Tissa Vitharana

Vitharana was born 30 August 1934 in Nuwara Eliya in central Ceylon.[1][2] He was the son of Pieris Vitharana, a Public Works Department engineer, and N. P. Maggie Perera, sister of N. M. Perera.[2][3] He was educated at Trinity College, Kandy and Ananda College, Colombo.[2][4] He played cricket for both schools.[2][3] After school he joined the University of Ceylon's medical faculty in Colombo, graduating in 1959 with a MBBS degree.[2][3][5] Vitharana captained the university's cricket team in 1957/58 and took part in the Sara Trophy Tournament.[2][3]

After university Vitharana worked as a medical officer (1959–67) and was registrar at Colombo General Hospital in 1963/64.[2][5] His post graduate work earned him an MD degree in clinical medicine from the University of Ceylon in 1965.[5] He then went to study in the UK, obtaining a Diploma in Bacteriology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in 1968 and a Ph.D. in virology from the University of London in 1971.[3][5][6] Specialising in bacteriology and virology, Vitharana joined the Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Colombo in 1972, serving as its director from 1983 to 1994.[2][3][5] He was head of the virology department at the MRI from 1972 to 1994.[3][5] Vitharana was a consultant virologist at the Edinburgh City Hospital's Regional Virus Laboratory in the 1980s.[5] He was deputy director of the Victoria Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Melbourne from 1991 to 1993.[5]

Following retirement in 1994 Vitharana was a professor of microbiology at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura from 1995 to 2000 and an advisor to the Minister of Science and Technology from 1994 to 2001.[3][5]

Vitharana joined the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) in 1974.[1] On 20 January 2004 the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) formed the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA).[7] The Communist Party of Sri Lanka CPSL and LSSP joined the UPFA in February 2004.[8][9] Vitharana was appointed as a UPFA National List MP in the Sri Lankan Parliament following the 2004 parliamentary election.[10] He was appointed Minister of Science and Technology after the election.[11][12]

Vitharana was re-appointed as a UPFA National List MP following the 2010 parliamentary election.[13][14] He lost his cabinet position after the election but shortly afterwards, in May 2010, he was appointed Minister of Technology and Research.[15][16] He was promoted to Senior Minister of Scientific Affairs in November 2010.[17][18][19] He lost his cabinet position following the 2015 presidential election.

At the 2015 parliamentary election Vitharana was placed on the UPFA's list of National List candidates.[20][21] However, after the election he was not appointed to the National List.[22][23]

Vitharana is married to Kamini Meedeniya.[2][3] They have a son, Ranil.[2][3]