Bandula Wijay


Bandula Wijay is an American inventor, businessman, and diplomat. He also serves as a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Kotelawala Defense University and he is appointed as an Ambassador for Science Technology and Innovation for Sri Lanka. In addition, Wijay is the current President of LeoMed LLC, a medical device company. Wijay is an expert in innovative cardiovascular.
Wijay has received Lifetime Achievement Award from Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka in 2016; Vidya Jyothi award in 2017; and Ada Derana Sri Lankan Global Inventor of the Year in 2018.

Early life and education

Wijay was born in the southern city of Galle in Sri Lanka. His father, Benny Wijayarathna was a Principal and his mother Katherina Wijayarathna was the Head Mistress in a primary school. Wijay attended Mahinda College until he completed the Advanced Level examination. After finishing Advanced Level examination, Wijay attended Jadavpur University on an Indian Government Cultural scholarship, India in 1967 to complete a degree in Chemical Engineering. In 1974, he received the Fulbright Scholarship to pursue higher studies at the University of Southern California, where he first completed a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering and then a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Later, he completed his doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Career

In 1984, he started his entrepreneurial career, Wijay along with Dr. Paolo Angelini of the Texas Heart Institute, developed the angioplasty balloon catheter system along with the coronary artery perfusion pump system to be used during angioplasty.
In 1995, Bandula invented the "Nested Loop" vascular stent, used in treating stenotic arteries after balloon angioplasty.

Selected awards