| Vidya Jyothi Professor Janaka De Silva | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Education | University of Colombo Royal College ColomboOxford University |
| Occupation | Professor of Medicine |
| Employer | University of Kelaniya |
Vidya Jyothi Professor Hithanadura Janaka De Silva is a Sri Lankan academic and physician. A Senior Professor of Medicine, he is the Dean of the Medical Faculty, University of Kelaniya[1][2] and a member of the University Grants Commission
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Educated at the prestigious Royal College Colombo, He subsequently entered the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo where he obtained both an undergraduate Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree, captained the Rugby team and was a team mate of Devaka Fernando and later a postgraduate Doctor of Medicine degree in 1986 (supervised by US Jayawickrama) winning the Stokes award for the most outstanding candidate. He subsequently trained at Oxford University where he was a graduate student at Pembroke College winning the Wingate Scholarship,[3] a Wellcome Trust Fellowship and an Overseas Research Student award, he obtained a Doctorate in Philosophy and also trained in Clinical Gastroenterology specialising in ulcerative colitis. He was awarded a gold medal for his presentation at the University of Bologna 900th year anniversary celebrations[4]
He was appointed Professor of Medicine in the University of Kelaniya at the age of 39 years and 6 months in 1996 and subsequently served as Dean. He and colleagues set up a training programme for gastroenterologists in Sri Lanka where he was the founder coordinator for the training programme at the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine at the University of Colombo. He also served on the Board of Study in Medicine and was its Chairman, in addition to being a member of the Board of Management of the Institute. He has served as a member of the National Research Council of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Medical Council, Board of Directors of the National Science Foundation, National Health Research Council
He has been president of the Gastroenterological and Digestive Endoscopy Society of Sri Lanka He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians London, Edinburgh and the Ceylon College of Physicians[4] where he also served as Secretary and President. He is Co Editor of the Ceylon Medical Journal with C G Uragoda.
In 1998 he received the The Ten Outstanding Young Persons award for Academic Leadership and Accomplishment. He was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka. He is an Honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Thailand, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the College of General Practitioners of Sri Lanka. He has received the prestigious lifetime award The Vice Chancellors and Directors Excellence Award for the Most Outstanding Researcher in Medical and Allied Sciences. The Titular honour Vidya Jyothi was conferred upon him by the Government of Sri Lanka in recognition of his contribution to Science and Health care.
He has published extensively in peer reviewed journals and is the Editor of the Ceylon Medical Journal.[5] He has been awarded the PB Fernando and Cyril Fernando Gold Medals by the Ceylon College of Physicians, Kandy Society of Medicine Gold Medal Oration 2000, Nihal Markus Gold Medal Oration 1992, Sir Marcus Fernando Gold Medal Oration 1999 by the Sri Lanka Medical Association and the Kandy Society of Medicine Prize for research in 2007.