Message by the President
I am honored to be inducted as the President of the Physiological Society of Sri Lanka for the year 2026. In the coming year, I hope to continue the legacy and vision of the brilliant academics and great role models who established this umbrella body 39 years ago, unifying all physiologists in the country, to search, teach, serve, and network. I thank the previous council, led by Professor Dinithi Fernando, for the successes and wisdom (and some challenges) they passed down to me and the present council.
As we have been conducting over the years, the 2026 PSSL calendar comprises two main activities for academics: the Regional Meeting, and the Annual Scientific Sessions. The Regional Meeting (March 2026), will be an academic and social event, that knits geography and generations, as the founders of the PSSL envisioned. The Annual Scientific Sessions with its prestigious orations, symposia and free paper sessions, will be of scientific merit on par with the world. I warmly invite all physiologists, allied scientists and clinicians to submit their research to the PSSL Annual Academic Sessions held in November 2026. This will also be a great opportunity to network with your colleagues in a fostering ambience.
In an era with unprecedented advancement and democratization of knowledge, teachers or textbooks can no longer claim their unquestionable authority on a subject. Physiology is no exception. Students are more in need of role models, and guidance on how to learn and build their career without being supercompetitive. To this end, this year’s council plans to conduct a networking activity with a soft competitive element (instead of a traditional physiology quiz) for physiology undergraduates, to promote their career development, scientific thinking, and efficient and responsible use of technology in their research and learning. The expertise and mentorship of senior physiologists of the PSSL are pertinent in this endeavor.
Running a national-level scientific society with international collaborations in a time of brain drain and financial hardships is challenging. The spirit and support of the membership, potential granting bodies and benefactors will be of immense strength for the PSSL to navigate these testing times.
Over the last 39 years, the PSSL has become increasingly vibrant. Today, the membership consists of basic physiologists, applied physiologists and clinicians, who collaborate seamlessly in providing state-of-the-art teaching and service functions, and conducting translational research. I believe that this is a rare gift for an academic body: The future of the PSSL lies in this diversification of its membership and unification of its goals, so that we are able to cater to the changing landscape of academia, science, and human wellbeing. Hence this year’s theme: ‘Strengthening the Synapses of Physiology: from Cells to Systems to Society’.
I thank all colleagues who joined this year’s PSSL executive committee, and look forward to an exciting year ahead.
Prof. Tharaka Dassanayake MBBS, MPhil, PhD, FIUPS
Senior Professor in Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya
Honorary Consultant Neurophysiologist, Teaching Hospital Peradeniya, SRI LANKA
Fellow of the Academy of the International Union of Physiological Sciences
Honorary Senior Lecturer, School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Australia.
