Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 3 479 9107
- suranga.dassanayake@otago.ac.nz
University Links
- Position
- Teaching Fellow - Clinical Anatomy
- Department
- Department of Anatomy
- Qualifications
- PhD, MPhil, MSc, BSc, DipPT
- Research summary
- Hypertension and Exercise, Sports and Exercise Sciences, Physiotherapy, Anatomical variations
- Teaching
- Lab-based teaching in Anatomy for Medicine (Early Learning in Medicine (ELM) 2 and 3), Dental Sciences (DENT262) and Physiotherapy (PHTY 250) papers
- Regional & Clinical Anatomy Block Module (ELM3)
- Neuroanatomy / Head and Neck (ELM3 & DENT262)
- Upper and Lower limb/ Respiratory system/Gastrointestinal system/ Male and female Reproductive systems (ELM2)
- Thorax / Abdomen / Pelvis (ELM3)
- Histology (ELM2&3)
- PTHY 250: Lower limb/Upper limb/Neuroanatomy/Spine and Systems
- Memberships
- Member - Sport and Exercise Science New Zealand
- Member - Association of Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions -ACNAP (European Society of Cardiology - ESC)
- Member - Sri Lanka Society of Physiotherapy
- Clinical
- Cranio-sacral Therapist
- Physiotherapist (Overseas registered)
Research
ORCID: Dr Suranga DassanayakeAdditional details
History of employment
- Visiting Lecturer, Diploma in Human Movement Science and Injury Prevention, Department of Physiotherapy, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka – November 2022 to present
- Tutor/Demonstrator (TUTDM 04), Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand. - March to October 2022
- Anatomy Tutor (TUTDM 04), Health Sciences Divisional Office, University of Otago, New Zealand – June 2022 to April 2023
- Assistant Research Fellow - Centre for Health Activity and Rehabilitation, University of Otago New Zealand – March 2021 to December 2022
- Clinical Educator, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago - 2018 to 2021
- Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka - 2007 to 2017
Special training
- Introduction to University teaching by Higher Education Development Centre (HEDC), University of Otago (3-day workshop, February 2024)
- ‘Core Support and Development Sessions for Teachers’, Clinical educator certification programme – Education Unit Dunedin School of Medicine (2021)
- Master trainee, in 3-year project, Enhancing Health Care Education in Sri Lanka by Temasek Foundation and Singapore International Foundation. Singapore/Sri Lanka (2013-2015)
- Certificate of Teaching in Higher Education (CTHE), Staff Development Centre, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka (2009)
- Short term trainings – Academic and Administration perspectives of BSc Physiotherapy Degree Programmes, Department of Physiotherapy and Sports Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India (2008)
Publications
Dassanayake, S., Samalia, L., Mathew, J., & Dias, G. (2026). Common carotid artery tortuosity: Two case reports and findings from an observational cadaveric study. Proceedings of the 22nd Congress of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA): Anatomy for Everyone. (pp. 541). Retrieved from https://ifaa2026.org/en-AU Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Devan, H., Perry, M., Dean, S. G., Tennakoon Dassanayake, S., Liu, J., & Hale, L. (2026). A mixed method evaluation of behavioural change techniques in iSelf-Help: A co-designed online group pain management programme in Aotearoa New Zealand. Journal of Pain, 43, 106280. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2026.106280 Journal - Research Article
Hale, L., Perry, M., Gray, A. R., Leung, W., Dean, S. G., Hempel, D., Davies, C., Dowell, A., Grainger, R., Ingham, T., Jones, B., Saipe, B., Dassanayake, S., & Devan, H. (2025). A group-based, online-delivered pain management programme (iSelf-help) is not inferior to a group-based, in-person programme in reducing pain-related disability for people with persistent pain: A non-inferiority randomised, two-arm, parallel, open-label trial. Journal of Pain, 32, 105447. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105447 Journal - Research Article
Dacombe-Bird, M., Dassanayake, S., Beck, S., Ribeiro, D. C., Nixon, G., Bryant, K., Stokes, T., Wilkins, G., Johnstone, C., Dixon, D., August, S., & Kennedy, E. (2024). Musculoskeletal chest pain prevalence in emergency department presentations: A retrospective case notes review. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 36(2), 302-309. doi: 10.1111/1742-6723.14352 Journal - Research Article
Dassanayake, S., Dias, G., & Samalia, L. (2023). Common carotid artery tortuosity: A report of two cases observed in cadaveric dissections. Proceedings of the 10th Asia Pacific International Congress of Anatomists (APICA) and the 20th Australian & New Zealand Association of Clinical Anatomists (ANZACA) Conference: Reconnect, Ka Mua, Ka Muri. Retrieved from https://apica2023.com Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract