, e.g. treatment resistant affective disorders and psychotic disorders.
After completing his PhD studies of biomedicine at the University of Ljubljana, he currently holds the position of Assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of University of Ljubljana and teaches at various undergraduate and postgraduate study programs at the Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Psychology at University of Ljubljana.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 3
Anamarija Kejžar, PhD, social worker
Anamarija is active in the research fields of dementia-related quality of life, non-pharmacological approaches to the care for people with dementia, dementia-friendly environments, palliative care, information technology aids for people with dementia, the development and implementation of e-care and the field of quality of services in long-term care.
Pedagogically, she teaches the subjects Social Work with People with Dementia, Social Work Model of Dementia, Help for the Dying and Grieving, and Social Work with the Elderly at the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Ljubljana.
She was the director of 2 care homes – a public home for the elderly and a private home for the elderly. In her career, she introduces innovative approaches for special care for dementia patients to the homes of elderly, leads applied student projects, and cooperates with the Social Chamber of Slovenia. She was the first to introduce integrated care for people with dementia in Slovenia and has built innovative services and spatial designs for people with dementia. Through her work, she significantly contributes to the improvement of the quality of life of people with dementia. She was also the executive producer of a Slovenian film about dementia entitled “Forget me not”. For her role as the director of the Home for elderly DPU Tržič, she has received the award for innovation and ethics of the Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
Professor ZVEZDAN PIRTOŠEK, MD, PhD
Professor Zvezdan Pirtošek is Full Professor of Neurology and Professor of Cognitive neuroscience and is currently serving as Head of neurology at the Medical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and as Head of the Research Unit at the Neurology Clinic, University Medical Centre Ljubljana.
He did his postgraduate studies and subspecialisation in neurodegenerative disorders and cognitive neurophysiology at the National Hospital of Neurology Queen Square & University College London Institute of Neurology.
In Slovenia, Professor Pirtošek established the profile of specialized PD nurse, he is a co-founder of TREPETLIKA, the Slovene Association of Patients with Parkinson’s Disease, current head of the Brain Council of Slovenia and current head of The Medical Council of Spominčica, Alzheimer Slovenia. He founded the Centre for Movement Disorders, Centre for Cognitive Disorders, and Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. He is active internationally and serves as a member of the management board of the EU Joint programme Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND).
His main research interests include neurodegenerative diseases, particulary Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, and cognitive neuroscience.
For his contribution in the field of dementia President of the Republic distinguished him with The Order of Merit of Republic of Slovenia.
Manager
Dr. HDWT Damayanthi Dassanayake
Senior Lecturer
BSc(Nursing), MSN(Nursing admin),MSc(Food & Nutri), PhD (Nursing Sciences), RN
Dr Damayanthi is a Senior Lecturer attached to the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya. She teaches Leadership and Management in Nursing, Nutrition and Dietetics, Nursing Theory and Practice and Qualitative Research Methods for undergraduate nursing students.
Her research interest areas are geriatric nursing, nutrition, nursing management and leadership and health literacy. She has published numerous papers in peer reviewed journals and presented her work in international research symposia. She is a principal investigator/collaborator of several University Research Grants as well as international projects. Moreover, she contributed as a reviewer of more than 20 international peer reviewed journals. She serves as an editorial member of several research magazines and proceedings.
