A proud RI alumnus, Dr. Yugeesh Lankadeva completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biomedicine with Honours and graduated with High Distinction from Deakin University (Burwood Campus) in 2009, and thereafter, completed his fully-scholarship funded PhD by 2013 within the Faculty of Medicine at Monash University (Clayton Campus).
He currently serves as a National Heart Foundation Future Leader Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Translational Cardiovascular and Renal Research Group at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Melbourne, Australia.
“My medical research focuses on understanding the mechanisms driving cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and kidney diseases arising from severe infections (sepsis, COVID-19) and open-heart surgery requiring the heart-lung machine,” he explains.
Armed with this knowledge, his goal is to develop novel and effective diagnostics and therapeutics to improve patient health outcomes.
Presently, Dr. Lankadeva has published over 40 medical journals, reviews and book chapters in top-ranking international journals. The quality and clinical relevance of his medical discoveries have been acknowledged by the award of over $3.6 million of nationally competitive research funding and by over 20 career accomplishment awards from prestigious national and international medical societies. Furthermore, he is an advocate for actively promoting medical research within mainstream and social media, and an elected institutional representative within Victorian and Federal State Parliaments.
Prior to pursuing his undergraduate and post-graduate university education in Australia, he was an outstanding student at Royal Institute International School, Nugegoda branch from grade 6 onwards until he completed his Edexcel Ordinary Level examination at the Havelock Town branch.
During school, young Yugeesh Lankadeva has been elected a prefect both at Nugegoda and Havelock Town branches. Being a dynamic sportsman and a promising leader, he also captained the under-15 and under-17 cricket teams. His leadership traits and sportsmanship were clearly portrayed at inter-international sports events, where he guided the RI team as the school’s athletics captain.
Dr. Lankadeva recollects his passion for being a student athlete. “It really began at Royal Institute where the principals, teachers and coaches proactively encouraged us not only to excel in academia, but also in sports. I believe that encouraging students to become student athletes from a young age is critical, because it teaches you leadership, self-confidence, discipline, time-management and promotes collegiality. These are all important skills to acquire and develop as they are transferable to almost any profession around the world.”
“I am very fond and proud of my student years at Royal Institute, because these were some of the happiest years of my childhood, which I will always cherish for the rest of my life,” adds Dr. Yugeesh Lankadeva.
Dr. Yugeesh Lankadeva
Brilliance in the Field of Medicine/Medical Research