Professor Nimal Senanayake is a Sri Lankan neurologist, physician, author, film and television scriptwriter and academic.

Education

Senanayake was educated at the

University of Peradeniya The University of Peradeniya ( si, පේරාදෙණිය විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය, ta, பேராதனைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்) is a public university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University ...

. He trained at the Professorial medical unit at

General Hospital Colombo The National Hospital of Sri Lanka (sometimes General Hospital) is a government hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1864 as the General Hospital, it is the leading hospital in Sri Lanka and is controlled by the central government. The hos ...

, working alongside HHR Samarasinghe and Kumaradasa Rajasuriya. After training in the UK and obtaining his MRCP he was appointed Senior Lecturer in Medicine. He was subsequently promoted to Professor of Medicine and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Peradeniya.

Professional career

Senanayake has served as Chairman of Board of Study in Medicine at the

Postgraduate Institute of Medicine The Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM) of the University of Colombo is the graduate school that provides specialist training and board certification of medical doctors in Sri Lanka. The only type of its kind, it is similar to the prestigious ...

, President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association and President of the Kandy Society of Medicine.

Contributions to Research

Senanayake is best known for his work on the neurotoxicity of pesticides and particularly organophosphorous compounds but has published extensively where he is regarded to have coined the term ''"Intermediate Syndrome"'', a clinical phase of

Organophosphate poisoning Organophosphate poisoning is poisoning due to organophosphates (OPs). Organophosphates are used as insecticides, medications, and nerve agents. Symptoms include increased saliva and tear production, diarrhea, vomiting, small pupils, sweating, musc ...

. and is an authority on epilepsy and other neurological disorders. He currently leads with an Australian colleague a

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...

funded initiative to reduce deaths from pesticides.

Literary and Artistic contributions

Senanayake is an author of non medical books and a scriptwriter as well as a scientific researcher, and has scripted several television dramas and documentaries shown on national television. One of the famous teledrama is "Ella langa walawwa" that was initially broadcast on 1988. The work has a strong bias towards medical issues such as psychoanalysis and living with epilepsy but draws on adaptations of work by

Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...

and

Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for '' The Woman in White'' (1859), a mystery novel and early "sensation novel", and for '' The Moonstone'' (1868), which has b ...

., He is also a vocalist, and has performed at several venues.

Honours and awards

He has received awards for contributions to research (SLMA Gold Medal Oration, Kandy Society of Medicine Gold Medal Oration, Senaka Bibile Gold Medal Oration, Kumaradasa Rajasuriya Gold Medal) and scriptwriting. He was awarded a DSc by the university in recognition of his achievements in the field of Toxicology and Neurology. He is a Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Senanayake, Nimal Sinhalese academics Alumni of the University of Peradeniya Academics of the University of Peradeniya Living people Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Sinhalese physicians Year of birth missing (living people)