Contact
Biography
Dr Thushani Wijesiri is a research fellow in Dental Public Health at the University of Dundee, with 15 years of experience as a dental surgeon. Her career includes serving as a Temporary Lecturer in the Faculty of Dental Sciences at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and contributing nine years of service to the public health sector within the Sri Lankan government.
During her tenure, she played a key role in national oral cancer prevention and control efforts, co-developing the National Guidelines for the Management of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders for Medical and Dental Practitioners in 2013. Dr. Wijesiri has also conducted numerous training and capacity-building programs for healthcare professionals, particularly school dental therapists. While working in the Oral Health Unit of the Family Health Bureau, she contributed to various initiatives, including organizing annual reviews of the school dental service and overseeing capacity-building programs.
Additionally, she was involved in implementing electronic health record system for school dental service to improve health service delivery. Her MD thesis in Community Dentistry focused on assessing the quality of data within the routine management information system used by school dental therapists in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. Moreover, Dr Wijesiri was an integral part of the National Oral Health Survey team from 2015 to 2016.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Medicine in Community Dentistry – MD (2021), Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Master’s Degree in Community Dentistry – MSc (2011), Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Bachelor of Dental Surgery – BDS- 2nd class honours (2003) University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Research
Dr Thushani Wijesiri is engaged in diverse research initiatives, including service evaluation for Dundee’s Mobile Dental Unit, which supports homeless and vulnerable populations, and health promotion among BME and migrant communities. She also contributes to MDPH teaching and participates in collaborative research, focusing on the development of clinical preventive interventions for people in custody. Her work emphasises health service accessibility and the promotion of oral health among vulnerable populations.
Her research interests include health service research, population health, and the study of health inequalities.