
Hema Weerakoon is a grade one medical officer, working in Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka as an in charge medical officer in outpatient department. She was educated in university of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. She holds medical degree of bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery. She took up her first permanent position as senior house officer in surgical department of Teaching hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka in 1998. She has worked in curative as well as preventive health sector for more than 25 years. In curative health sector she has worked in Teaching hospital, Anuradhapura as medical officer /dermatology and medical officer /sexual health centre. She also worked in peripheral divisional hospitals in Anuradhapura. In preventive health sector she has worked as medical officer planning and medical officer public health in provincial health department North Central Province Sri Lanka. Other than duty at government health sector she is doing private medical practice at Anuradhapura Sri Lanka.
She has contributed to 25 research publications mainly tropical disease; leishmaniasis, leprosy and public health. She has done more than 30 presentations in regional, national and international scientific forums.
Dr Hema Weerakoon has awarded Sri Lanka Medical Association Fairmed 2013/2016 (Health for poorest) research grant award in 2013 and 2016. She has got research award in merit category from national research council of Sri Lanka in 2010, 2011 and 2015. She is also co-investigator of ECLIPSE research award in Sri Lankan team. She is the only medical officer who is working in government health sector of Sri Lanka in ECLIPSE project. All others are working in universities in Sri Lanka.
She also has got Primary health care innovation fund award under ADB health system enhancement project (HSEP/PMU/NCP/THA/01.1/2020) for leishmaniasis awareness and advocacy in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
https://www.hsep.lk/images/Downloads/publications/MEQ42020.pdf)
Hema Weerakoon is engaging in community education in native language of Sri Lanka for more than 15 years. She has done more than 70 awareness programs on leishmaniasis for health staff, non-health staff, community and school children. Other than that she is doing awareness programs on dermatological disease chronic kidney disease, non communicable disease and productivity. She is writing to new papers and journals in Sri Lanka regarding leishmaniasis as well as other diseases since 2009. She is author of five books published in Sri Lanka and co-author of five books published in Sri Lanka. She is the author of first booklet on leishmaniasis in Sinhala medium in Sri Lanka (2011). She is maintaining two Facebook pages; healthy life, leishmaniasis and one Facebook page named Dr. Hema Weerakoon for community education. Leishmaniasis Facebook page is the only Facebook page in Sinhala medium in Sri Lanka.