| Prof. Veranja Liyanapathirana |
| Professor in Microbiology |
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Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Peradeniya. |
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veranja.liyanapathirana@med.pdn.ac.lk ,veranjacl@yahoo.com |
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https://scholar.google.com/citations |
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https://www.researchgate.net |
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https://orcid.org/ |
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| Educational / Professional Qualifications |
- MBBS (Peradeniya, 2006)
- MPhil (Peradeniya, 2011)
- PhD (CUHK, 2015)
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| Research interests |
- Main research interests are asymptomatic carriage of antibiotic non-susceptible microorganisms, molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial non susceptibility, Gram positive cocci and social determinants of antibiotic resistance.
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| Undergraduate Teaching, Training and Examination |
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya in Microbiology
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna (Visiting lecturer and examiner in 2020 - 2021)
- Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka (2024 - 2026)
- Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya - BSc Hons in Microbiology (lecturer and examiner)
- Faculty of Allied Health Science - research supervisor for BSc in Medical Laboratory Science, Nursing and BPharm programmes
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| Postgraduate Teaching, Training and Examination |
- Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya - MSc in Medical Microbiology (Module coordinator, teacher, examiner, research supervisor and research examiner)(2015 - 2023), PhDs - Examiner
- Higher Degrees Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya - Proposal evaluator and examiner for MPhils, trainer/supervisor
- Higher Degrees Committee, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Peradeniya - Proposal evaluator
- Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Sri Jayawardenapura - Examiner for PhDs
- Higher Degrees Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo - Examiner for PhDs
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| Supervision of Research Degrees / Research Components - Completed |
| Master of Philosophy |
- Pneumococcal colonization in health and respiratory disease among a group of Sri Lankan children between 2 months to 2 years - 2023 (Main supervisor)
- Nasal Colonization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae in Kindergarten-Aged Children Attending Selected Immunization Clinics in Central Province, Sri Lanka - 2026 (Main supervisor)
- Common viral and bacterial aetiologies of clinically suspected central nervous system infection in Central, North Central and Southern Sri Lanka - 2026 (Main supervisor)
- Detection of colonization with selected antibiotic-resistant bacteria in pregnant mothers admitted for delivery at a tertiary care center in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka - 2025 (Main supervisor)
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| MSc in Medical Microbiology conducted by the Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka |
- Molecular mechanisms of resistance and clonality of multi-drug resistant Gram negative isolates obtained from an Intensive Care Unit with high antibiotic pressure – 2015 (Main supervisor)
- Maternal and neonatal colonization with potential pathogens of neonatal sepsis in a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka – 2016 (Main supervisor)
- Molecular mechanisms of carbapenem resistance among enterobacteriaceae isolated at Teaching Hospital, Batticoloa - 2017 (Co-supervisor)
- Comparison of antibiotic susceptibility and biofilm formation ability of acinetobacters of community and hospital origin – 2019 (Main supervisor)
- Colonization with antibiotic resistant bacteria among healthy young adults in University of Peradeniya – 2019 (Main supervisor)
- Bacterial contamination of mobile phones among a groups of young adults in Kandy, Sri Lanka – 2019 (Co-supervisor)
- Molecular characterization of selected antibiotic resistant bacteria isolated from healthy young adults – 2022 (Main supervisor)
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| MD in Medical Microbiology conducted by the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo |
- Optimization of a multiplex PCR for the confirmation of aetiological agents of acute bacterial meningitis – 2019 (Co-supervisor)
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| Research Grants |
| Ongoing |
- ANSO - "A Belt and Road platform to track and tackle MRSA disease and carriage, elucidating their antimicrobial and biocide resistance, genetic diversity and transmission dynamics between humans, animals and the environment" - Sri Lankan PI University of Peradeniya Reseach Grant URG/MED/2026/05
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| Completed |
- Investigator Initiated Grant from Pfizer (WI216471) worth USD 40000 to study pneumococcal colonization in Children.
- University of Peradeniya Research Grant (URG/2016/96/M) to study asymptomatic colonization of university students with selected antibiotic resistant organisms. Grant worth SLR 400000.
- Co-Investigator to a grant awarded to Prof Margaret Ip, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, by the Hong Kong (no CU-15-B4) titled Next generation sequence-based detection and characterization of multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.
- Start-up grant offered by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya (RG/EF/2015/04) on a project titled “Maternal and neonatal colonization by multi-resistant Gram negative bacteria”. - S
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| Scholarships / Medals / Awards |
- International Society for Infectious Diseases and Institute of BioMuerex award for contribution for antimicrobial resistance – 2020
- Bill and Melinda Gates award for young investigator – 2020
- Presidential award for Scientific Publications – 2012, 2017, 2018
- Best Oral Presentation, 3rd Place. Annual Academic Sessions of the Sri Lanka College of Microbiologists 2019 for abstract titled Pneumococcal colonization in two groups of Sri Lankan children between 2 months to 2 years.
- Programme book grant to attend the 29th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases scheduled to be held in April 2019 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Competitive travel grant to attend the 11th International Symposium on Pneumococci and Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD 2018 held in April 2018 in Melbourne, Australia)
- Paedictric Infectious Diseases Society Fellowship and grant to attend the 10th Congress of the World Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases (WSPID 2017) in Shenzhen, China – December 2017.
- Best Oral Presentation award – Day 1, Annual Academic Sessions of the Sri Lanka College of Microbiologists 2017 for abstract titled Typing of Gram negative bacteria obtained from respiratory specimens in an Intensive Care Unit.
- Competitive selection with travel grant to represent Sri Lanka in attending the 5th year reunion of attending the Young Physician Leaders programme and the 69th World Health Assembly organized by the Inter-Academy Medical Panel, World Health Summit and the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers and Medical Universities, Geneva, Switzerland, May 2016
- Competitive selection with travel grant to represent Sri Lanka in attending the Young Physician Leaders programme organized by the Inter-Academy Medical Panel, World Health Summit and the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers and Medical Universities, Berlin, Germany – October 2015
- Competitive bursary to attend the advanced course on “Genomics in Clinical Microbiology”, at the Welcome Trust Genomic Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK - January 2015.
- Competitive travel grant to attend the 9th International Symposium on Pneumococci and Pneumococcal diseases held in Hyderabad, India - March 2014.
- Best presentation at the postgraduate student exchange session with the participation of graduate students of Hong Kong SAR, Peoples Republic of China and Taiwan at the 9th Annual Scientific Session of the Stanley Ho Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong - 2013.
- Merit award for research publications with a Sri Lankan affiliation awarded by the National Research Council of Sri Lanka – 2011, 2018
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