She is an active member in supervising undergraduate nursing students as well as pharmacy students. Currently she supervises several masters and MPhil students. Her work goes beyond the faculty level and she contributes various other faculties, post graduate institutions and other universities as an examiner, visiting lecturer, guest lecturer, and research supervisor. She has served as a chairperson/evaluator of numerous international research conferences. Currently, Dr Damayanthi is responsible for the work of Director of the University Research Council and the Chairperson of the Faculty Research Committee. She hold membership in several committees including Curriculum Development Committee. Higher Degree Committee and Faculty Strategic Planning and Monitoring Committee. She has worked as a coordinator/secretary of the curriculum revision committee of the department of nursing and actively engaged in development of new course modules and revision of existing modules of the new curriculum of nursing undergraduates. She is a member of the curriculum development of masters in nursing program and contributed for the development of a few modules in the curriculum.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 2
Dr. AMSD Pathiranage
Senior Lecturer RN, BSc N, PhD
Dr Deepanie Pathiranage is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. She is a nursing educator and nursing researcher. As a teacher, Dr Pathiranage contributes to improving the quality of patient care by incorporating best practice standards and evidence-based practice into her teaching strategies. Research methodology, Ethics in research, Nursing Theory and Practice, Pediatric Nursing and Maternal Health are the highlighted teaching areas of Dr Pathiranage. She is the clinical training coordinator in the BSc nursing program at the University of Peradeniya, and she makes an effort to produce competent nursing professionals to provide effective nursing care to patients in all development stages, including elderly patients. Further, she has actively participated in the curriculum development of the BSc nursing programme and Master’s degree programme of the University of Peradeniya.
Through scientific nursing research, she contributes to upraising the professional status of nursing in Sri Lanka, and she disseminates knowledge in the field of nursing by publishing the study findings. Qualitative and mixed method research, Paediatric Nursing, Maternal Health, Nursing Education and person-centred Care are the preferred areas of research studies. She is currently engaging in supervising undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students. She was awarded grants from University Grant Commission Sri Lanka (GC/DRIC/PG/2014 AUG/PDN/01) and Research Grants of the University of Peradeniya (URG/2014/11/AHS; URG/2022/14/AHS) to uplift the field of nursing research. Further, she serves the field of study by providing service as the secretary, Ethics Research Committee, Faculty of Allied Health Science, University of Peradeniya
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 1
Dr UWS Rathnayake
Senior lecturer/Head of Department
RN, BScN (Hons), MScN (by Research), PhD
Dr. Sarath Rathnayake is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing and the Head of the Department, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
Sarath’s teaching interests include Gerontological Nursing, Neuro-care Nursing and Nursing Informatics.
Sarath’s research expertise includes dementia care, disability management, eHealth and mHealth and mixed method research. His research has focused on identifying evidence for best practices in the care of older people, especially people with dementia and their carers. He has investigated the evidence for using mHealth interventions to manage the functional disabilities of people with dementia. He is also interested in cross-cultural validation of survey tools and conducting systematic reviews to appraise current evidence.
He has a well-established publication record and has achieved several local and international awards, including Presidential Award for high-quality publications. As an early career researcher, he has completed several honours and Master Level student projects.
He has severed as a peer reviewer for 19 peer-reviewed journals and several local and international conferences. He is a section editor (Nursing) of the Sri Lankan Journal of Health Sciences.
He has contributed to several curriculum development activities, including designing BScN and MScN curricula, developing new modules (Gerontological Nursing and Nursing Informatics modules for the BScN programme and Qualitative Research module for the MScN programme) and reviewing several undergraduate courses.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 3
D.A.R.K. Dasanayaka, Lecturer (Probationary), B.Sc. in Physiotherapy, M.Sc. in Rehabilitation Sciences, M.Sc. in Applied Statistics
Renuka Dasanayaka is a Lecturer attached to the Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya since 2019. She was graduated in 2014 and served as a Temporary Lecturer as well as Physiotherapist in same department since 2015. Her field of research interests are neurological rehabilitation, cardiorespiratory rehabilitation, community based rehabilitation and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. She has awarded with best oral presenter at 3rd South Asian Conference on Interdisciplinary research (2021) and 2nd South Asian Conference on Multidisciplinary research (2019). She provides her service to the community by participating in workshops and clinics as a resource person.
Further she served as assistant deputy proctor of the faculty as well as severed in membership in different subcommittees in the faculty. Moreover she has given her contribution for the development of the Masters in Physiotherapy curriculum and for the revision of B.Sc. in Physiotherapy curriculum of the faculty.
