Shikandhini Kanagasundrem also professionally known as Shico Visuvanathan

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

is a British-Sri Lankan microbiologist. Her grandfather Vythialingam Sivalingam was the first professor of

Parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it fo ...

of Sri Lanka.

Career

Shikandhini pursued her primary education at the St. Bridget's Convent, Colombo and moved to the United Kingdom for higher studies. She pursued her higher studies in medicine field at the

Middlesex Hospital Medical School Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She specialised with

medical microbiology Medical microbiology, the large subset of microbiology that is applied to medicine, is a branch of medical science concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. In addition, this field of science studies various ...

at the University College Hospital, London and completed her

Doctor of medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

clinical microbiology Medical microbiology, the large subset of microbiology that is applied to medicine, is a branch of medical science concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. In addition, this field of science studies various ...

. She has worked at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, UK as a consultant microbiologist since 1994. She became the director of Infection Prevention of Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust in 2003. During her stint with Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust (PAHT), she was highly recognised and well known for implementing important vital changes and practices to reduce the risk of virus transmission rates.

Honours

She was honoured by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

with an

Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

during the Queen's

2021 New Year Honours The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

for her crucial service in microbiology and infection prevention and control, particularly during the middle of the

COVID-19 pandemic in UK The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanagasundrem, Shikandhini 21st-century British medical doctors British women academics British women educators British women scientists Living people Sri Lankan biologists Sri Lankan women scientists Year of birth missing (living people) Sri Lankan emigrants to the United Kingdom Alumni of St. Bridget's Convent, Colombo British microbiologists