Bandula Wijay

Bandula Wijerathne (born 1946 in Galle, Sri Lanka) is a Sri Lankan inventor, businessman, and diplomat who lives in the USA. He also serves as a professor of clinical medicine at the Kotelawala Defense University and he is appointed as an Ambassador for Science Technology and Innovation for Sri Lanka.^[1][2][3] In addition, Wijay is the current president of LeoMed LLC, a medical device company.^[4][5][6] Wijay is an expert in innovative cardiovascular.^[7]

Bandula Wijerathne
Born	Bandula Wijayarathna 1946 (age 77–78) Galle, Sri Lanka
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupations	Inventor Engineer Educator diplomat
Years active	1967–present
Known for	Inventing Perfusion angioplasty catheter and perfusion pump Nested loop Stent Low-profile angiography imaging catheters
Title	President at LeoMed
Awards	Vidya Jyothi

Wijay has received Lifetime Achievement Award from Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka in 2016; Vidya Jyothi award in 2017; and Ada Derana Sri Lankan Global Inventor of the Year in 2018.^[8][9]

Early life and education

Wijay was born in the southern city of Galle in Sri Lanka. His father, Benny Wijayarathna was a principal and his mother Katherina Wijayarathna was the headmistress in a primary school. Wijay attended Mahinda College until he completed the Advanced Level examination. After finishing Advanced Level examination, Wijay attended on an Indian Government Cultural scholarship, India in 1967 to complete a degree in chemical engineering. In 1974, he received the Fulbright Scholarship to pursue higher studies at the University of Southern California, where he first completed a master’s degree in chemical engineering and then a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. Later, he completed his doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Southern California.^[10]

Career

In 1984, he started his entrepreneurial career, Wijay along with Dr. Paolo Angelini of the Texas Heart Institute, developed the angioplasty balloon catheter system along with the coronary artery perfusion pump system to be used during angioplasty.^[11]

In 1995, Bandula invented the "Nested Loop" vascular stent, used in treating stenotic arteries after balloon angioplasty.^[12][11]

Selected awards

• 1995: Entrepreneur of the year, by Merrill Lynch^[13]
• 1998: Business Professional of the Year from the South Asian Chamber of Commerce^[13]
• 2004: Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sri Lanka Foundation^[14]
• 2016: Lifetime Achievement Award from Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka
• 2017: Vidya Jyothi Award
• 2018: Ada Derana, Global Inventor award^[8][9][15]
• 2018: Global Citizen award from the United Nations Chapter in Houston, Texas.^[16]

Memberships and appointments

• 2012-2017: Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Texas by Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka^[17][18][19]
• 2013-2016: Visiting Instructor of Bioengineering at the University of Houston (Victoria)
• 2016-2019: Advisor, TMCX^[6]
• 2016: Advisor, OPEN Entrepreneurship Network
• 2017: Honorary Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Kotelawala Defense University.
• University of Ruhuna – Advisor for Mechanical Engineering Design Examination
• 2017: The Ambassador for Science, Technology, and Innovation for Sri Lanka by Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka^[1][2]

References

1. "SRI LANKA'S AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. PROMOTES SRI LANKA'S RECONCILIATION AND DEVELOPMENT DURING HOUSTON VISIT". www.mfa.gov.lk. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
2. "Advisory committee – Multidisciplinary National Innovation Center". www.pdn.ac.lk. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
3. "Advisory committee – Multidisciplinary National Innovation Center". www.pdn.ac.lk. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
4. "Dr. Bandula Wijay, CEO of LeoMed LLC (Manufacturer of Cardiovascular Devices)". Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Faculty of Engineering, University of Ruhuna.
5. SLF. "Dr. Bandula Wijay". Sri Lanka Foundation. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
6. "A special meeting between Dr Bandula Wijay and Members of the IIVCC USJP USJ University of Sri Jayewardenepura Sri Lanka". USJ - University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. 2018-11-03. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
7. "Achievements of Sri Lankan Scientists - State Ministry of Technology and Innovation". www.mostr.gov.lk. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
8. "Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year 2018 – Award Winners". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
9. "Conference on fourth industrial revolution and healthcare" (PDF). Conference on Fourth Industrial Revolution and Healthcare.
10. vilook.com. "The Other Side Featuring Dr Bandula Wijay The Other Side Bandula Wijay Video ViLOOK". Vilook.com. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
11. White, Andrea (2016-04-23). "How to engineer a balloon". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
12. "Temporary prostatic stent for benign prostatic hyperplasia". 9 July 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2020. He has also developed a multitude of medical devices in the interventional cardiology field as well as in urology, surgery and in OB-GYN fields.
13. "Dr. Bandula Wijay Bio | Cardiovascular System | Medical Specialties |". Scribd. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
14. "SLF Wall of Fame". Sri Lanka Foundation. 2014-12-23. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
15. Ada Derana, Global Inventor award (PDF).
16. "BAH Raises Funds for a Center to Call Home | Indo American News". Retrieved 2020-05-04.
17. "Jaw-Dropping Sapphire Turns Heads at HMNS Amid Cloak of Security and Secrecy". PaperCity Magazine. 2019-03-04. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
18. "Sri Lanka - Consular Corps of Houston". ccohouston.org. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
19. "Embassy.org: The Embassy of Sri Lanka: Consular and Other Offices". www.embassy.org. Retrieved 2020-05-04.