Dr Atiqul Haque
Dr M Atiqul Haque, PhD, is the Chairman of the Department of Public Health and Informatics and Dean of the Faculty of Preventive and Social Medicine at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), where he also serves as a Professor. He is additionally the Director of the Climate Change and Environmental Health Center.
He is a medical doctor who completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, and Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Dhaka. He later earned a PhD from Karlstad University, Sweden, and a Master of Science in Applied Statistics and Data Science from Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka.
As an academic and researcher, Dr. Haque focuses on a wide range of public health issues, including communicable and non-communicable diseases, climate change, child maltreatment, and health policy. He is skilled in medical statistics, research, training, and curriculum development, and has worked with government bodies, NGOs, and academic institutions. Over the past decade, he has contributed to MPH curriculum development, the establishment of the Department of Public Health and Informatics at BSMMU, and epidemiological research. He teaches MPH and research methodology courses and has over 90 publications in peer-reviewed journals, with expertise in grant writing, qualitative research, and statistical analysis.
Dr Bhargavi Rao
Dr Bhargavi Rao works part-time at the Manson Unit, MSF UK as the strategic lead for research and a Malaria/Infectious Diseases specialist. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor in Humanitarian Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, which includes co-leading the new MSc distance learning program on Health in Humanitarian Crises. Bhargavi has worked in humanitarian responses across multiple contexts and is a public health clinician with a PhD in infectious disease epidemiology.
Dr Emilie Venables
Dr Emilie Venables is an anthropologist and qualitative researcher with 20 years of research experience in a range of contexts in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. She has worked on issues including sexual violence, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, TB, migration and malaria. She holds a PhD and MSc in African Studies from the University of Edinburgh, an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London and a BA in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge.
Dr Venables has worked for MSF since 2012 in various positions, including anthropologist, researcher and qualitative research advisor. She is currently working for MSF as a Regional Health Promotion Focal Point, focusing on several countries in Asia. Emilie has also worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as a Senior Operational Researcher and Course Coordinator for the Addressing Sexual Violence courses at the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies.
Emilie was a founding member of the ICRC’s Ethics Review Board and also established and facilitated the first qualitative research SORT-IT course. She holds an honorary appointment at the University of Cape Town, South Africa and an Honorary Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh, UK.
Dr Santhushya Fernando
Dr Santhushya Fernando is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Humanities at the Faulty of Medicine University of Colombo. She is a board-certified specialist in Community Medicine. Her research and publications include the areas of non-communicable diseases, medical humanities, culture and health, gender, poverty and inequality and planetary health. She is a member of the UCFM Planetary Health Centre and was a member of the UCFM team that collaborated to develop the Sri Lankan document on Lancet Countdown report on climate change and health. She heads the International Unit of the UCFM.
Dr Supun Wijesinghe
Dr Supun Wijesinghe is a Consultant Community Physician with extensive experience in public health, health promotion, nutrition, infectious disease management, health information systems, and statistical modeling.He has worked in diverse settings, leading national-level public health initiatives and collaborating with international organizations like UNICEF and WHO. Dr Wijesinghe’s aim is to develop impactful programs and strategic health interventions to improve community health outcomes and train future healthcare professionals.
Dr Kavita Singh
Dr Kavita Singh is a senior medical professional with an extensive knowledge and in-depth understanding of healthcare product development and Indian R&D eco-system.
Dr Kavita Singh is Continental Lead & Director South Asia for Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative. Most recently, she served as Mission Director, National Biopharma Mission, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a Public Sector Undertaking of Department of Biotechnology (DBT). Prior to that, she has been the Program Director of Multi Vaccines Development Program and worked with Indian Pharma and Biotech companies.
She holds an MBBS and MD in Microbiology and has done the certificate course on Executive Program in Business Management and a Postgraduate Diploma in Epidemiology.
Dr Petros Isaakidis
Dr Petros Isaakidis, MD, PhD in epidemiology, has worked as a clinician and epidemiologist with a focus on infectious disease surveillance and outbreak investigations. He served as a biological disaster planner for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Since 1997, Petros has been involved with humanitarian organizations, primarily Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), working across multiple countries including Zimbabwe, Palestine, Kenya, Cambodia, Thailand, India, and South Africa.
