page_title: Rakitha Malewana
section_title: Medical Research and Achievements
hierarchical_section_title: Rakitha Malewana / Medical Research and Achievements
caption_attribution_description: English: Intel ISEF 2014, Los Angeles. USA
context_page_description: Rakitha Malewana is a Sri Lankan young scientist and youth activist. He works primarily in medical and molecular biology research. Rakitha is known for his award-winning work on HIV/AIDS which he performed when he was a high school student. He was presented with Nalanda Puthra award in 2015 by his alma mater Nalanda College, Colombo and received special appreciation grand achievement award from the President and the government of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. In 2016, he was announced as a winner of prestigious Queen's Young Leaders Award by the Royal Commonwealth Society as an honor to his social work on behalf of the HIV and AIDS positive community. He is one of the youngest honorees of Forbes 30 under 30 Asia 2017.
context_section_description: Rakitha does his medical research in collaboration with University of Colombo, Medical Research Institute Sri Lanka, National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, Ministry of Health and Government Annalists Department Sri Lanka.
  He won a Gold medal for the research he has done on HIV/AIDS at the International Scientific Research Olympiad 2015 held in Jakarta, Indonesia in year 2015. In the same year he won another Gold Medal at the International Environment Sustainability Olympiad 2015, held in The Netherlands By emerging those medals, he became the first Sri Lankan to win an Olympiad gold medal at the international arena.
  His research on development of novel nanoparticles to destroy human leukemic cells, won a Bronze Medal at the International Science Projects Olympiad 2014 held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Also, the research was selected to represent Sri Lanka at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) 2014 held in Los Angeles, USA is one of the most prestigious science and engineering events in the world calendar.
  In 2013, his research on Dengue fever was selected as the National Winner of Sri Lanka Science and Engineering Fair (SLSEF) and for the second consecutive year, he represented Sri Lanka at the Intel ISEF 2013 held in Arizona, USA
  . Also Rakitha had authored few medical publications during his high school period
caption: Intel ISEF 2014, Los Angeles. U.S.
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