Student Voice - Kulasekara Mudiyanselage Hanthanapitiye Hansika Kumari Hanthanapitiya

I am a Primary Care Physician and a Public Health Practitioner from Sri Lanka with over four years of international experience in the field. My medical background is in providing primary health care to minorities and low-income populations, especially in rural areas. I am also a trained public health practitioner with working experience in community health, maternal and child health and public health administration. Prior to joining the School of Public Health, I served in several rural and semi-urban government hospitals in Sri Lanka, delivering essential healthcare to populations in need.

From the time I was a medical student, I knew public health was my calling. During my undergraduate years, I took part in several international public health initiatives and became a part of a few health advocacy groups (particularly on women’s health). After obtaining my medical practice license in Sri Lanka and gaining several years of experience in both primary care and community medicine, I decided that pursuing a Master’s in Public Health was a natural next step to solidify my knowledge in the field that I am passionate about.

As such, I was thrilled to receive a full academic scholarship from the University of Hong Kong, School of Public Health to study my MPH. The Chan Tung and Friends Global Community Health for All Scholarship allowed an early career physician from a small, developing country such as myself to pursue an internationally accredited MPH programme at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

During my time as a student, I enjoyed connecting with peers from across the region, taking part in new public health initiatives, talking to my professors to gather new insights and honing my public health research skill set. After a year of rigorous studies, I was delighted to graduate from the programme with a Distinction.

Right after graduation, I was recruited to become a Research Assistant at the School of Public Health, which was an excellent learning experience. After that, I applied for a teaching position that was available within the school and was delighted to receive the offer. It has been an honour and a privilege to work amongst some of the best academics in the world and to share my knowledge with an inspiring bunch of students.