Dr. D.J. Wickramarathna
The President
Sri Lanka College of Radiologists

As the President of the Sri Lanka College of Radiologists, it is my privilege and honour to issue this message.

The SLCR is the pioneer professional body in responsible for the maintenance and improvement of the clinical radiology services and standards in the country. Founded in January 1981 under the auspices of Dr S N B T Talwatta, SLRC held its inaugural academic sessions in 2002. I have been a member of the SLCR since 1985 and had the honour of being the Vice President at its inaugural academic sessions in 2002.

Thirty years since the inception of SLRC, our main goal of providing utmost care for the patient through our mandate remains unchanged. Our final aim is to provide scientifically sound, advance, ethical and equitable care to all our patients, using cutting edge technology in diagnostic and therapeutic imaging. The present high standards of the SLCR is a result of the commitment of its past presidents committee members and the membership.

I am blessed with a great team of competent and accomplished council members with whom I have planned a whole year of educational and professional events, commencing with the International Radiology Day cerebration in November 2015.

SLRC has so far done a great deal of work in collaboration with the PGIM to formulate guide lines for establishing Pediatric, Neuro, Interventional and Nuclear Medicine subspecialties with a wider vision to the future requirements of the country. It is with immense pleasure that I inform that Pediatric- radiology is now recognized as a new subspecialty by the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine in Sri Lanka and it will be offered to the candidates sitting for MD-Radiology part II from this year. I wish to thank Dr (Mrs.) I N A Goonaratne and Dr (Mrs.) K Pathirana for their unstinted support for establishing this new subspecialty. Further, the Council of SLCR is presently working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and PGIM to establish the Neuro-radiology and Interventional-radiology sub specialties in Sri Lanka and hope to offer these two sub specialties to the MD-Radiology part II candidates in 2016.

The much awaited grand academic event of the year, the 15th Annual Academic Sessions will be held from 2nd to 4th of September 2016 at the Hotel Galadari, Colombo where we hope to benefit from the synergy brought to this exciting event by local and international resource persons and participants. Special Focus will be placed on the future of our specialty- the residents of Radiology and the early career professionals. Their engagement reinforces SLCR’s strength as the national voice of Sri Lankan Radiologists. One of our main goals this year is the successful fulfillment of the work we undertake on their behalf that will result in strengthening their academic and professional skills to empower them to push new frontiers.

It is my fervent hope that the SLCR will continue to receive the support of all its membership and well-wishers in its future academic endeavors, especially at the Annual Academic Sessions where a vibrant exchange of knowledge and ideas will occur, enhancing our reputation as a professional body.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the membership of SLCR for their commitment, support and solidarity to uphold the mandate of our professional association.

Thank you
The President- Sri Lanka College of Radiologists
Dr. D.J. Wickramarathna