She is with inspiration of giving maximum contribution to the department, faculty and the community for its development.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 4
B.R.G.T.K. Weerasingha, BSc (Hons) in Nursing, RN
Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences
Ms. Weerasinghe has been serving as a Lecturer to the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya since 2019 and she has more than three years of teaching experiences in the field of Nursing. She is a Registered Nurse of the Sri Lanka Nursing Council since 2017 (Reg No: 13225). She is currently pursuing an MPhil in the field of Maternity Nursing. Her interested research areas are maternity nursing, women’s health, nursing education, and geriatric care. She won the ‘’Outstanding oral presentation award’’ at the 23rd East Asian Forum of Nursing Scholars, Chiang Mai University, Thailand in 2020. She also won the best presenter (oral) at the Sri Lanka Dental Association Annual Scientific Sessions in 2017. She was awarded with University Research Grants in 2019 (Grant No: URG/2019/03/AHS) for the MPhil study. She was a member of the Curriculum Revision Committee, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya (2020-2021). She is currently a member of the nEUROcare project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union – a European Initiative for capacity building to meet the challenges of caring for people with neurodegenerative disorders in Sri Lanka (Erasmus+ CBHE Join Project).
Manager
Professor Sudath Warnakulasuriya, Dean, Faculty of Nursing , University of Colombo
Prof. Sudath Shirley Pathmasiri Warnakulasuriya is the Professor in Nursing and Dean of the Faculty of Nursing of the university of Colombo. He entered the nursing profession in 1987. He holds a BSc with second class upper division Honours in Nursing from the Open University of Sri Lanka, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Adelaide in Australia, and a PhD from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
During the past 23 years, he has been mainly teaching nursing research, psychology, psychiatric nursing and communication skills. During his professional journey, Prof. Warnakulasuriya has received 16 awards including three presidential awards for his research, three professional awards with the prestigious lifetime “Florence Nightingale Award” two, senate wards for research and vice-chancellor’s research excellence award. He has a h-index of 10 and his work has been cited more than 800 times. He has involved many curriculum development committees at university level related to nursing and curriculum review committees in the ministry higher education. Professor Warnakulasuriya had been involved in teacher student exchange program with Kristianstad university Sweden for 08 years under an EU project when he was serving in University of Sri Jayewardenepura. nEUROcare project is the first initiative of professor Warnakulasuriya when he joined the Faculty of Nursing University of Colombo in in20218.Currently professor Warnakulasuriya represent Faculty of Nursing University of Colombo as the manager of the nEUROcare project and country coordinator. Presently Professor Warnakulasuriya is a member of Sri Lanka Nursing council and also, he is the member of two scientific steering committees established by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), Geneva, Switzerland. His research interests are nursing education, aged care, and work and health.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 2
M.G.A. Shiroma Malkanthie, Senior Lecturer-Grade II , (B.Sc Nursing -Open University Sri Lanka, MSc Nursing-Inje University, South Korea, CTHE with SEDA-UK)
Ms. M.G.A. Shiroma Malkanthie has started her career as a government nursing officer. Gradually she appointed as a nurse educator in National school of nursing Sri Jayewardenepura and as a senior lecturer, Department of Fundamentals of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing University of Colombo. She has eighteen years’ experience in teaching in the nursing schools, private Universities and the Government University (Colombo).
Bsc Nursing, MSc Nursing, Dip. In teaching & supervision, Diploma in Psychiatric and mental health nursing (India), Cognitive behavior therapy, and counseling are some of her professional qualifications. She has enough experiences in teaching nursing related subjects both in theory and practice- Introduction of Nursing, Fundamentals of Nursing 1 (Theory & Practice), Fundamentals of Nursing 11 (Theory & Practice), Fundamentals of Nursing 111(Theory & Practice), Pharmacology -1, Socio-Cultural Aspects in Nursing, Health Assessment (Practice), community health nursing and Mental health nursing. She has experiences in teaching Gynecological nursing, obstetric nursing, medical and surgical nursing, psychology, Anatomy & physiology, pediatric nursing, Basic midwifery, and Theater nursing as a nurse educator.
