Prof. K.N. Seneviratne Oration - 2025

The K.N. Seneviratne Oration 2025 will be held at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo on Friday, November 21, 2025. It will be held in conjunction with the 38th Annual Sessions of the Physiological Society of Sri Lanka (PSSL).

- BY PROF. SUSIRITH MENDIS

Much has been written on the life and work of Prof. Keerthi Nissanka Seneviratne by his academic colleagues, generations of his admiring students and those who knew him as a sincere friend. He is no stranger to the medical academic community in Sri Lanka.

Professor Seneviratne was born in Elpitiya, Galle on November 22, 1929 as the second son of Dr. Robert and Mrs Laura Seneviratne. Prof. Seneviratne came from a privileged family. His father, Robert Seneviratne was a doctor trained in Edinburgh, Scotland, where subsequently, Prof. Seneviratne obtained his research doctorate.

He had his primary and secondary education at Royal College, Colombo. He obtained his MBBS degree with honours in 1954 from the University of Ceylon, Colombo, gaining a distinction in Medicine and winning the Gold Medal for Operative Surgery.

After completing his clinical training as a young doctor, he joined the Department of Physiology of the Colombo Medical School on secondment as a Demonstrator in 1957. Due to his interest in research, he went to the UK and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree from the University of Edinburgh. Having rejoined the Department of Physiology at the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, he was promoted to the post of Professor of Physiology at the age of 39 in 1969 and was in the post until 1981.