The Department of Statistics and Computer Science hosted a session on 18th July 2024 at the University as part of the workshop series on “Capacity Building in Health Research”. The session was conducted by Dr. Manjula Nugawela, a Research Fellow at the Institute of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London (UCL). It focused on an ongoing research project titled DIAGNOSE-DR which aims to improve diabetes eye screening and delaying preventable blindness in Sri Lanka.
Dr Nugawela began the session by acknowledging the key stakeholders involved in the project: Dr Ravi Rannan-Eliya, Director of the Institute for Health Policy (IHP), who is overseeing the DIAGNOSE-DR project in Sri Lanka, and Professor Sobha Sivaprasad, Principal Investigator of the project and Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. DIAGNOSE-DR is a collaboration between UCL, IHP, Ministry of Health, and several other institutions including University of Kelaniya Department of Statistics and Computer Science.
During the session, Dr Nugawela highlighted that Sri Lanka faces a growing number of diabetes patients, many of whom are at risk of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) and Sight Threatening Diabetic Retinopathy (STDR). It is recommended to carry out annual eye screening of all diabetic patients. However, this is not practical due to limited resources in Sri Lanka leading to higher incidence of preventable blindness and visual impairment. Therefore, this four-year research Project funded by Velux Stiftung aims to improve diabetic screening in Sri Lanka using handheld retinal cameras and diagnostic risk modelling. Additionally, the project seeks to strengthen the research capacity of Sri Lankan academics, researchers, clinicians, and public health workers by providing them with the necessary skills and expertise to advance their careers.
As part of the “Capacity Building in Health Research” series at the University of Kelaniya, additional workshops are planned later this year, with support from Dr. Nugawela. These sessions will cover various research topics, including (1) Basic Statistics and Epidemiology (2) Conducting Systematic Reviews (3) Diagnostic and Predictive Modelling (4) The Use of Randomised Clinical Trials in Health Research.
The session concluded with an interactive Q&A segment, where Dr. Manjula answered various queries posed by our final-year students and demonstrators. The knowledge shared during this session will undoubtedly benefit them in their academic and research journeys.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Manjula for her time and expertise.
Organized the session and assembled the article by
Dr. D M Pansujee V Dissanayaka
Ms. J A Y R Jayasekara
Ms. H.A.T Kaushalya.
Ms. M A N Maleesha
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