Her major research area is health promotion and adult health nursing. (Shiroma, M & Shin S.Y (2017). Convergence Relationships among Nutrition Knowledge, Health Beliefs, Self-efficacy, and Diet Management Behaviors in Persons with Hypertension in Sri Lanka. Journal of Digital Convergence, 15(8): 235-245). She has awarded honors scholarship from Inje University South Korea for her Master’s degree and a travel grant. She gives her contribution to the faculty as the permanent student counselor, Faculty Coordinator Career Guidance, Member sport advisory committee, Member Library committee, and as a member student welfare committee. She contributed for revising curriculum (Fundamentals of nursing II- Theory & Practice).At present she is involving in developing course modules related to neuro degenerative disorders as a member of the nEUROCare project (Kristianstad University, Sweden).
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 1
Dr. G Kisokanth
Senior Lecturer, Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, University of Colombo
Qualification – BSc (Hons)in Nursing, RN, PhD
Dr. Gnanaselvam Kisokanth works as an academic from 2011 to date. Dr. G Kisokanth received his postgraduate qualifications such as PG Certificate in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Colombo and PhD in Diabetes Care from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. At present, he serves the University of Colombo as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, University of Colombo.
Dr. Kisokanth’s expertise includes Diabetes Nurse Case management and Diabetes Education. He has published a book on “Diabetes and Society’ in Tamil language and numerous research articles in local and internationally reputed journals. He received university research grants and completed many educational and community related studies. Further, he received Vice-Chancellor Awards, Senate awards for Research Excellence. In addition, he has supervised many Master thesis in MSc Nursing and currently supervising a PhD degree at Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 3
Mrs. H.M.C.M. Herath
Lecturer
Diploma in Nursing, Diploma in midwifery, Diploma in Management and Supervision, BSc(hons) in Nursing, MSc (Food and Nutrition), MPM(SLIDA) Reading
She entered into the nursing profession in 1987 and completed her basic nursing diploma at the School of Nursing Kurunegala. Then, she was recruited as a registered nurse by the Ministry of Health in 1991 and appointed to De Soyza Maternity Hospital. She worked as a nurse in different clinical areas and obtained experiences in the handling of neonates, children, critically ill patients, mechanically ventilated patients, and patients who are having cardiac problems.
In 1998 she had been selected from the competitive examination for training on management and supervision (Grade 1 Nursing Officer -Hospital services) at Post Basic College of Nursing, Ministry of Health. In 2000 she completed a Diploma in Management and Supervision and diploma in Midwifery. And thereafter she got the appointment to the Teaching Hospital, Kandy as a Grade 1 Nursing Officer (Hospital Services) and she was assigned to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit as a Unit Manager. After seven years of experience, she was promoted as a nursing officer special grade and served to the health ministry as a chief nursing officer for 11 years.
She successfully completed her BSc Nursing degree in 2008 from Open University Sri Lanka with upper-class honor. Thereafter, she has been lecturing as a visiting academic at Open University of Sri Lanka since 2009 and KAATSU international university since 2013. Then she obtained a Master in Sciences (Food & Nutrition) from the Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya.
She has many national and international training and experiences, especially international training in Sweden, China, and India. After 33 years of experience in nursing at different levels and various workplaces, she joined the academic staff as a Lecturer to the Department of Clinical Nursing of the Faculty of Nursing, the University of Colombo in 2021.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 2
Mrs. WARP Menike
Diploma in Nursing, Diploma in midwifery
Diploma in Teaching and Supervision
BSc(Hons) in Nursing, MSc (Nursing)
Ms W.A. Rupa Pathmini Menike successfully completed her BSc Nursing degree in 2008 from Open University Sri Lanka with upper-class honor. She received her Masters in Nursing from the Open University of Malaysia.