His roles have included coordinating medical programs, particularly large-scale HIV and TB projects, and supporting evidence generation through field-based operational research. In 2012, he became a Senior Operational Research Fellow at MSF Luxembourg’s Operational Research Unit (LuxOR), where he mentored participants in Structured Operational Research Training Initiative (SORT-IT) courses across Europe, Africa, and South Asia.
In 2017, he joined the MSF Southern Africa Medical Unit (SAMU) in Cape Town as Operational Research Coordinator. There, he supports a diverse research portfolio covering HIV, TB, hepatitis C, and non-communicable diseases across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. His contributions to the field include over 165 peer-reviewed publications, which have received approximately 6,000 citations.
Dr Rameez Akhtar
Dr Rameez Akhtar, an MBBS, MPH, Dip. Diabetes and trained in interventional Cardiology from KEMU. He has been affiliated with MSF since 2015 and currently working as Association’s Board Member & Member of MSF OCA MedCom.
Prof. Tharanga Thoradeniya
Prof. Tharanga Thoradeniya is a professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Holding a B.V.Sc (Honours) with distinctions from the University of Peradeniya and a Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of Colombo, she furthered her expertise as a Commonwealth Academic Fellow at Southampton General Hospital, UK. Her wide-ranging research focuses on nutrient metabolism and functionality, nutritional modulation of chronic diseases, and food systems, yielding significant insights published in esteemed journals.
A passionate advocate for animal ethics and welfare, Professor Thoradeniya received the prestigious WVA Global Animal Welfare Award in 2020. Her unique background, blending veterinary science, nutrition, and medical insights, enables a multidisciplinary approach to her research and teaching. As the founding director of the Center for Planetary Health at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, she leads initiatives exploring the interconnectedness of Earth’s natural systems and human health. Her influence extends to national and international collaborations. Her interdisciplinary perspective provides invaluable insights into the critical relationship between climate change and human well-being, positioning her as a vital resource in addressing global sustainability challenges.
Dr Vinya S. Ariyaratne
Dr.Vinya Ariyaratne is the President of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement and a Past President (2023) of Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA). He is a is a Board Certified Specialist in Community Medicine and Past President and Fellow of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka (CCPSL).
Dr.Ariyaratne obtained his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) Degree from the De La Salle University in the Philippines, Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree from the Johns Hopkins University U.S.A.. He also holds the Degrees of Master of Science M.Sc. and Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Community Medicine from the Post-Graduate Institute of Medicine of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, U.K. and a Chevening Fellow at the Nuffield Institute of the Faculty of Medicine and Health of the University of Leeds, U.K. where he obtained with Distinction the Postgraduate Certificate in Health Management, Planning and Policy. In 2007 He was awarded the Degree of Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) honouris causa by the University of Durham, UK, for his outstanding contribution towards Tsunami recovery in Sri Lanka. Dr. Ariyaratne is also a recipient of 2012 Outstanding Social Entrepreneur Award from Shwab Foundation/World Economic Forum (WEF).
As a senior Community Physician, Dr.Ariyaratne possesses extensive experience in public health, community development, disaster management, nutrition, child health, working with war affected communities and internally displaced persons (IDPs). He has been actively involved in COVID-19 prevention and control work in Sri Lanka and serves as the Co-chair of the United Nations Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) – Health Cluster. Dr. Ariyaratne was also engaged in programmes related to emergency response to the socio-economic crisis, particularly in food security and nutrition. As the President of the SLMA in 2023, in addition to conducting the routine activities, he organized academic events to reach the doctors serving in the periphery covering all provinces and districts, and in extensive advocacy.
Prof. Vajira H. W. Dissanayake
Professor Vajira H. W. Dissanayake MBBS (Colombo), PhD (Nottingham), FNASSL (Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka), FIAHSI (Fellow of the International Academy of Heath Sciences Informatics), FCMA (Fellow of the Commonwealth Medical Association), FRCP (Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians) is the President of the Sri Lanka Medical Council, and the Dean of the Faculty and Chair and Senior Professor of the
Department of Anatomy, Genetics, and Biomedical Informatics of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo.
