Dr. Hasanjaya Gunawardhana
Consultant Gastrointestinal & General Surgeon
A surgical career shaped by rigorous training, international experience, clinical practice, teaching and a continuing commitment to gastrointestinal surgery in Sri Lanka.
MBBS (Colombo) · MS (Colombo) · FRCS (Glasgow) · FRCS (Edinburgh)
Introduction
A Life in Surgery
Dr. Hasanjaya Gunawardhana's career has developed across several decades of surgical practice, postgraduate training, international experience, academic involvement and specialist gastrointestinal surgery.
After completing his medical education at the University of Colombo, he pursued postgraduate surgical training in Sri Lanka before extending his experience through advanced training in Japan and a series of surgical appointments in the United Kingdom.
His professional work has since encompassed gastrointestinal and general surgery, endoscopy, therapeutic ERCP, laparoscopic surgery, gastrointestinal oncology, teaching, postgraduate training and medical research.
- YearsMedical and surgical career
- 30+
- Upper and lower GI diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures documented by 2023
- 10,000+
- Therapeutic ERCP procedures documented by 2023
- 2,000+
- Surgical trainees trained during his tenure at North Colombo Teaching Hospital
- 20+
Procedure volumes are drawn from institutional service records issued in 2023.
The Journey
From Colombo to Tokyo, Birmingham and back to Sri Lanka.
1984
Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo
Entered the Faculty of Medicine.
1991
MBBS — University of Colombo
Second Class Lower Division honours and a Distinction in Medicine.
1993–1998
Postgraduate Surgical Training — Colombo
Registrar and Senior Registrar, Professorial Surgical Unit and National Hospital of Sri Lanka.
1998
Master of Surgery
MS in Surgery, Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo.
1998–2000
University of Kelaniya
Lecturer in the Department of Surgery.
1999
Advanced Training — Tokyo, Japan
Gastrointestinal endoscopy and laparoscopic training, Kyorin University School of Medicine.
2000–2004
Advanced Surgical Training — United Kingdom
Registrar and specialist registrar posts in general, hepatobiliary, upper GI, laparoscopic and colorectal surgery.
2001
FRCS — Glasgow
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.
2002
FRCS — Edinburgh
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
2003
Robert H. Sage FRCS Award
For Specialist Surgical Registrar.
2005–2008
Consultant Surgeon — Teaching Hospital Karapitiya
Gastrointestinal and General Surgery, Galle.
2009 onwards
North Colombo Teaching Hospital — Ragama
Consultant Gastrointestinal and General Surgeon; surgery, endoscopy, ERCP, teaching and examining.
A Career Beyond Borders
International training became an important part of Dr. Gunawardhana's surgical development.
Training in Japan provided exposure to gastrointestinal endoscopy, endoscopic surgery and contemporary diagnostic techniques.
This was followed by several years of structured surgical experience in the United Kingdom across general, upper gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, laparoscopic and colorectal surgery.
These experiences became part of the foundation for his later consultant practice and surgical teaching in Sri Lanka.
Recognition Along the Way
FRCS Glasgow
Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.
FRCS Edinburgh
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Robert H. Sage FRCS Award — 2003
Awarded during his specialist surgical registrar training in the United Kingdom.
Presidential Recognition for Scientific Research — 2008
Recognition for internationally published scientific research.
Surgery is learned through discipline, experience and responsibility — but its purpose remains the care of the individual patient.