Shathushika Vidhushan Has Won Young Researcher Award

Shathushika Vidhushan Has Won Young Researcher Award

• June 27, 2023

Being born and raised in Sri Lanka, I understood the need for Biomedical Science, especially in economically less developed countries, where tackling health issues has continued to be a concern, which caused me to develop a curiosity in the field of Biomedical Science from a young age. I completed my undergraduate degree at the Northumbria University, UK, with a First-class BSc. (Hons) in Biomedical Science, for which I was awarded with the “Academic excellence Award” in 2017.

During this time, I completed several research projects, namely, “Antioxidant activity and Antimicrobial property of natural banana blossom samples native to Sri Lanka" at Northumbria University, UK (2017), "Extraction and evaluation of Antimicrobial Chemicals from Cyanobacteria", at University of Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, (2015) and a Global Scientific analysis on “The association of MTHFR Polymorphism (C677T and A1298C) in Pre-eclampsia’ at Northumbria University, UK (2016).

During the period of my undergraduate studies, my avid interest on Analytical methods and applied genetics led me to view health issues in a new light, combining emerging technologies of genetics with disease association. The understanding of this fascinating discipline on the diagnosis of disease by studying molecules in organs, tissues or bodily fluids; obtained during my undergraduate degree, encouraged me to follow an MSc. in Molecular Pathology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo. The University of Colombo gave me the opportunity to pursue a comprehensive research study on “Genetic variants Associated with Retinoblastoma in a cohort of Sri Lankan populations” which I presented in International conferences, such as, “30^th Annual Scientific Congress of the College of Ophthalmologists of Sri Lanka 2022”, “International conference on medical sciences. 2023”, and has been selected to be presented at the “Global Medicine Consortium, Geneva. 2023”.

These, I personally deem, is what makes Molecular pathology such a rewarding career. The motivation behind my MSc. research is to contemplate on identifying novel genomic biomarkers associated with a targeted gene, to deliver targeted therapies for individuals with complicated diseases and to reduce the mortality & morbidity rate of the disease. Considering my career as a researcher by far, I can be proud of myself that I have taken steps to improve life of people who are diagnosed with genetic associated diseases. I believe I have a long way to go, and contribute to the society in the field of Molecular basis cancer research.

While pursuing the academic scope, I continued working at several distinguished organizations. I got the opportunity to work as a Project Assistant for Labour migration at the Migration Governance Unit- International Organization of Migration, United Nations, concentrating in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people. Also, I worked as a Project Coordinator at the Humanitarian Development Organization (HDO) that had the main scope of providing continuous support to Develop Long Term Sustainability of the Vulnerable Population at the Northern Region in Sri Lanka. I worked as an Intern at the Central Programme Management Unit (CPMU) of the Policy Development Office, Prime Minister’s Office, Sri Lanka, which focused on development of Digital Economy in Sri Lanka.

Being selected to leadership programmes such as the “AISEC leadership programme- Ministry of Education, Italy. (2018)” helped me to develop both personally and professionally as an individual, improving my analytical and application skills to overcome challenges in every aspect on my professional work.

Finally, I would like to express my heartful gratitude to Women Icon powered by Times Women for the recognition and awarding me the “Young researcher Award” also last no but least, I would like to thank my family members, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo and University of Northumbria, UK, for enabling me to achieve this goal.