Name:
Professor Asita De Silva
Organisation:
University of Kelaniya
Year elected:
2024
Primary professional setting:
Academia
I have held many positions in academic medicine in Sri Lanka since 1993. I am currently Senior Professor and Chair of Pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. I also head the Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Kelaniya, which I founded in collaboration with the Clinical Trial Service Unit, University of Oxford in 2005. I had my postgraduate training in Clinical Pharmacology in Oxford and completed a DPhil in Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Oxford in 1997. I was Chairman of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority in Sri Lanka from 2016 to 2021 and a past-president of the Sri Lanka Association of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics. My primary research interests include neglected tropical diseases and non-communicable diseases, with a special focus on developing cost-effective and scalable therapeutic interventions. My current research focus is to improve control of blood pressure through innovative use of widely available medicines and reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease and stroke especially in low- and middle-income countries. I work closely with the George Institute for Global Health and other centres of excellence on many clinical studies to assess the safety and efficacy of a novel approach using single pill combinations of three low-dose antihypertensive drugs for initial treatment for high blood pressure. In 2019, I was awarded the titular honour ‘Vidya Jyothi’, Sri Lanka’s highest award for science.