Dr Thimathi Wickramasekara Becomes First Sri Lankan to Lead Asia’s Clinical Nutrition Society (PENSA)
AI-generated illustration; no authentic photograph of the leadership handover was embedded.
Sri Lankan physician Dr Thimathi Wickramasekara has become the first person from Sri Lanka to lead the Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Society of Asia (PENSA), a significant appointment for the country’s medical community and a notable milestone for women in specialist medicine.
Dr Wickramasekara was appointed president at the conclusion of PENSA’s annual conference in Bali, Indonesia. As part of the leadership handover, she received the society’s official flag, marking her assumption of the regional role. The Lanka Leader reported the appointment on 28 October 2026.
Her achievement brings international recognition to a Sri Lankan physician whose work spans clinical practice, professional leadership and the development of nutrition medicine in Sri Lanka. It also offers an encouraging example to young doctors and medical students, particularly women pursuing specialist careers in a field with growing importance to patient care.
A specialist role at Sri Lanka’s Medical Research Institute
Dr Wickramasekara is a Consultant Nutrition Physician and founder president of the Sri Lanka College of Nutrition Physicians (SLCNP). She currently serves as head of the Department of Nutrition at the Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Colombo. The institute’s staff page lists her qualifications as MBBS, MSc in Human Nutrition and MD in Clinical Nutrition.
The MRI is a national institution with a role in medical research and public health. Within this setting, the Department of Nutrition contributes to a specialist area concerned with the relationship between nutrition, illness and clinical care. The field extends beyond general dietary advice: clinical nutrition can form part of the assessment and management of patients whose health conditions affect their nutritional needs.
AI-generated illustration of clinical nutrition work; it does not depict Dr Wickramasekara or an actual MRI consultation.
The SLCNP, which Dr Wickramasekara founded and led as its first president, reflects the development of nutrition medicine as a specialist discipline in Sri Lanka. A 2023 Sunday Times profile described the college’s intention to work across professional disciplines and contribute knowledge to decision-makers. That collaborative approach is relevant to clinical nutrition, where patient care may involve physicians and other health professionals working together.
PENSA’s regional role
PENSA brings together nutrition societies across Asia and supports the advancement of clinical nutrition practice and research. Its official website provides information on the society’s activities, educational resources, webinars and congresses, reflecting a professional network that connects practitioners and researchers across the region.
Clinical nutrition is an area of medicine concerned with the nutritional needs of people affected by illness, treatment or other health conditions. Effective practice can require careful assessment and coordination between specialists, alongside continuing research and professional education. Regional organisations such as PENSA provide a forum for sharing expertise and supporting the development of standards and knowledge across national settings.
AI-generated conference illustration; it is not a photograph of PENSA’s Bali meeting or the flag handover.
Dr Wickramasekara’s appointment places a Sri Lankan physician at the head of this Asian professional body. The distinction is especially notable because she brings experience from both national institutional leadership and the establishment of a specialist college in Sri Lanka. Her position may help strengthen professional exchange between Sri Lankan practitioners and colleagues elsewhere in Asia, while drawing attention to the expertise being developed on the island.
The appointment is a milestone, rather than a claim that a single individual can represent the full breadth of Sri Lanka’s medical community. Its significance lies in the recognition of a specialist physician from Sri Lanka for a regional leadership role, and in the visibility this creates for clinical nutrition as a growing area of medical practice.
A visible example for the next generation
Leadership in medicine is built over time through specialist training, professional service and sustained work with colleagues and institutions. Dr Wickramasekara’s career includes clinical nutrition practice, leadership at the MRI and the founding presidency of the SLCNP. Her new role at PENSA adds a regional dimension to that record.
For young doctors and medical students, her example demonstrates how specialist expertise developed in Sri Lanka can contribute to wider professional networks. For young women considering careers in medicine, the appointment is a particularly welcome illustration of a Sri Lankan woman physician taking on leadership at an Asian level. Such visibility can help make specialist pathways more imaginable to students who are still deciding where their training and ambitions may lead.
AI-generated illustration of medical education and mentorship; the people shown are not real or identifiable individuals.
The appointment will also resonate with Sri Lankans living abroad, for whom achievements in medicine and education can be an important source of connection with the country’s professional life. At home and overseas, readers can take pride in a milestone that recognises the contribution of Sri Lankan medical expertise to a regional institution.
Advancing clinical nutrition through collaboration
PENSA’s work in clinical nutrition and dietetics reflects a wider need for collaboration across professional and national boundaries. As clinical practice develops, the exchange of research, training and experience can help specialists respond to changing health needs. This is particularly relevant in nutrition, where patient care may involve complex conditions and the input of multiple disciplines.
Dr Wickramasekara’s leadership offers an opportunity to strengthen those connections while continuing her work in Sri Lanka. It also underscores the value of institutions such as the MRI and the SLCNP in developing specialist knowledge and professional capacity. The accomplishment does not stand apart from that wider work; it is connected to the clinical, research and organisational foundations built by medical professionals in Sri Lanka.
Her appointment as the first Sri Lankan president of PENSA is therefore both a personal professional achievement and a meaningful moment for the country’s medical community. It recognises a physician whose roles include clinical practice, institutional leadership and the founding of a specialist college, while presenting an encouraging example to the next generation of doctors.
Sources
- The Lanka Leader: Sri Lankan doctor becomes first from island to lead Asia’s clinical nutrition society
- Medical Research Institute: Staff of the Department of Nutrition
- Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Society of Asia (PENSA)
- The Sunday Times: Nutrition Physicians as change agents
This article was written based on the sources The Lanka Leader, the Medical Research Institute, PENSA and The Sunday Times, kindly email us at info@eLanka.com.au if any information needs to be corrected.
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