Dr.Achala Balasuriya

A highly skilled Consultant Physician with 16 years of experience in clinical medicine and patient management, passionate about clinical practice and providing empathetic, patient-centered care, while demonstrating outstanding leadership and collaborative teamwork.

• Vice President, Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2022
• Assistant Secretary, Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2021
• Editorial Board Member, Ceylon College of Physicians
• Editorial Board Member, Sri Lanka Medical Association
• Former Treasurer, Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2017
• Past Secretary, Board of Elderly Medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, Colombo
• Founder Secretary, Sri Lanka Association of Geriatric Medicine
• Co-editor, Medicine in the Elderly
• Past Lecturer, PGIM for the Diploma in Elderly Medicine
• Course Coordinator, Diploma in Elderly Medicine at the PGIM, 01/01/13, 12/31/14

• Modified STOPP-START criteria for Sri Lanka: Translating to a resource limited healthcare setting by Delphi Consensus, Nethushi Samaranayake, Achala Balasuriya, Chandanie Wanigatunga, BMC Geriatrics, 10/01/19
• Shiitake Flagellate Dermatitis: A case report, Achala Balasuriya, Ashish Goel, National Medical Journal of India, 34, 3, 2021
• Long-term Care of Older Persons in Sri Lanka, Conference paper
• Hospital at Home- Are hospitals going home?, Achala Balasuriya, Journal of Ceylon College of Physicians, 06/01/19
• Post – War Psychological Morbidity among Internally Displaced Married females in Northern Sri Lanka, Don Shashika Attidiya, Aravinda Wickramasingha, Achala Balasuriya, Deleepa Ediriweera, Journal of Trauma and Treatment, 01/01/16
• A Case of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis, BMAC Balasuriya, SAM Kularatne, N Ratnatunga, The Ceylon Medical Journal, 09/01/04
• An Unusual Case of focal epilepsy, BMAC Balasuriya, Jagath C Wijesekara, Sunil Perera, The Ceylon Medical Journal, 03/01/05
• An unusual case of hypopituitarism and recurrent cranial nerve palsies, BMAC Balasuriya, NP Somasundaram, R Gamage, The Ceylon Medical Journal, 06/01/05
• Brain death confirmed by Tc 99DTPA scan in a case of subarachnoid haemorrhage Following Krait bite, BMAC Balasuriya, D Nanayakara, CDA Goonasekara, The Ceylon Medical Journal, 12/01/05
• Pulmonary opacities of a rare aetiology: Fungal pneumonia, BMAC Balasuriya, S Abeyasingha, M Kularatne, N Ratnatunga, CPS Sosai, Sri Lanka Journal of Medicine, 01/01/02
• Prescribing for the elderly (First article in a series), Sri Lanka Prescriber, 12/01/09

• Evaluation of relationship between the duration of diabetes and the development of complications in a subset of Sri Lankan population, Retrospective study, Balasuriya B.M.A.C, Sumanatilleke M, Jayasekera T.I, Wejesuriya M, Somasundaram N.P, The Ceylon College of Physicians annual sessions, 2007
• Endosulphan poisoning in man: A clinicopathological study, Balasuriya A, Ratnatunga N. V.I, Kularatne S.A.M, Wickramasingha S, Karunathilake H.A, Senanayake N, Sri Lanka Medical Association annual sessions, 1998
• A study of Neurophysiological abnormalities in a family with hereditary spino-cerebellar degeneration (HSCD), Vajira Weerasingha, Achala Balasuriya, Ravi Ruberu, Nimal Senanayake, Proceedings of annual academic sessions at Kandy Society of Medicine, 1997

Commonwealth Scholarship awarded to study Msc in Gerontology at University of Southampton

Vice President Sri Lanka Medical association 2022
Assistant Secretary Sri Lanka Medical Association 2021
Editorial board member Ceylon College of Physicians
Editorial board member Sri Lanka Medical Association Former Treasurer of Sri Lanka Medical association 2017

Editor in Chief &Council member and founder secretary- Sri Lanka association of Geriatric Medicine
Board Certified Specialist in General Medicine in Sri Lanka. 2008
Worked as Consultant Physician Ministry of Health from 2009-2018
Fellow of Ceylon College of Physicians
Fellow of Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh
Member of American College of Physicians(ACP
Member of American Geriatric Association

Past Secretary to the Board of Elderly medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of medicine, Colombo.
Founder Secretary to Sri Lanka Association of Geriatric Medicine
Co- editor to the first book of Geriatrics in Sri Lanka- Medicine in the Elderly
Past Lecturer at the PGIM for the Diploma in Elderly Medicine and Examiner for the above diploma at the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine Colombo.
Course Coordinator for the Diploma in Elderly Medicine at the PGIM Colombo 2013-2014.
Member of Special Curriculum Committee appointed by the Director PGIM for MD Geriatrics Course at the PGIM.
Past Member of the National steering Committee appointed by the Ministry of Health Sri Lanka for the development of Elderly Medicine in Sri Lanka.

