Professor Indika Karunathilake has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Colombo by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
He received the relevant letter of appointment from the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat today (23), according to the President’s Media Division (PMD).
He is the 20th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Colombo.
Indika Mahesh Karunathilake is the first ever professor in Medical Education at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
He is currently the Head of the Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo and the Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Karunathilake has conducted extensive research and authored over 100 publications in peer reviewed international journals and over 150 research presentations at international and national level.
He is a recipient of the President’s Award for Scientific Publications. He also serves as the editor-in-Chief of the South East Asian Journal of Medical Education (SEAJME).
In his capacity as a Medical Educationist, Prof. Indika Karunathilake has made significant contributions towards curriculum development, curriculum evaluation, staff development and introduction of new courses for all the Faculties of Medicine in Sri Lanka.
Prof. Karunathilake was the Secretary of the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) in 2008 and 2010 and the Vice President in 2014. He held the prestigious position of President SLMA during the most challenging period of 2020.
Prof. Karunathilake is the founder President of the College of Medical Educationists. He has made significant contribution towards at the regional and global level through several leading international organization such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH), Asia Pacific Action Alliance on Human Resources (AAAH) and South East Regional Association for Medical Education (SEARAME). He is currently the Secretary General of APACPH.
