{{ it.icon }}
{{ it.t }}
{{ it.d }}
Neurology•Brain Health•Global Advocacy
Helping all patients access the best healthcare
World-recognised senior neurologist and clinician-scientist devoted to promoting brain health, preventing neurological disorders, and bridging the gap between the developed and developing worlds.
Who is Tissa
Professor Tissa Wijeratne OAM
MD · PhD · FRACP · FRCP (Edin) · FRCP (London) · FAHA · FAAN · FEAN
Senior Neurologist · Clinician-Scientist · Advocate · Educator
Professor Tissa Wijeratne is a world-recognised senior neurologist and clinician-scientist interested in promoting brain health and preventing neurological disorders globally. He is Director and Chair of the Department of Neurology and Stroke Services at Western Health in St Albans, Victoria, Australia.
He holds honorary academic roles at the University of Melbourne, La Trobe University and Victoria University in Australia, and the University of Rajarata in Sri Lanka. Since 2006 he has supervised over 450 basic physician trainees and facilitated more than 100 "train the trainer" workshops for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
In 2023 he became the first Sri Lankan neurologist to be awarded the Order of Australia Medal in recognition of his services to medicine, and he is the first Sri Lankan/Australian neurologist appointed President of the Asian Regional Consortium of Headache.
Humble Beginnings
From the jungle to global impact
Born and raised in what Tissa describes as "the jungle" — a remote village called Kirioruwa-Bandarawela in the central mountains of Sri Lanka — electricity, hot water, television and the telephone were all miles away.
He fondly recalls days spent reading in the shade of a tree in the rice fields surrounding his family home — the place where sky and earth met, almost kissing each other daily, the mountains covered in lush tea bushes.
Decades later he became the first Sri Lankan-born neurologist to lead an academic department of neurology in Australia, and completed the world-first PhD on COVID-19 and the brain — coining the syndrome "Post COVID-19 Neurological Syndrome."
Kirioruwa-Bandarawela — on the way home.
Areas of Impact
A lifetime of brain health advocacy
Latest Writing
All posts →