Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya

Basic science leads to a better understanding of natural phenomena. It looks for "knowledge and discovery of facts" to enable one to understand an already existing phenomenon. Basic science is the foundation of all scientific research. If you want the greatest long-term yield for human health, there’s no better investment. It may not be as glamorous as other types of research, but basic science discoveries can be applied across all medical disciplines to provide solutions to all diseases. The Department of Basic Sciences offers course modules to all first-year undergraduate students entering the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences. The Department aims to provide superior understanding of concepts in the fields of Human Physiology, Human Anatomy, Basic Biochemistry, General Pathology, Basic Statistics and Analytical Chemistry. These course modules are designed to deliver extensive foundational theoretical and practical knowledge to support all six specific Degree programmes offered by the faculty. Practical implementation of theoretical knowledge is achieved through well-designed laboratories, where students learn the practical aspects of Biochemistry, Human Physiology and Analytical Chemistry. The Department provides solid foundational knowledge in all six Degree programmes. The Basic Sciences Department was inaugurated under the headship of Prof H.M.T.U. Herath in 2017 and is currently led by Dr T.P. Gamagedara. The Department has a strong teaching and research focus. The Department has highly qualified and experienced staff, including four permanent academic, six temporary academic and six non-academic staff members. In addition, eminent visiting academics conduct lectures on special selected topics. The Department is involved in research catering to both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The Department has far reaching goals and will continue to develop infrastructure with state-of-the-art facilities to support student learning and develop new courses that cater to the dynamic academic and research needs of our country and the world more broadly.

• Basic Science Laboratory

• Anatomy Museum

• Mini Library
• The ceremonial opening of the newly established Anatomy Museum of the Dept. of Basic Sciences with the collaboration of Otago University, New Zealand and Dept. of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya was held on 17th December 2021. The Dean, Dr Janaka Marasinghe, Head, Dept. of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Dr Himani Amarathunga, accompanied by the Heads, the professors and student representatives of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences graced this occasion. Members of Otago University were joined online.

Department of Medical Laboratory Science offers a four-year professional degree program that Bachelor of Science Honors in Medical Laboratory Science (BScHons MLS). The degree is designed with 120 credits curriculum to produce competent graduates in the field of Medical Laboratory Science to cater the growing demands of the society and to provide quality laboratory service for the public. Graduates obtain high standard skills and knowledge in variety of fields including clinical biochemistry, heamatology, clinical microbiology, histotechnology and transfusion medicine which enable them to work in any clinical laboratory in national as well as international.

• The Department of MLS has several laboratories such as microbiology, molecular biology, histology, clinical chemistry and haematology.

• The Department of MLS provides medical diagnostic laboratory service to the community. This laboratory offers number of routine laboratory tests for reasonable price and it facilitates training opportunities for undergraduate students.

The Bachelor of Science Nursing Programme is a pre-registration degree course designed to produce nurse practitioners capable of proving safe and effective nursing care of a high standard in a variety of settings such as generalist nursing, midwifery nursing, child health nursing and community health nursing. The department provides a sound scientific and humanistic foundation for nursing practice, enabling the students to develop competencies necessary for the delivery of nursing care related to prevention, maintenance, cure, rehabilitation and promotion of health. It also addresses the acute and chronic health problems of clients throughout their life span, including care of the child-bearing woman. Furthermore, they would acquire confidence in self-direction for the development of nursing as a profession and its evolving contributions to other disciplines of health care. The program is designed to encourage the students to acquire knowledge and insights through self-directed learning and innovative approaches.

• Skills Laboratory - Skills laboratory provides students with the opportunity for hands-on practice with anatomical models before applying skills in real life situations, preparing them for better practice in the workforce. In the skills lab, we have a large collection of educational tools.

The Department of Pharmacy at the University of Peradeniya (UoP) was one of five departments established in 2007 in the first ever Faculty of Allied Health Sciences (FAHS) in Sri Lanka and has been a leader in pharmacy education in the country since its inception. Dr T. Nimmi C. Athuraliya, a former head of the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, UoP was the founder head of the Department of Pharmacy. Under her leadership an international consultative workshop to develop a curriculum for the Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) degree was conducted in November 2005. This was the first ever BPharm curriculum development programme held in Sri Lanka with participation from local and international experts from India, Pakistan and Malaysia, representing different areas of expertise in pharmacy.

The 13 academic staff members of the Department make the largest contribution to imparting theoretical knowledge and practical skills required by pharmacy professionals to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Pharmacy Honors (BPharmHons) degree program at the FAHS, UoP. The current (2021) student intake is 35 with a planned increase to 50, in 2023. The BPharmHons degree is a four-year degree covering areas of both pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical sciences. As of 2022 more than 230 students have graduated with a BPharm degree and are presently employed in different fields of pharmacy in Sri Lanka and abroad. The majority of the graduates serve as government pharmacists in the network of public hospitals in Sri Lanka while the rest are employed in the regulatory field both in the public and private sectors, pharmaceutical industry, academia, private hospitals and community pharmacy.

