Centre for Kidney Research team members

Hasantha Gunasekera

FRACP, PhD
Sydney Children's Hospitals Network (Westmead)
University of Sydney
Tel: +61 2 9845 3399
Email:hasantha.gunasekera@health.nsw.gov.au

Hasantha is a general paediatrician with an interest in International Public Health and Australian Indigenous Health. His PhD thesis entitled "Epidemiology and management of otitis media in Indigenous and non-Indigenous children" which was supported by an NHMRC scholarship and involved managing the ear health components of SEARCH (Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health). SEARCH has NHMRC funding to follow-up a cohort of urban Aboriginal children for 5 years (possibly 20 years) and will focus on specific child health, particularly middle ear disease. SEARCH has currently enrolled nearly 1600 children and performed baseline measures including growth and blood pressure measurements, audiology and speech pathology assessments. His other research interests include the public health, general paediatrics, and refugee health.

Hasantha maintains his clinical skills as a Staff Specialist General Paediatrician at The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network (Westmead). He was previously involved with the Diploma in Child Health & International Postgraduate Paediatrics Certificate, which provided postgradate paediatric education to healthcare practitioners all over Australia, the Pacific, as well as China, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Vietnam and India. He is one of the Editors for the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, the national paediatric journal, the paediatric representative on the Australian Doctor Specialist Panel and on the Organising Committee of the International Paediatric Association meeting in Melbourne in 2013.

Hasantha has supervised many undergraduate and graduate students in research projects, including two successful Summer Scholarships. He is well on his way to achieving his goal of dining in every restaurant in Sydney before he dies.