IDEA Lab

Day 02 Highlights – IDEAnet One Health Forum 2025
11th November 2025

Day 02 of the IDEAnet One Health Forum brought together an exceptional panel of experts to explore emerging pathogens, strengthen diagnostic capacity, and advance One Health surveillance in Sri Lanka and beyond.

Session 01 – “Identification of Emerging Agents”
Chaired by Dr. Wipula B. Yapa and Prof. Inoka C. Perera (Department of Zoology & Environment Sciences, University of Colombo).
Guest Speakers:
• Dr. Rohitha Muthugala – Consultant Medical Virologist, Medical Research Institute, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka
• Dr. Andreas Puyskens – Research Scientist (Postdoc), ZBS1
• Prof. Saminda Fernando – Professor, Department of Zoology, The Open University of Sri Lanka

Session 02 – “Diagnostics and Public Health”
Chaired by Prof. Andreas Nitsche (Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany) and Dr. Gayani Premawansa (Physician, Colombo North Teaching Hospital).
Guest Speakers:
• Dr. Priyantha Atapaththu – Deputy Director General (Laboratory Services), Ministry of Health
• Dr. Janine Michel – Robert Koch Institute, Germany
• Dr. Hamsananthy Jeevatharan – Consultant Community Physician, Ministry of Health

Session 03 – “Prevention and Surveillance”
Chaired by Prof. Sunil Premawansa (Department of Zoology & Environment Sciences, UoC) and Prof. Shiroma Handunnetti (Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, UoC).
Guest Speakers:
• Dr. Hasitha Tissera – Epidemiologist, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka
• Dr. Tharaka Prasad – Director, Wildlife Health, Department of Wildlife Conservation
• Dr. Lukas Murajda – Medical Doctor & Head of Health Authority, District of Central Berlin, Germany

At the conclusion of each session, brief flash talks were delivered by postgraduate researchers of the IDEAnet project, showcasing ongoing research innovations and strengthening the forum’s collaborative learning environment.

A sincere thank you to all our speakers, chairs, participants, and partners for their invaluable contributions.
Together, we continue strengthening the One Health ecosystem for a safer, healthier future.