Research

Research interests

My work focuses on applying advanced spatiotemporal methods to model and map the risk of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), including snakebite envenoming (SBE), soil-transmitted helminths (STH), and lyphatic filariais (LF), influencing policy and control strategies in low- and middle-income countries.

  • Mapping Snakebite Risk: Developed high-resolution spatiotemporal models to predict envenoming hotspots.
  • STH Control Strategies: Evaluated the impact of mass drug administration on soil-transmitted helminth prevalence.
  • LF Elimination: Designing elimination surveys to support the global program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis.

Doctoral Research

Thesis: “Spatiotemporal Methods and Applications in Neglected Tropical Diseases”
University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka & Lancaster University, United Kingdom
Commonwealth Doctoral Scholarship (split-site) recipient (2017)

Publications in Peer-reviewed Indexed Journals arising from the thesis

  • Ediriweera DS, et al (2016). PLoS NTD 10(7): e000481.
  • Ediriweera DS, et al (2017). PLoS NTD 11(11): e0006073.
  • Ediriweera DS, et al (2018). International Journal of Epidemiology 47(6).
  • Ediriweera DS, et al (2019). PLoS ONE 14(10): e0223021.
  • Ediriweera DS, et al. (2019). The Lancet Global Health 7(9).
  • Ediriweera DS, et al. (2021). PLoS NTD 15(6): e0009447.

Awards arising from the thesis

  • President’s Awards for Scientific Publication (2016)
  • President’s Awards for Scientific Publication (2017)
  • President’s Awards for Scientific Publication (2018)
  • President’s Awards for Scientific Publication (2019)
  • Wilson Peiris Prize, Sri Lanka Medical Association (2016)
  • Third place poster prize, Royal Statistical Society International Conference (2018)
  • Taylor & Francis Commonwealth Scholar Best Journal Article Prize 2020 - highly commended for publication (one of the three finalists)

Selected Publications

  • Ediriweera DS, Hakizimana D, Diggle PJ, Schurer JM. Community-based snakebite risk mapping for resource prioritisation in Eastern Province, Rwanda. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2025 Jan 3:trae069.
  • Ediriweera DS, de Silva T, Kasturiratne A, de Silva HJ, Diggle P. Geographically regulated designs of incidence surveys can match the precision of classical survey designs whilst requiring smaller sample sizes: the case of snakebite envenoming in Sri Lanka. BMJ Global Health. 2022 Oct 1;7(10):e009500.
  • Ediriweera DS, Kasthuriratne A, Pathmeswaran A, Gunawardene NK, Jayamanne SF, Murray K, Iwamura T, Isbister G, Dawson A, Lalloo DG, de Silva HJ. Evaluating spatiotemporal dynamics of snakebite in Sri Lanka: Monthly incidence mapping from a national representative survey sample. PLoS neglected tropical diseases. 2021 Jun 1;15(6):e0009447.
  • Ediriweera DS, De Silva NR, Malavige GN, De Silva HJ. An epidemiological model to aid decision-making for COVID-19 control in Sri Lanka. PLoS ONE. 2020 Aug 27;15(8):e0238340.
  • Ediriweera DS, Gunawardena S, Gunawardena NK, Iddawela D, Kannathasan S, Murugananthan A, Yahathugoda C, Pathmeswaran A, Diggle PJ, de Silva N. Reassessment of the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections in Sri Lanka to enable a more focused control programme: a cross-sectional national school survey with spatial modelling. The Lancet Global Health. 2019 Sep 1;7(9):e1237-46.
  • Ediriweera DS, Kasthuriratne A, Pathmeswaran A, Gunawardene NK, Jayamanne SF, Murray K, Iwamura T, Lalloo DG, de Silva HJ, Diggle PJ. Adjusting for spatial variation when assessing individual-level risk: A case-study in the epidemiology of snake-bite in Sri Lanka. PloS one. 2019 Oct 3;14(10):e0223021.
  • Ediriweera DS, Diggle PJ, Kasturiratne A, Pathmeswaran A, Gunawardena NK, Jayamanne SF, Isbister GK, Dawson A, Lalloo DG, de Silva HJ. Evaluating temporal patterns of snakebite in Sri Lanka: the potential for higher snakebite burdens with climate change. International journal of epidemiology. 2018 Dec 1;47(6):2049-58.
  • Ediriweera DS, Karunapema P, Pathmeswaran A, Arnold M. Increase in premature mortality due to non-communicable diseases in Sri Lanka during the first decade of the twenty-first century. BMC Public Health. 2018 Dec;18(1):1-6
  • Ediriweera DS, Dilina N, Saparamadu V, Fernando I, Kurukulasuriya B, Fernando D. Aspirin is associated with low oral pH levels and antacid helps to increase oral pH. BMC research notes. 2018 Dec;11(1):1-5.
  • Ediriweera DS, Kasturiratne A, Pathmeswaran A, Gunawardena NK, Jayamanne SF, Lalloo DG, de Silva HJ. Health seeking behavior following snakebites in Sri Lanka: Results of an island wide community based survey. PLoS neglected tropical diseases. 2017 Nov 6;11(11):e0006073.
  • Ediriweera DS, Kasturiratne A, Pathmeswaran A, Gunawardena NK, Wijayawickrama BA, Jayamanne SF, Isbister GK, Dawson A, Giorgi E, Diggle PJ, Lalloo DG, de Silva HJ. Mapping the risk of snakebite in Sri Lanka-a national survey with geospatial analysis. PLoS neglected tropical diseases. 2016 Jul 8;10(7):e0004813.
  • Ediriweera DS, Dilina N, Perera U, Flores F, Samita S. Risk of low birth weight on adulthood hypertension-evidence from a tertiary care hospital in a South Asian country, Sri Lanka: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Public Health. 2017 Dec;17(1):1-6
  • Ediriweera DS, Kumarage S, Deen KI. Comparison of hazard of death following surgery for colon versus rectal cancer. Ceylon Medical Journal. Ceylon Medical Journal. 2016; 61(2), pp.52–55.

Full list of publications

For a full list of my publications and citations, please visit my Google Scholar Profile.