He has held and continues to hold many leadership positions nationally and internationally. He is a Past President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association and a Past President of the Commonwealth Medical Association. He was also the Immediate Past Chairperson of the Commonwealth Health Professions and Partners Alliance. He is the Chairperson of the Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health and a member of the Global Existential Security Threats Board of the InterAction Council of Former Heads of State and Government. He is also the Director of the Centre for Health Systems Policy and Innovation at the Faculty of Medicine.
He was conferred the Sri Lankan national titular honour of Vidya Jyothi on the recommendation of the Sri Lanka Medical Association in 2019.
Dr Yogesh Jain
Dr. Yogesh Jain has an MD in Paediatrics from New Delhi but is a public health physician in practice. He has been primarily involved in ” primary health care’- through founding and running community health programmes in rural Chhattisgarh in central India since 1999. He has been involved in understanding the political economy of illnesses and addressing technical and political issues that determine the health care for the rural poor through clinical care, observational research studies, training, and direct political work based on lived experience. He is a strident believer in the state as the primary provider of social services.
Dr Devaki Nambiar
Devaki Nambiar is a Health Policy and Systems Researcher with an interest in social inclusion, health equity, gender mainstreaming and the right to health. In addition to close to two decades of research engagement in various Indian states and majority world countries, she has provided technical inputs and co-facilitated regional and national courses and trainings across WHO regions on health equity, gender and health, as well as health inequality monitoring. A former Fulbright, Fogarty and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Postdoctoral and India Alliance Intermediate fellow, Devaki is currently an India Alliance Senior Fellow in Clinical and Public Health, a Lancet-Chatham House Commissioner on Population Health Post COVID-19, a Lancet Commissioner on Sustainable Healthcare, and advisor to Lancet Commissions on Reimagining India’s Health System. She received her doctorate in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2009 and received the 2018 Emerging Leader Award from the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.
Dr Samreen Hussain
Samreen is an MD and public health specialist from India. She has been working with MSF since 2016 in varying capacities in stable and emergency contexts across Chechnya, Bangladesh, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, India, and Ethiopia. Her focus has been on strengthening health systems in fragile and low-income countries. Presently, Samreen is the Medical Quality Advisor with MSF-OCA, focusing on supporting OCA country programs with improving patient safety and Quality of Care.
Dr Sevantee Ghosh
Dr Sevantee Ghosh, MBBS, MPH, is the Strategic Medical Lead of the MRIS (Medical, Research, Innovation and Social Mission) Unit for MSF South Asia and the chair of the editorial committee for MSF Asia Scientific Days. Sevantee’s association with MSF started way back in 2016, and since then she has worked with MSF in various capacities in local as well as international contexts. A medical doctor by background with training in public health, Sevantee has delivered Primary and Secondary Health care projects across various Vertical Programs like MCH/SRH, SGBV, HIV-TB, and Hepatitis in stable as well as emergency contexts. Sevantee’s research experience and interests lie in areas like health equity and rights-based research, participatory research, healthcare system strengthening, patient-centered care, and issues of healthcare access in conflict settings.
Dr Lahiru Kodituwakku
Dr Lahiru is a medical doctor with specialized training in public health and disaster management. He holds a MSc (Community Medicine), MSc (Disaster Risk Reduction and Development), MBA and Postgraduate Diploma in Health Sector Disaster Management. Currently, he works as the Public Health Specialist of MSF South Asia. His previous professional engagements include Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and World Mosquito Programme. His research interests include Dengue Prevention, Infectious Disease outbreak management and public health emergencies. He is following his doctoral studies at the Global Disaster Resilience Center, University of Huddersfield, UK
Dr Prashani De Silva
Dr Prashani De Silva, MD, is a graduate from Georgia and holds master’s degrees in Applied Psychology and International Human Rights Law, and is the Public Health Research Officer of MSF South Asia. She has worked in diverse hospital settings across Sri Lanka and has contributed to organizations such as EQUAL GROUND Sri Lanka and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Her expertise and interest centers on health rights, health equity, public policy, research and advocacy, with a strong focus on promoting patient-centered care, and improving healthcare access, especially to those marginalized in communities.
