Dr. Upali Pilapitiya
Dr. Upali Pilapitiya, the eldest son of a renowned Ayurvedic Physician in Gampola late Dr.W.H.M. Pilapitiya, hails from a family of Ayurvedic physicians.
Following family traditions he entered Government Ayurveda College, Colombo (Now Institute of Indigenous Medicine-University of Colombo) and obtained D.A.M.S. - Diploma in Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery with Honors. Due to his outstanding performance as an undergraduate, he was appointed a lecturer in the same institution as soon as he completed the degree.
Dr. Upali Pilapitiya pursued further studies at the Gujarat Ayurveda University, India under a Colombo Plan scholarship where he received his Master's Degree (M.S.A.M) and later a Doctorate (PhD) in Ayurveda medicine.
He was awarded several scholarships and fellowships from W.H.O., U.N.D.P. and JAICA which enabled him to study Acupuncture and other forms of traditional medicine in countries such as China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Nepal, Yugoslavia and the Czech Republic.
He served as the Director of the Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurveda Research Institute, the premier institute for research in Ayurveda and Indigenous medicine in Sri Lanka from 1982 upto his retirement in 2001. Within this period he had also held the posts of Director of the Institute of Indigenous Medicine- University of Colombo and the Secretary of the Ministry of Indigenous Medicine, Sri Lanka. He had also been appointed an Advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Traditional Medicine during his career.
He has led several clinical researches in Ayurveda and was instrumental in researching the efficacy and popularizing Ksharasuthra treatment for fistula in ano.
In recognition of his clinical excellence, academic and research contributions, Dr. Pilapitiya was awarded'Vidyanidhi' the prestigious Presidential Award for Science in (1989).
He also received the 'VishvaPrasadini' award from the Prime minister Mrs. Sirimavo R.D. Bandaranaike.
Dr.Pilapitiya is also a recipient of the 'Sahashrabisheka Vidya Shoori', a State award for Science awarded in year 2000.
Since retirement Dr.Pilapitiya is full time involved in providing clinical expertise and services to local and foreign patients using his long developed clinical skills and academic expertise in Ayurveda and traditional medicine including acupuncture.