• The Department of Pharmacy is located within the premises of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences in the Professor Senaka Bibile building in Augusta Hill, Peradeniya. The building houses lecture theatres, administrative and staff offices, instrumentation laboratory and manufacturing laboratory of the Department. Construction of the pharmacy laboratory complex with funding from the World Bank AHEAD (Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development) operation of the Ministry of Education commenced in 2019 as an extension to the Professor Senaka Bibile building and the laboratory complex was opened in 2021. The laboratory complex consists of three laboratories: 1) pharmaceutical microbiology; 2) pharmaceutics; and 3) pharmaceutical chemistry. Each laboratory can accommodate 50 students per session. In addition, the Department of Pharmacy has a research laboratory in the Diamond Jubilee Building of FAHS. The FAHS library and Information Technology (IT) centre are located within the faculty premises providing easy access to library facilities and IT laboratory to BPharm undergraduates.

• The Department of Pharmacy has 13 academic staff members (including three professors) with ten staff members having postgraduate degrees (8 PhDs and 2 MPhils) in diverse fields including pharmacology and toxicology, clinical pharmacy, pharmacy practice, pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical microbiology, pharmaceutical biotechnology, pharmaceutical chemistry, medicinal chemistry, cheminformatics, metabolomics, pharmaceutical analysis, organic synthesis, pharmacognosy, pharmacoeconomics and pharmacy education. The external teaching panel includes resource persons from other faculties of UoP, other national Universities, industry and international collaborators for specific areas of the curriculum. A teaching panel from the CASPPER (Collaboration of Australians and Sri Lankans for Pharmacy Practice, Education and Research) provides teaching support for the courses on clinical pharmacy. Eleven non-academic staff members provide administrative support and runs and maintains the laboratories.

• For student training, the Department of Pharmacy has developed a collaborative network with government and private healthcare institutions for hospital-based placements, community pharmacies, regulatory authorities and industry for hospital pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, community pharmacy and industrial pharmacy training.

• In 2018, the Department of Pharmacy initiated an innovative concept for practical training for BPharm undergraduates by signing a memorandum of understanding with the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) of Sri Lanka to operate a retail SPC pharmacy outlet attached to UoP (University Rajya Osusala). The first ever such initiative by a state University in Sri Lanka provides students a training centre to practice drug dispensing, patient education, pharmacy management and legal and ethical norms in pharmacy practice.

• The BPharm undergraduates of FAHS reside in residential facilities of the UoP and has access to resources common to the all students of the UoP including a network of libraries, department of physical education and gymnasium, health centre, student services and numerous societies and clubs promoting learning, socio-cultural diversity and recreation.  

The department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences was inaugurated on 16th January 2007 at the University of Peradeniya as one of the first department to offer undergraduate programme in physiotherapy in Sri Lanka. The B.Sc. (Honours) Physiotherapy progaramme offered by the department is designed to produce proficient graduates and professionals in the field of physiotherapy to cater the growing demands and to advance the quality of physiotherapy services in Sri Lanka. The programme provides the students with high standard of clinical skills and knowledge in variety of fields including neurological, musculoskeletal, pediatric, cardio respiratory, and sports physiotherapy which meet both local and international criteria. The Department of Physiotherpy inaugurated the first M.Sc. degree programme in Physiotherapy in Sri Lanka in 2022 to cater the long demand of physiotherapy graduates in Sri Lanka.

The Department provides appropriate and effective learning environment including infrastructure facilities, laboratory facilities, library facilities and appropriate clinical practice sites to support the students to successfully achieve the programme outcomes. The department has established active collaborations with foreign universities and institutions to provide greater exposure to the students in academic and research.

To be a centre of eminence in physiotherapy education with global recognition.

To prepare physiotherapy graduates with entry-level physiotherapy skills, competencies, professional and ethical behaviors. As lifelong learners and reflective practitioners, they will serve the health care needs of the community while contributing to the advancement of the profession of physiotherapy.

• The Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences provides lecture halls facilities with all modern audio visual facilities. The department is equipped with modern physiotherapeutic equipment and laboratory facilities such as Exercise science laboratory, Lung Function Testing Laboratory, Movement analysis laboratory etc. for teaching – learning and research activities.

• The Department of Physiotherapy established a Physiotherapy Service Unit with the purpose of providing the best practical exposure to the students as well as physiotherapy service for out-patients. It is a well-equipped physiotherapy centre providing all physiotherapy services by qualified and well experienced teaching panel of the Department of Physiotherapy with advanced physiotherapeutic techniques and modern physiotherapy modalities and facilities.

• Lung function test unit was established in 2017 at the Department of Physiotherapy in order to provide practical exposure to the physiotherapy undergraduates. Its service is also extended to out-patients. Lung function testing Unit is equipped with advanced pulmonary function testing machine for complete pulmonary function testing including Spirometry Test (FVC, MVV) and Diffusion Capacity for Carbon monoxide Test (DLCO Test). Tests are conducted by the well trained physiotherapy teaching panel of the Department of Physiotherapy.

• Exercise Science Laboratory of the Department of Physiotherapy is equipped with highly advanced exercise testing equipment including 3D motion analysis system, which analyzes the biomechanics of human movements. Exercise Science Laboratory is also advanced with an exercise ECG machine and spirometer.

• The department of Physiotherapy also recognizes research and community activities as core functions of the department. The department engaged in various research and community activities including community based rehabilitation programme, geriatric care programmes and various other outreach rehabilitation programmes to provide physiotherapy services to the community.