Dr Kithsiri Edirisinghe learned at an early stage in life that his hands served two purposes, one to help himself and the other to help others.  

He launched his career as a medical doctor, with an abiding passion to be a good clinician.  While educated in the city – Colombo – he immediately interned in Avisawella, a remote rural community in Sri Lanka. In this poverty-affected village with scarce medical resources, he regularly attended to over 200 patients a day. The first medical doctor to assume the post, he quickly learned to expeditiously manage resources while taking on administrative tasks, and resolving conflicts, earning the respect of a community early in his career.  

After eight years of challenging and rewarding work, he credits the influence of wonderful mentors who recognised his talent and steered him in the direction of hospital administration.  He took up a senior post in the Sri Lankan state sector.  The experience taught him that by designing and deploying systems he could use his instinct to help others at scale. He came to grapple with the key challenges in Sri Lankan healthcare and see how those issues intersected with economic and social issues.  

A lifelong learner, Dr Kithsiri went on to obtain his Master of Science and Doctor of Medicine (MD) in hospital administration.  

Challenged by the restrictions of an often-rigid state system, he moved to the private health sector, joining HEMAS.  Promoted to CEO he built a chain of hospitals around Sri Lanka.  Building a reputation as a hard-working healthcare developer who delivered ambitious projects on time and on budget, Dr Kithsiri won numerous awards.  His standout skills were his attention to detail, the ability to forecast, and identify potential in a concept as well as people.  

In 2008, looking for another opportunity to broaden his horizons, Dr Kithsiri accepted an invitation to become CEO of a fledgling nursing school, the International Institute of Health Sciences.  He recognised that the school had the potential to add tremendous capacity to the health education sector in Colombo, while fulfilling its mission to add value to Sri Lankan labour exports.  

Over 15 years under his management, the International Institute of Health Sciences has grown to become one of the leading healthcare education institutions in the South Asia, graduating thousands of healthcare professionals.  It has partnered with many of the world’s finest healthcare institutions and Universities, Coventry University, the University of Aberdeen, Britain’s National Health service and of course Open University Malaysia – a key and long-term partner. Together with OUM, he opened closed doors and flooded the country with limitless opportunities to obtain a globally recognised qualification in Sri Lanka. This fruitful partnership has ensued the production of over 1200 bachelors nursing graduates and 200 master’s degree holders which has led to the upskilling of not only nurses but the profession itself, over 12 years now.

IIHS is an organisation built on its values – foregrounding inclusivity where nobody is left behind, and striving to make international education accessible to regional students. A leader in research and community development, IIHS sought to make all training programmes affordable to communities most in need. 

Dr Kithsiri has contributed immensely in the fields of research.  The Bio Inquirer project is unique in the region, providing original research opportunity for postgrad and undergraduate students alike, who have gone on to publish in local and international arenas. Over ten years, in scores of conferences, over a thousand papers have been published, launching many successful academic and professional careers – making IIHS unique among privately-held South Asian universities.   

While his professional passions stand in decoding legal and ethical parameters and concepts in healthcare, he introduced reflective practice as an integral part of professional development – a first in Sri Lankan healthcare.  He also initiated the concept of student driven education and has been a leader in deploying cloud technology in education. IIHS, together with its key education and healthcare partners is embarking on an ambitious program to bring efficient, affordable and world class education to the South Asian region and beyond, and build Sri Lanka’s fledgling international education sector.  

When he is not busy challenging the status quo, providing global employment passports for IIHS graduates, Dr Kithsiri enjoys the simple things in life. A keen gardener, his philosophy of life is to always find happiness in everything you do, build your own unique brand and never make assumptions.  

In this he credits his greatest mentor; his wife, Minnell Vanderpooten; who has brought a sense of peace and balance to his active life. His favourite quote is that of Vivian Green –  

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.