By Ewen McRae
The human mind has always been a fascination for Professor Tissa Wijeratne.
The leading neurologist at Sunshine Hospital has nurtured this fascination from his childhood in Sri Lanka, where a family tragedy started him on the path to stroke research.
“When my grandfather had a stroke … there was absolutely nothing for strokes at that time, so I was curious to find out how we can change things,” Professor Wijeratne said.
“I did not know I would end up in medicine at that time, but once I got in I was firmly interested in the human brain.
“It’s been a long journey from Sri Lanka to Australia, via New Zealand, but it’s also been a very rewarding one to now work with a world class team here at Western Health.”
Professor Wijeratne was half way through his first year of university when the 1987 youth uprising led to several years of chaos in Sri Lanka and universities closed for three years.
“I think that time was a game changer for me,” Professor Wijeratne said.
“You go through something like that and you live each day as if it is your last on planet Earth.”
Through all his travels and achievements, he’s never forgotten the lessons from his younger days.
“If I could go back to my primary school days and do my life again I wouldn’t change one thing,” he said.
“But the real heroes are my patients, not me.”
Professor Wijeratne was last week recognised as a finalist at the National Stroke Care Awards.