She started her nursing career as a nursing officer in National Hospital Sri Lanka in 1989. She completed the Diploma in Teaching and Supervision and Diploma in Midwifery in 1999. She contributed her service to the College of Nursing Kurunagala, the School of Nursing Kandana and the National College of Nursing Sri Jayawardenepura. She was then appointed as the Principal of the college of Nursing Mulleriyawa, and she has experience in school administration, teaching and supervision in nursing education. During her 39-year period of the nursing profession, she was exposed to many foreign training and visits such as counter-part training in nursing education in Japan for 3 months (2001), training in nursing pedagogy in Singapore (2016) and educational visits in South Korea and Malaysia. (2015). Thereafter, she served as a visiting academic at KAATSU International University since 2015.
Ms W.A. Rupa Pathmini Menike is a registered nurse midwife, and she is a member of the Sri Lanka Nurses Association and the Graduate Nurses Foundation. She accomplished her service as a nursing officer, nursing educator and Principal of a nursing school; she joined as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Fundamentals of Nursing of the Faculty of Nursing, the University of Colombo in 2018. She received a university research grant in 2020 and contributed as a research reviewer at local and international nursing conferences and journals. She is currently a member of the nEUROcare project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union – a European Initiative for capacity building to meet the challenges of caring for people with neurodegenerative disorders in Sri Lanka. She has worked as a secretary of the curriculum revision committee of the Faculty of Nursing and is actively engaged in the development of new course modules and revision of existing modules of the new curriculum of nursing undergraduates.
Manager and Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 1
Dr. Nirmala Rathnayake, BSc Nursing (Hons) (SJP), PhD in Nursing (RUH)
Senior lecturer, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka.
Dr. Rathnayake is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing, at University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. She completed her BSc Nursing Hons (special) degree at University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka in 2010. Thereafter, she completed her PhD in Nursing in University of Ruhuna. She teaches Fundamentals of Nursing, Surgical Nursing, Research methods, Statistics & Epidemiology, Community Health Nursing and Nutrition & Dietetics for BSc Nursing undergraduate since 2013. Apart from teaching, she has engaged in Curriculum Development and Revision, Programme Review, Quality Assurance, Research and Sports activities by contributing as a member, convener and chairperson of different committees.
She has experienced in several research projects in Geriatrics, Sarcopenia & Frailty, Menopause, Psychometric properties of tools and Nursing education. Under these projects, she has published more than 20 peer reviewed journal articles and more than 70 abstracts while publishing her work in different other means too such as books, newsletters and book chapters. Under these projects, she has won several prestigious awards such as most outstanding young scholar of the University of Ruhuna in year 2022 and the most outstanding PhD scholar of University of Ruhuna in year 2020. Apart from them her presentations done at several fora awarded with best oral and poster presentations. She has done two orations, one at the Annual Academic Sessions of University of Ruhuna (2021) and Annual Academic Sessions of Sri Lankan Association Geriatric Medicine (2022) based on her research work.
She is currently a council member of the Sri Lankan Association Geriatric Medicine and a member of Graduate Nurses Foundation. Apart from these, she is actively contributing for the development of other Sri Lankan institutions such as KAARTS International University, Westgate College and Open University of Sri Lanka by contributing in several ways including teaching, research and assessments.
