We were delighted to welcome Dr Hemantha Amarasinghe to a very warm and sun-filled Aberdeen for the week commencing 22 July 2019.
Dr Amarasinghe is a consultant in Dental Public Health and Head of the Research and Surveillance unit, Institute of Oral Health, Sri Lanka. He has strong collaborations with the University of Aberdeen Institute of Dentistry which were strengthened through the recent internal GCRF funding scheme.
During his visit Dr Amarasinghe spent time at the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition as well as the School of Geosciences in Old Aberdeen. On Wednesday 24 July Dr Amarasinghe gave a very well attended talk about some exciting oral cancer prevention initiatives in Sri Lanka that he was involved in implementing. His talk covered the Sri Lankan oral health status and oral cancer situation, the control activities conducted, risk factor model development and its application, and ways forward in oral cancer prevention through initiatives focused on major risk factors in the country.
Between meetings Dr Amarasinghe was able to enjoy Aberdeen at its best with a visit to the beach, a tour of the granite city, as well as a meal with colleagues from the Institute of Dentistry and the school of Geosciences at the well-regarded Indian restaurant ‘Jewel in the Crown’.
The GCRF funding affords networking opportunities and a small group from the University of Aberdeen will travel to Sri Lanka is November of this year to continue the collaborative work with Dr Amarasinghe in oral cancer and expand their contact base in Sri Lanka.