Senior Professor in Anatomy
PhD (Japan)
BDS (Hons) Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Prof. Chantha Jayawardena embarked on her academic journey as a Temporary Assistant Lecturer of Oral surgery at the Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, in 1994. She selected the path of a Lecturer by joining as a lecturer in Anatomy of the Department of Basic Sciences (1994 -1998 September). Driven by her unwavering pursuit of academic excellence, Dr. Jayawardena pursued a PhD at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Japan (1998 to 2002).
Upon returning to Sri Lanka, she assumed the role of Senior Lecturer in Anatomy at the Faculty of Dental Sciences from October 2002 to April 2014. Prof. Jayawardena also held positions as a Visiting Lecturer at Rajarata University of Sri Lanka and a Visiting Commonwealth Fellow at Kings College London (October 2009 to March 2010).
She also serves as an examiner at the Faculties of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences and for MD Selection Examinations at the PGIM, University of Colombo, since 2009.
Recognized for her significant contributions to Teaching, Research, and faculty development, Dr. Jayawardena was promoted to the position of Professor in Anatomy in April 2014. She spearheaded the establishment of DELU in 2016, showing her commitment to innovative education. Currently, she also serves as the Director of the Unit for Development of Dental Education (UDDE). Enhancing her expertise, she obtained a Master’s in Educational Science and Technology from the University of Twente, Netherlands, in 2020, further boosting her proficiency in impactful educational technology.
Prof. Jayawardena’s research focal points encompass innovative teaching methods, e-learning technology, student learning approaches, craniofacial development, professional identity formation, and the enhancement of lecturer adaptive expertise. Her commitment to educational progress is highlighted by numerous research awards, including presidential honours. Moreover, she serves as an invited reviewer for a number of journals and as an editorial member for the International Dental Journal (IDJ), making a substantial contribution to academic discussions.
Prof. Jayawardena’s research covers a range of topics: tooth morphometry, tooth development, and nerve receptors in the periodontal ligament. She has conducted research relevant to periodontal regeneration and supervised projects related to tooth development.
In the field of educational science, her focus includes exploring students’ learning approaches and designing pedagogically based self-learning resources to promote independent and active learning. Her ongoing research areas encompass designing self-learning digital resources, adaptive expertise and professional Identity Formation among dental students.
She is happy to invite students and keen researchers with the same interests for collaborative research endeavours.