Practice & Contributions
Surgery, Teaching, Research and Public Education
Dr. Gunawardhana's professional work extends across clinical surgery, endoscopy, postgraduate training, research and public medical education.
Clinical practice
Gastrointestinal & General Surgery
Dr. Gunawardhana's clinical practice has covered a broad range of gastrointestinal and general surgical conditions.
His documented experience includes upper and lower gastrointestinal diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, ERCP, laparoscopic surgery, gastrointestinal cancer surgery and colorectal surgery.
Areas of experience include:
- Upper gastrointestinal surgery
- Lower gastrointestinal and colorectal surgery
- Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery
- Gastrointestinal oncology
- Diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy
- ERCP
- Laparoscopic surgery
- Surgical proctology
Experience at scale
Experience Built Over Time
- Upper and lower gastrointestinal diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures documented by 2023.
- 10,000+
- Therapeutic ERCP procedures documented by 2023.
- 2,000+
The same institutional record documents experience across a wide range of laparoscopic, upper gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, pancreatic and colorectal operations.
Figures are drawn from a North Colombo Teaching Hospital service record issued in 2023.
Teaching
Teaching the Next Generation
Education has remained a continuing part of Dr. Gunawardhana's professional career.
His teaching experience began formally at the University of Kelaniya, where he served as a Lecturer in Surgery from 1998 to 2000. During his overseas training he was also involved in teaching in the United Kingdom.
In Sri Lanka, his later work included undergraduate and postgraduate surgical teaching, examining and the supervision of surgical trainees.
A 2023 institutional service record noted that more than 20 surgical trainees had trained during his tenure at North Colombo Teaching Hospital.
Research & publications
Selected Work
Research and scientific publication formed another strand of Dr. Gunawardhana's surgical career.
2001
Comparison of hydrogen peroxide instillation with Goodsall's rule for fistula-in-ano
P.A.H.A. Gunawardhana & K.I. Deen · ANZ Journal of Surgery, 71(8), 472–474 · First published 20 December 2001
2001
Patient vs Physician delay in colorectal cancer: can we do better?
P.A.H.A. Gunawardhana & K.I. Deen · Gut
2010
Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection determined by histology in patients with different upper gastrointestinal diseases
E. Waidyarathne & H. Gunawardhana · Ceylon Medical Journal, 55(2)
Gut
Non-starch polysaccharide intake and the prevalence of constipation in free-living and institutionalised older people
P.A.H.A. Gunawardhana and collaborators · Published as conference/scientific work in Gut
Scientific recognition
Recognition for Research
Dr. Gunawardhana's scientific work received national recognition in 2008 through the Presidential Awards for Research programme.
The recognition related to scientific work published internationally and indexed within the scientific literature.
Continuing surgical education
Selected Examples
| 1999 · Tokyo | Training in gastrointestinal endoscopy and related techniques at Kyorin University School of Medicine. |
|---|---|
| 2011 | SAARC Surgical Leaders Summit — participation in the regional surgical leadership programme. |
| 2013 · Vienna | Advanced Bariatric Surgery training at the Medical University / General Hospital of Vienna. |
| 2017 · Barcelona | United European Gastroenterology Week. |
| 2018 · Vienna | United European Gastroenterology Week. |
| 2019 · San Antonio | Annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Gastroenterology. |
| 2022 · Singapore | Advanced laparoscopic surgery workshop, National University Hospital training centre. |
Public medical education
Beyond the Hospital
Dr. Gunawardhana has also contributed to public medical education through Sri Lankan television and print media.
His appearances have included health discussions on television programmes such as Nugasewana, as well as other television health and morning-show segments addressing gastrointestinal disease, general surgery and medical awareness. Newspaper features have similarly provided opportunities to explain gastrointestinal and surgical conditions to a wider public audience.
Selected credentials
- MBBS — University of Colombo
- MS Surgery — Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo
- FRCS — Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
- FRCS — Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
- Specialist in Gastroenterological Surgery
Contact
Professional Enquiries
For professional, academic or consultation enquiries, please use the contact details provided below.
- [Professional email]
- [Consultation / appointment contact]
- [LinkedIn]