Clinical Cases in Poultry Medicine

Author Biography

Dr. Namalika D. Karunaratne is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Farm Animal Production and Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, where she teaches Poultry Pathology and Health, Farm Animal Clinics, Animal Nutrition and Monogastric Production. She graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree from the University of Peradeniya in 2012, and subsequently undertook postgraduate study at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, where she completed the MSc (2016) and PhD (2020) degrees in Poultry Science under the supervision of Drs. Henry L. Classen and Rex W. Newkirk. Her doctoral research investigated the effects of hulless barley and exogenous beta-glucanase on beta-glucan depolymerization and on the digestive tract physiology, gut health and performance of broiler chickens. Her research programme is concerned principally with the evaluation of feed ingredients and additives for the enhancement of poultry productivity and gastrointestinal health, and with the identification of nutritional alternatives to in-feed antibiotics as a means of mitigating antimicrobial resistance. She has authored more than fifteen peer-reviewed research articles in various journals, in addition to a book chapter and numerous conference proceedings, and has presented her findings at international scientific forums such as the Poultry Science Association Annual Meetings held in the United States and Canada. As Principal Investigator and Co-investigator on competitively funded projects of the University of Peradeniya Research Council, her work addresses themes ranging from village chicken production systems to commercial poultry industry. In recognition of her contributions to research, she was continuously designated Commendable Researcher of the Year by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science from year 2021 and was awarded the Best Scientific Paper Award at the 76th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Sri Lanka Veterinary Association. She regularly serves as a resource person at outreach workshops for backyard and commercial poultry farmers across Sri Lanka. She contributed to the discipline through service as General Secretary of the Sri Lanka College of Veterinary Surgeons, and currently serving as an Associate Editor of Veterinary Medicine and Science, and as a member of the Animal Feed Advisory Committee constituted under the Animal Feed Act of Sri Lanka.