Currently, she is working as a Manager and Trainer/Researcher for nEUROcare project funded by the Erasmus + EU project.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 3
Dr Bimba Ivanthi Wickramarachchi, BSc (Hons), M Phil, PhD
Head/Senior Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna, Galle, Sri Lanka
Dr. Wickramarachchi joined the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences in 2009 as a lecturer in nursing after 10 years of work at the Ministry of Health as a nursing officer and a tutor. She graduated from the Open University of Sri Lanka in 2008 with a BSc in nursing degree with honors, and completed her PhD in Nursing at University Sarawak Malaysia in 2021. She has 13 years of experience as an academic member in nursing and as a visiting lecturer and examiner for other universities and Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka. Heath education and promotion, fundamentals of research in nursing, pediatric nursing and clinical nursing are my teaching areas. She has been involved in nursing research in the fields of aging, mental health, NCD and health services. She has published many papers and presented abstracts in several national and international journals and scientific conferences. She is mastered a number of statistical data analyzing packages including SPSS and AMOS and have a good ability in quantitative data analysis. She has more than 10 years of administrative and management experience in nursing in government health sector and in the university sector. She has also been involved in curriculum development, program reviewing and accreditation activities in nursing and other Allied Health Science degree programmes. She has been working as research project coordinator, course unit coordinator, ethics committee member and as the deputy senior student counselor. She was awarded the best presenter award in a number of conferences. Currently, she is working as a trainer/ researcher for nEUROcare project funded by the Erasmus + EU project.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 2
Dr. Thamudi Darshi Sundarapperuma BSc (Hons), PhD
Senior lecturer, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
Dr. Sundarapperuma is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing, at University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. She completed her B.Sc Nursing (Special) degree at University of Sri Jayewardenepura . Thereafter, she completed her PhD in University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Mainly, she teaches Psychiatry in nursing, psychology in nursing, fundamentals of research studies, and community nursing for the BSc. Nursing undergraduate since 2013.
She has engaged in several qualitative and quantitative research projects since her undergraduate period. Her main research areas are maternity care, medical education and geriatric care. She has presented her research findings in national and international scientific fora as oral and poster presentations and I disseminated her finding throughout the world by publishing them as articles in peer reviewed journals. Further, she has been awarded as the best presenter for the several conference.
She performs duties as a chair for the faculty research committee and as a committee member of different committees to the faculty as well as for the university besides to be a teacher, researcher, mentor, student counsellor and the research supervisor. Further, She is the faculty representative for the center for international affairs and she is the elective student coordinator and Japan internship program coordinator of the department of Nursing. She has been served as a coordinator and a member for several curriculum development meetings. Currently, she is working as a trainer/ researcher for nEUROcare project funded by the Erasmus + EU project.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher 4
Dr Pramudika Nirmani Kariyawasam, BSc (Hons), M Phil, PhD
Senior Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna, Galle, Sri Lanka
Dr. Nirmani obtained BSc Honours in Nursing degree with a second-class upper grade from University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 2013. She completed her MPhil at University of Ruhuna in 2019. Then she received a scholarship for her PhD in Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Japan and completed the PhD in rehabilitation sciences in 2021. Rehabilitation of patients with upper arm paresis and rehabilitation interventions for patients with neurological impairments are her major research interests. Moreover, she is interested in neurorehabilitation, rehabilitation of patients with chronic diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders. Currently, she is working as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna. She has been involved with curriculum revision and other faculty development programmes during her work period. She has published her research findings in several fora including local and international research conferences. Currently, she is working as a trainer/ researcher for nEUROcare project funded by the Erasmus + EU project.
Teacher/Trainer/Researcher
Ms. K. K. P. M. Kumari De Silva BSc (Hons), M .Phil.
