Ravindra Fernando is a
Sri Lankan forensic
pathologist
Pathology is the study of the causal, causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when us ...
,
toxicologist
Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating ex ...
, physician, author and academic. He is the current chairman of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board of Sri Lanka.
Biography
Education
Fernando was educated at
Ananda College
''Appamādo Amathapadan''
(Buddhist quote from the Apramada Vagga in the Dhammapada)
, motto_translation = Heedfulness, Punctuality leads to Nirvana
, location = P De S Kularatne Mawatha
, city = Colom ...
Colombo and the
Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo
Established in 1870 as the Colombo Medical School, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, is the second oldest medical school in South Asia.It is considered to be the top most medical faculty in the country which requir ...
where he was active in the Medical Students Union and the Buddhist Brotherhood.
He joined the Department of Forensic Medicine,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo
Established in 1870 as the Colombo Medical School, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, is the second oldest medical school in South Asia.It is considered to be the top most medical faculty in the country which requir ...
, as a lecturer soon after his internship and subsequently trained in the Department of Forensic Medicine,
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre.
...
Medical School, University of London, on a
Commonwealth Scholarship
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries.
History
The plan was originally proposed b ...
. He was trained in the Department of Neurology in the same hospital and in the Department of Pathology, King Edward VII Hospital, Windsor. He returned to the post of senior lecturer, subsequently promoted on academic merit to a personal chair and being appointed to the substantive chair succeeding Professor
Nandadasa Kodagoda
Deshamanya Professor Nandadasa Kodagoda MRCP, MD was the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo.
He was graduated as a Doctor of Medicine in 1956 and initially worked for government hospitals of Galle, Colombo, & Karawanella. Late ...
. He not only qualified as a pathologist by becoming a member of the
Royal College of Pathologists
The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is a professional membership organisation.
Its main function is the overseeing of postgraduate training, and its Fellowship Examination (FRCPath) is recognised as the standard assessment of fitness to pr ...
but also qualified as a physician acquiring postgraduate qualifications in clinical medicine by membership 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 ...
. He was appointed professor of forensic medicine and toxicology in Colombo in 1996.
Professional life
He was instrumental in setting up the National Poisons Information Centre in the
National Hospital of Sri Lanka
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 hosp ...
, Colombo, in 1988 (the first in South East Asia) and was its head from its inception for 20 years.
He was a member of the INTOX program of the International Programme of Chemical Safety (ILO-UNEP-WHO) to prepare a computerized database on poisons, since its inception in 1988. He is a member of the WHO expert group on "Vector Biology and Control." He is a Member of the senior advisory board to South Asian Clinical Tocicology Research Collaboration (SACTRC) (South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration) with
Nimal Senanayake
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. He trained at the Professorial medical unit at General ...
,
Rezvi Sheriff
Sri Lankan honours system, Vidya Jyothi Mohamed Hussain Rezvi Sheriff, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, FRCP (Lon), FRCPE (Edin), FRACP, FCCP, FSLCGP, FNASSL is a Sri Lankan academic, nephrologist and physician. He served as the directo ...
and
Janaka de Silva
Janaka de Silva Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, FRCP Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka , FNASSL is a Sri Lankan physician and academic. He is Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Kelaniya.
Janaka ...
He has been active in the field of human rights and served as director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights. He was also appointed chairman of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board and was a member of the Presidential Task Force on Child Abuse. He has worked as a consultant forensic pathologist, senior lecturer in the University of London and Glasgow. He was also a Home Office pathologist for England and Wales and a Crown Office pathologist for Scotland working in London Glasgow and Sheffield.
He was regional secretary for Asia in the "World Federation of Associations of Clinical Toxicology and Poison in Control Centres" in 1990. He has been a member of
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
and British forensic teams (investigating the Thai Airways crash in Nepal and war graves in Bosnia)
He unsuccessfully contested the
Panadura
Panadura ( si, පානදුර, translit=Pānadura; ta, பாணந்துறை, translit=Pāṇantuṟai) is a city in Kalutara District, Western Province in Sri Lanka. It is located approximately south of Colombo and is surrounded on a ...
seat in the Sri Lankan parliamentary elections
Authorship
He has published papers in his own field and is the author of 12 books on subjects varying from pesticide poisoning to international relations, the best known works being ''A Murder in Ceylon: The Sathasivam Case'', an account of the 57-day trial of this landmark case in the history of law and forensic medicine in Sri Lanka, and ''Sri Lanka LTTE and the British Parliament''. In a review, Professor Rajiva Wijesinghe described the book and its impact as "a measured account that will help to defuse some tensions that arose when the debate first occurred and it was assumed that this was unwarranted interference by Britishers. After all, with Sri Lankan constituents, it is understandable that British MPs should want to debate the situation. The book will help to make clear the relatively balanced discussion, whilst highlighting areas in which there were misconceptions that must be cleared".
Awards and honours
He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Lion's (Most Outstanding Citizen's Award for Medicine and Health Care), Sri Lanka Jaycees ("Outstanding Young Persons Award for Social Medicine")and a Presidential award in recognition of his services. He was the President of The Ceylon College of Physicians in 1997 and President of The Sri Lanka Medical Association in 2004.
He received the Award of Excellence "For the efforts in prevention of drug abuse and support to NGOs in Sri Lanka," at the 20th International Federation of Non-Governmental Organisations for the Prevention of Drugs and Substance Abuse (IFNGO) held in Colombo.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Ravindra
Sinhalese academics
Sinhalese physicians
Sri Lankan Buddhists
Alumni of Ananda College
Alumni of the University of Colombo
Academic staff of the University of Colombo
Living people
Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians
Year of birth missing (living people)