Dr Erandi Gardiye Hewawasam Thuduwage

Dr Erandi Gardiye Hewawasam Thuduwage

Research Fellow

PhD in Science 

Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours)

Medicine & Health
Centre for Big Data Research in Health

Dr Erandi Hewawasam is a Research Fellow at the National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, within the Centre for Big Data Research in Health at the University of New South Wales. In her current role, she is coordinating a large-scale data-linkage study that integrates the Australia and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Database (ANZARD) with the National Health Data Hub, which includes hospital data, Medicare, pharmaceutical benefits scheme data, and perinatal data collections.

Dr Hewawasam previously spent over five years at the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA) at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), where she led patient-centred research at the intersection of pregnancy and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Her work focused on using data linkage, registry analysis, cohort studies, and surveys to improve parenthood outcomes for Australians with CKD, developing evidence-based pathways for parenthood planning and care informed by both patient and clinician perspectives.

Dr Hewawasam completed her PhD in Science at the University of Adelaide in 2018, in collaboration with SAHMRI. Her research on the short- and long-term effects of fish oil in preterm-born children was awarded the Dean's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence.

Beyond her research, Dr Hewawasam is an active contributor to the academic community, serving as the Secretary of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Australia and New Zealand (DOHaD ANZ), and as an editorial board member of the BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.

In addition to her research, Dr Hewawasam has extensive experience in teaching and supervision. She has mentored and supervised a Master's candidate, and over 10 medical trainees, and students. She has also taught courses such as human anatomy and the scientific basis of clinical practice at the University of South Australia's School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences.   

Location
Level 2, AGSM Building

2024 Kidney Transplant Diabetes Research (KTDRA) Australia AUD -50,000

2021 Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA) Early-Mid Career Researcher Women’s Health Research Translation Network (WHRTN) Award AUD 15,000

2021 Hospital Research Foundation, Women’s Health grant AUD 150,000 (CIB)

2019 Healthy Development Adelaide, travel grant of AUD 500

2018 International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) travel award USD 750

2017 School of Agriculture, Food and Wine travel grant of AUD 1500

2017 Healthy Development Adelaide, travel grant of AUD 1000

2017 Soroptimist International Adelaide, Esther Bright Travel Award of AUD 500

2016 Endocrine society of Australia Early Career Researcher Development Travel Grant of AUD 250

2024 Best poster/rapid fire presentation at the Society of Obstetric Medicine ANZ

2024 Finalist at the  ANZ Society of Nephrology (ANZSN) Kidney Health Australia Clinical Science Award session

2023 Co-author abstract submitted for ANZ Society of Nephrology (ANZSN) won Kidney Health Australia Clinical Science Award

2021 First-author abstract ranked top-2 and featured in the “Late Breaking Clinical Trials and Best Abstracts” session at the World Congress of Nephrology

2021 Under my direct supervision, a nephrologist (Dr Stallard) won the Society of Obstetric Medicine-ANZ President’s award

2020 Early career researcher oral presentation award, Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR)-SA annual conference

2016 Best PhD presentation, SAHMRI Research Showcase

2016 FOODplus prize for best presentation on food and nutrition, The Faculty of Science annual post-graduate symposium