Member of the team appointed by the WHO to develop National Action Plan on ageing in Sri Lanka.

International organiser for the 2012 International Congress in Geriatrics and Gerontology in Delhi, India.
Temporary adviser to WHO for the Regional Meeting to strengthen Healthy Ageing 2012.
Member of Expert Committee member for development of Regional Teaching Manual for Geriatric Medicine 2012-2019
International delegate for WHO regional meeting in New Delhi for Development of Teaching Manual in Geriatric Medicine

Text Book

Authored

Co Editor- Medicine in the Elderly - The first text book in Geriatrics published in Sri Lanka

Journal Articles

1.Modified STOPP-START criteria for Sri Lanka: Translating to a resource limited healthcare setingby Delphi Consensus
Nethushi Samaranayake, Achala Balasuriya Chandanie Wanigatunga
Oct 2019 BMC Geriatrics
2.Shiitake Flagellate Dermatitis: A case report
Achala Balasuriya, Ashish Goel, National Medical Journal of Indiavol 34.No3, 2021

3.Long-term Care of Older Persons in Sri Lanka SDD-SPSS Project working paper series ( Conference paper)

4.Hospital at Home- Are hospitals going home?
June 2019 Journal of Ceylon College of Physicians
Achala Balasuriya

5.Post – War Psychological Morbidity among Internally Displaced Married females in Nohtern Sri Lanka
Jan 2016,Journal of Trauma and Treatment
Don Shashika Attidiya,Aravinda Wickramasigha,Achala Balasuriya, Deleepa Ediriweera


6.A Case of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis
BMAC Balasuriya, SAM Kularatne, N Ratnatunga
The Ceylon Medical Journal - September 2004.
7.An Unusual Case of focal epilepsy
BMAC Balasuriya, Jagath .C Wijesekara, Sunil Perera
The Ceylon Medical Journal - March 200
8. An unusual case of hypopituitarism and recurrent cranial nerve palsies
BMAC Balasuriya, NP Somasundaram,R Gamage.
The Ceylon Medical Journal- June 2005

9.Brain death confirmed by Tc 99DTPA scan in a case of subarachnoid haemorrhage
Following Krait bite
BMAC Balasuriya, D Nanayakara, CDA Goonasekara.
The Ceylon Medical Journal- December 2005
10. Pulmonary opacities of a rare aetiology: Fungal pneumonia
BMAC Balasuriya,S Abeyasingha M Kularatne, N Ratnatunga,CPS Sosai
Sri Lanka Journal of Medicine- Jan-June 2002

11.“Prescribing for the elderly” ( First article in a series)
Sri Lanka Presciber ( For publication in December 2009 issue) Published by the State Pharmaceutical Corporation

Public Education Articles in Newspapers

1. The Island Editorial ( 17th August 2009) The Demographic Challenge Caring for the Elderly
Dr.Achala Balasuriya

2. The Sunday Times (19th July 2009) Rapid Rise of the Elderly
Dr.BMAC Balasuriya

3. The Island Features ( 30th September 2009) Managing High blood pressure in the elderly
Dr.Achala Balasuriya

4. The Sunday Times ( 20th September 2009)Dementia the fading memory problem
Dr. Achala Balasuriya

5. The Sunday Times ( 18th October 2009) When you can’t hold on- Managing Urinary Incontinence in the elderly
Dr.Achala Balasuriya

6. The Island (29th October 2011) Elder health Why do they fall?
Dr. Achala Balasuriya

7. The Island (14th October 2011) Elderly Care Medicine do we need it?
Dr. Achala Balasuriya

8.The Sunday Times ( 20th November 2011) The heart grows old too
Dr. Achala Balasuriya
9.The Nation ( 23rd December 2011) Geriatric Medicine Do we need it?
Dr.Achala Balasuriya

My references

Prof.Chandrika Wijeratne
MBBS( Col),MD (Medicine),DM,FRCP(UK)
Senior Professor in Reproductive Medicine
Faculty of Medicine
Colombo
Mandika59@hotmail.com
94777344480


Dr.Padma Gunaratne
MBBS, MD FRCP(Glassgow)
Consultant Neurologist
Colombo
pagunara@gmail.com