Dr. Madara Ralapanawe
MD. Master in Clinical Embryology (Australia)
Clinical Embryologist
Dr. Madara Ralapanawe is one of the pioneers for making state-of-the-art reproductive healthcare available in Sri Lanka. After obtaining the Master of Clinical Embryology (MCE) degree from Monash University of Australia, Dr.Madara Ralapanawe was the catalyst behind the initiation and thereafter the successful operation of Fertility Centre at Lanka Hospitals, as its founder Clinical Embryologist. He has obtained his PhD from University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
With performing more than four hundred Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) cycles per annum, he has the eminence of being the first Embryologist to have more than 1500 IVF live births in Sri Lanka. In addition to performing ICSI as the Fertility specialist at Lanka Hospitals he is involved with diagnosing infertility and providing clinical treatment and counselling.
Apart from performing ICSI he performs Intra-cytoplasmic Morphologically selected Sperm Injection (IMSI) and Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGT).
He has also gained further qualifications in clinical embryology and reproductive healthcare through a number of trainings around the world, and has published and presented many research papers as well.
He serves now as Clinical Embryologist at Lanka Hospitals (The Lanka Hospitals Corporation PLC).
2022
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR)
Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research, Birmingham
From: April 2019 - April 2022
Graduated on 5th December 2022
2020
Bioethics: The Law, Medicine, and Ethics of Reproductive Technologies and Genetics
Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA
Harvard Law School, Harvard University, 12th May - 30th December, 2020
2020
Modelling Inflammation with iPS-Macrophages and Microglia (Stem Cells)
Oxford University, Oxford, UK
Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, 5th October - 1st November, 2020
2017
Embryo Biopsy – Embryology and PGD Academy
Embryology and PGD Academy, UCL, London, UK
University College London, 11th-12th September, 2017
2003 - 2004
Master of Clinical Embryology
Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Monash University, Clayton Campus, Victoria, Australia
From: January 2003 - December 2003 (Full time)
Graduated on 6th May 2004
The Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), UK
Clinical Scientist
1989 - 1995
Doctor of Medicine (MD)
Vitebsk State Medical University, Vitebsk, Belarus
Faculty of General Medicine, Medical Institute of Vitebsk (Vitebsk State Medical University), Belarus
From: September 1989 - May 1995
Graduated on 25th June 1995
Sri Lanka Medical Council
SLMC Registration No: 12689
Training courses and workshops
- Introduction to Epidemiology
Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. February 22nd-26th, 2021 - Cochrane Interactive Learning: Conducting an Intervention
Module 1-11, August 2020 – January 2021 - BFS Study Week – Creating Modern Families
Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London, UK. June 03rd, 2019 - BFS Study Week – Fertility Preservation
Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London, UK. June 05th, 2018 - BFS Study week - Effective fertility Services
Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London, UK. June 21st-22nd, 2017 - BFS Study Week – PGD/PGS
Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London, UK. June 20th, 2017 - BFS Study Week – Male Fertility
Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London, UK. June 19th, 2017 - Towards the Optimal IVF Laboratory. Embryo Culture, Quality Control, Vitrification
Gotoborg, Sweden. February 8th-10th, 2010 - BFS Embryo Transfer Training Course
Robinson College, Cambridge, UK – December 3rd, 2007 - BFS Pelvic Ultrasound Training Course
Imperial College, London, UK – September 4th-5th,2007 - Workshop on Sperm-Hyaluronan Binding Assay (HBA)
Singapore General Hospital, Singapore – April 1st, 2006 - Advances in Sequential media for ART
Colorado Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Englewood, Colorado, USA – February 7th-8th, 2006 - Fourth Advanced Course on Blastocyst Culture for ART (Hands on)
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology National University of Singapore, Singapore – May 23rd-25th, 2001 - Twelfth Course on Assisted Reproductive Techniques (Hands on)
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, National University of Singapore, Singapore – May 14th-18th,2001
National and international symposiums / conferences
- 37th Annual Meeting - European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE 2021) - June 28th – 1st July, 2021
- Pre-congress: Recurrent implantation failure: which treatment strategies improve ART outcome? - European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE 2021) - June 27th, 2021
- Pre-congress: Old topics, new aspects: endometrium, implantation and early pregnancy - European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE 2021) - June 26th, 2021
- Fertility 2018 Conference – ACC, Liverpool, UK - January 4th, 2018
- Fertility Conference and Exhibition 2017 - EICC, Edinburgh, Scotland –January 7th, 2017
- A window into the reproductive era research – Milan, Italy - September 30th- October 1st, 2011
- First World Congress on natural Cycle/Minimal Stimulation IVF - RCOG, London, UK – December 15th-16th, 2006
- 10th International Symposium on Spermatology - San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, Spain – September 17th-22nd, 2006
Research and presentations
- Case report: Successful pregnancies following the transfer of spontaneously hatched blastocysts developed from vitrified cleaved embryos
Fertility 2018 Conference, ACC, Liverpool, UK. January 4th, 2018 - A comparison to Blastocyst stage and cleavage stage embryo transfer in frozen embryo replacement cycles
SLCOG Golden Jubilee Congress. August 3rd-6th, 2017 - Mild Approaches in Assisted Reproduction - Guest Lecture
40th Annual Scientific Sessions - Sri Lanka College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 3rd - 4th November, 2007 - Recent Advances in Understanding the Sperm behavior in Male Subfertility - Guest Lecture
39th Annual Scientific Sessions - Sri Lanka College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 20th – 22nd October, 2006 - A study to compare success rates of single IUI vs double IUI and single seminal fluid sample vs pooled seminal fluid samples for IUI - Free paper
38th Annual Academic Sessions - Sri Lanka College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 29th – 31st July, 2005 - The success rate of Intra Uterine Insemination in unexplained subfertility in relation to sperm counts and motility in unprepared seminal fluid samples - Free paper
Wonka-Mesar Conference, Hotel Galadari Meridian, Colombo, Sri Lanka 7th - 10th November, 2002 - To assess the effectiveness of HydroSalpingoSonography in establishing tubal patency - Free paper
35th Annual Academic Sessions - Sri Lanka College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 23rd – 25th August, 2002 - HydroSalpingoSonography - A new technique to establish tubal patency - Free paper
Annual academic Sessions, faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenapura, Sri Lanka 27th – 28th, July 2001
Performance and Skills
IVF
- Oocyte sorting, Oocyte denuding
- In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Culture (Vitrolife G series)
- Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
- Intra-cytoplasmic Morphologically selected Sperm Injection (IMSI)
- Embryo culture day 3 and day 5
- Embryo transfer
Protocols
- Long agonist (COS)
- Short antagonist cycles
- Modified Natural Cycle IVF
- Frozen Embryo Replacement protocols
- Donor egg program
Scans
- Trans vaginal Scan - Follicular monitoring for IVF
- Follicular monitoring of IVF protocols (Long agonist/ Short antagonist)
- Endometrial priming for FET/Recipient embryo transfer
IUI
- Ovulation induction with Clomophene citrate/ Letrozole
- Ovulation induction with Gonal F/ Pergovaris
- Follicular monitoring (Day 12 FT scan)
- Intra Uterine insemination 150 cycles / month
PGT
- PGT – A (Aneuploidy)
- PGT – M (Monogene)
- PGT – SR (Structural Rearrangement)
Counselling
- Patients counselling for fertility treatments (IUI/IVF/ICSI and FET)
- Donor egg and donor sperm for IVF/ICSI
- Donor sperm for IUI