Senior Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna, Galle, Sri Lanka
Ms. Silva joined the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences as a probationary lecturer in nursing in 2009. Before she joined the university, she worked at the Ministry of Health as a nursing officer and a clinical instructor. She was graduated from the Open University of Sri Lanka in 1998 with a BSc in nursing degree with honors, and completed her MPhil in Geriatric Nutrition at University of Ruhuna in 2017. She has 13 years of experience as an academic member in nursing and as a visiting lecturer for other universities and Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka. My teaching areas are fundamentals of research in nursing, pediatric nursing, gynecology and obstetrics in nursing. community health in nursing, nutrition in nursing and clinical nursing. She has been involved in nursing research in the fields of aging, mental health and geriatric nutrition. She has published several papers and presented abstracts in several national and international journals and scientific conferences. She has also been involved in curriculum development, program reviewing and accreditation activities in nursing in the university. She has been working as research project coordinator, course unit coordinator, ethics committee member and coordinator of staff development center. Currently, she is working as a trainer/ researcher for nEURO care project funded by the Erasmus + EU project.
Manager
Dr. H.M.P Herath
Ph.D. (USJ), BSc (Hons) Nur, RN (SLNC), CTHE (KDU),
Senior Lecturer, Department of Nursing & Midwifery,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, KDU
Dr. Prasanna Herath obtained his B.Sc. (Hons) Nursing degree in 2011 from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and his Ph.D. (Medical Education and Health Science) in 2021 from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. His research focused on the therapeutic implications of tobacco smoking in conjunction with a smoking cessation counseling program. This is the first quantitative and qualitative study on nicotine addiction and cessation to be done in South Asia. This study used biomarkers to evaluate smoking severity among Sri Lankan smokers, and baseline cutoff values for Sri Lankan smokers were established. Based on his findings, he has published in a number of prestigious high-impact peer-reviewed journals and has served as a reviewer for Scientific Reports Journal. The FAOPS physiological conference in Japan awarded him the Young Scientists award in 2019.
He is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing attached to the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, KDU, and have been working in the University since 2014. He has made significant contributions to the development of the department and has chaired various faculty-organized events. He has served as an external lecturer, clinical examiner, and research paper reviewer for a number of universities. He is a member of the subcommittee on “Cessation and Prevention of Tobacco and Alcohol” ,National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (N.A.T.A.), Sri Lanka. He is also a member of the First Aid Curriculum Revision Committee of the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority, Colombo (N.A.I.T.A.) , member of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the President of the Peradeniya University Graduate Nurses Association (P.N.G.A.). He is the Manager of KDU and a team member of the capacity building for higher education (CBHE) nEUROcare programme funded by the Erasmus+.
Team Members
Dr. Dinithi Vidanage
PhD, BSc Nursing (Hons), RN, CTHE
Senior Lecturer, Department of Nursing & Midwifery,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, KDU
Dr. Dinithi Vidanage completed her BSc (Hons) Nursing degree in 2011 at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and obtained her Ph.D. from the same university in 2021. She joined KDU as a Lecturer (probationary) in 2013 and currently works as a Senior Lecturer (Grade II) at the Department of Nursing & Midwifery, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, KDU. Her main teaching areas include Paediatric Nursing, Fundamentals of Nursing, Nursing Skills Practice, and she was previously involved in teaching Geriatric Nursing and Nursing Ethics for 05 years to undergraduates of Nursing. Her research interests are mainly based on ‘non-communicable diseases,’ ‘Paediatric Research,’ and ‘Nursing Education. In her research career, she has won the award for Best Oral Presentation twice, in 2017 and 2019. Furthermore, she has been awarded with 02 International Travel Awards to present the findings of her Ph.D. in international forums. Dr. Dinithi currently holds the position as the coordinator for the ‘Linneus Palme’ student-teacher exchange program between KDU and Kristianstad University, Sweden, while being a member of the nEUROcare project funded by Erasmus+.
