New HLC Global Faculty of Excellence - Prof. Dr. Nadeeka Dissanayaka

We are excited to welcome Prof. Dr. Nadeeka Dissanayaka from the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia, as a new member of the UZH HLC’s Global Faculty of Excellence!

Prof. Dissanayaka is a UQ Amplify Professorial Fellow, Centre Director of the UQ Centre for Healthy Ageing Innovation (CHAI), Co-Director of the UQ Ageing Mind Initiative (AMI), Program Lead of the UQ Dementia-Friendly University Initiative, and Founder and Director of the Dementia & Neuro Mental Health Research Unit at the Frazer Institute, The University of Queensland.

Her research integrates advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, telehealth, neuroimaging, and digital health, to address critical challenges in cognitive and emotional health. Through close collaboration with consumers, healthcare providers, aged care organisations, industry, and policymakers, she ensures research is translated into real-world clinical and community impact.

Prof. Dissanayaka's research has led to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, including the Parkinson's Disease-Specific Anxiety Inventory (PDSAI) and technology-assisted psychotherapeutic interventions. Through leadership of nationally and internationally funded research programs and global collaborations, she is advancing evidence-based innovations that improve clinical care, inform policy, strengthen healthcare systems, and enhance the lives of people living with dementia, Parkinson's disease, and other age-related conditions worldwide.

We look forward to benefiting from her expertise and her commitment to rethinking and contextualizing healthy ageing and longevity on a global scale and across diverse populations.