International Excellence in Endocrinology Award
Chandrika Wijeyaratne, DM, MD
It is my great privilege to nominate a remarkable physician, Dr. Chandrika Wijeyaratne, for the Endocrine Society’s International Excellence in Endocrinology Award. She is professor of reproductive medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colombo, and Honorary Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist at the De Soysa Hospital for Women in Sri Lanka.
In 1993, Dr. Wijeyaratne became the first endocrinologist appointed to an academic position in Sri Lanka. She went on to establish Reproductive Medicine and Maternal Health as centers of excellence within the country. Her research interests include polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), insulin resistance in South Asians, and medical disorders of pregnancy. She established a large database of local research in reproductive health and led several critical studies showing the high prevalence of metabolic dysfunction and gestational diabetes among South Asian women.
Dr. Wijeyaratne served as president of the Sri Lankan Endocrine Society and is president-elect of the Sri-Lanka Medical Association (SLMA). In 2008, she organized the largest project ever undertaken by the SLMA, obtaining over $1 million from the World Diabetes Foundation to address the identification, control, and prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) throughout Sri Lanka.
She has also left her mark on medical and postgraduate education, developing an innovative medical school curriculum and encouraging a large number of trainees to enter the field. She continues to see adults with complex endocrinopathies and serves as a clinical consultant for all pregnant women with severe endocrine complications.
As her extensive CV attests, virtually every aspect of endocrine research, education, clinical practice, and public health in Sri Lanka has been deeply impacted by Dr. Wijeyaratne’s leadership. I can think of no worthier recipient for the International Excellence in Endocrinology Award than Dr. Chandrika Wijeyaratne.
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