Team Members
Mr. CKW Gamage
PhD (Reading), MSc in Nursing, BSc (Hons) in Nursing, RN (SLNC), CTHE
Mr. Chandima Kumara Walpita Gamage is a lecturer attached to the Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka. He is a registered nurse in Sri Lanka by his profession. He graduated from the BSc Nursing Degree programme at, the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna. Mr Gamage also obtains a Master’s in Nursing and a Higher National Diploma in Counselling. Mr Gamage is currently reading his Ph.D. titled “The development and assessment of a socio-culturally applicable health counselling intervention for improving adherence to physical activity, diet and medication in patients with ischemic heart disease in the selected hospitals in Galle district, Sri Lanka” in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. His teaching areas are Psychology, Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing and Medical Nursing and his major research interests are Psychocardiology, Preventive cardiology and nursing education. Mr Gamage has done many research publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. He has also written a book on “A Counselling Intervention for Improving Adherence to Physical Activity, Diet and Medication in Ischemic Heart Disease” based on his Ph.D. work. Moreover, he has made a tremendous contribution to the development of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, KDU by contributing to numerous committees and coordinating many events.
Team Members
Dr Kalpani Abhayasinghe,
RN (SLNC), PhD (UK), BSc (Hons) Nursing, Dip in Counselling & Psychothrapy, CTHE (KDU)
Head- Department of Nursing & Midwifery, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, KDU; Senior Lecturer (Grade II)
Kalpani Abhayasinghe is a senior lecturer in Nursing and the current Head of the Department of Nursing & Midwifery, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka. Her teaching areas include Mental Health Nursing, Geriatric Nursing, Family Nursing, Psychology, Ethics, Health Teaching and Learning, Health Promotion and Qualitative Research Methodology.
Kalpani completed her Ph.D. at the School of Primary, Community and Social Care, Keele University, UK, in 2020 which she explored ‘Views and experiences of informal caregivers of older adults with dementia in Sri Lanka’. Her research interests are mental health, health promotion, older adults, systematic reviews and qualitative research methodology. Kalpani is currently involved in several collaborative community-based health promotion programmes and research projects that include enhancing active aging; dementia care; and developing public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in COVID-19 prevention, NCD prevention and Early Childhood Care Development (ECCD), especially in the rural and Estate sector. Kalpani took the lead in developing a Clinical Mentorship Training Programme for Nurses in Sri Lanka. Kalpani is a honorary research associate at the Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social care, Sri Lanka, since 2014. She is also an executive committee member of the Professional Counselors’ Association, Sri Lanka and a member of Graduate Nurses’ Foundation, Sri Lanka.
Team Members
Ms. HSMSK Wijesiri, Lecturer, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, FAHS, KDU.
PHD Reading (UOC), MSc in Health Sciences (Sweden), PG Diploma in Research Methods and Allied Aspects (KDU), BSc (Hons) Nursing, RN (SLNC)
Ms. H.S.M.S.K. Wijesiri, is a Lecturer in Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kotelawala Defence University. Her teaching areas are Geriatric Nursing, Epidemiology, Gynecology and Obstetrics and Research Methodology. She has served as the Head of the Department, Nursing and Midwifery, FAHS, KDU, 2018-2020, academic coordinator and program coordinator for the Diploma in Naval Nursing, in 2017 and currently working as the student counsellor at FAHS since 2018. She was appointed as an external examiner for the clinical examinations of the BSc Nursing degree, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 2018. She was a member of the standing committee to prepare a core-curriculum of Nursing Degree and Subject Benchmark Committee on Nursing, conducted by UGC, 2013-2015. She is currently appointed as an advisory board member to the curriculum and by-law revision committee Diploma in Naval Nursing program, Welisara. She was the coordinator and visiting Academic of the Home-Based Care for Elderly Program conducted by Department of Health Sciences, The Open University of Sri Lanka, 2012-2013.
She is a young scientist in Gerontological and Educational research in nursing and has published in international journals and many local and international conferences. She received Young Educators Travel Award from FAOPS congress held in Kobe Japan in 2019. She attended as a Teacher for the Linnaeus-Palme Exchange program at the Kristianstad University, Sweden in 2019 and currently enrolled as a member of the nEUROcare project (Erasmus+Grant) for capacity building to meet the challenges of people with neurodegenerative disorders in Sri Lanka.
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