Biography
Samath D. Dharmaratne, MBBS, MSc, MD is the Head and Associate Professor in Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and Affiliate Associate Professor of Global Health at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.
Dr. Dharmaratne was a Post-Graduate Fellow at IHME, working with the Causes of Death and the Burden of Disease research teams. His research focuses on injury prevention, especially road traffic injury prevention, health care costing, analysis of cause of death data, noncommunicable disease prevention, and nutritional assessment in and outside Sri Lanka.
In his role as affiliate faculty, Dr. Dharmaratne will supervise students’ Master of Public Health theses, serve as a supervisor for students conducting their practicums in Sri Lanka, participate in courses by giving lectures remotely or in person when in Seattle, and serve as a resource for students working on data from Sri Lanka. In addition, it is expected that he will serve as key personnel in several grant proposals and actively participate on a number of projects.
Dr. Dharmaratne holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree, a Master of Science degree in Community Medicine, and a Doctor of Medicine degree in Community Medicine from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is a Board Certified Specialist in Community Medicine in Sri Lanka. He was awarded a Senior Fellowship at the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo. He has more than 100 publications (journal articles and presentations) and is a member of a number of expert and advisory groups in injury prevention in Sri Lanka and outside the country. Dr. Dharmaratne was an Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute for International Health (affiliated with the University of Sydney) and worked as a Public Health Consultant at the World Bank in Sri Lanka.
IHME was established at the University of Washington in Seattle in 2007. Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice.
GBD 2021 Low Back Pain Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of low back pain, 1990–2020, its attributable risk factors, and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet Rheumatology. 22 May 2023. doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(23)00098-X
Global Burden of Disease 2021 Health Financing Collaborator Network. Global investments in pandemic preparedness and COVID-19: tracking development assistance and domestic spending on health between 1990 and 2026. The Lancet Global Health. 24 January 2023. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00007-4.
Haeuser E, Serfes AL, Cork MA, et al. Mapping age- and sex-specific HIV prevalence in adults in sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2018. BMC Medicine. 19 December 2022. doi: 10.1186/s12916-022-02639-z.
Reiner RC, LBD Triple Burden Collaborators, Hay SI. The overlapping burden of the three leading causes of disability and death in sub-Saharan African children. Nature Communications. 6 December 2022. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-34240-6.
Local Burden of Disease Household Air Pollution Collaborators. Mapping development and health effects of cooking with solid fuels in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000–18: a geospatial modelling study. The Lancet Global Health. 1 October 2022. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00332-1.
GBD 2019 Cancer Risk Factor Collaborators. The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet. 18 August 2022. doi:
GBD 2019 Diabetes in the Americas Collaborators. Burden of diabetes and hyperglycaemia in adults in the Americas, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 15 July 2022. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(22)00186-3.
GBD 2019 Ageing Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of diseases and injuries for adults 70 years and older: systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study. BMJ. 10 March 2022. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2021-068208.
GBD 2019 Adolescent Young Adult Cancer Collaborators. The global burden of adolescent and young adult cancer in 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Oncology. 03 December 2021. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00581-7.
GBD 2019 Adolescent Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, and national mortality among young people aged 10–24 years, 1950–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet. 30 October 2021. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01546-4.
GBD 2019 Police Violence US Subnational Collaborators. Fatal police violence by race and state in the USA, 1980-2019: a network meta-regression. The Lancet. 30 September 2021. doi: 10.016/S0140-6736(21)01609-3
Global Burden of Disease 2020 Health Financing Collaborator Network. Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19: a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990–2050. The Lancet. 22 September 2021. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01258-7.
GBD 2019 Stroke Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of stroke and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Neurology. 3 September 2021. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00252-0.
GBD 2019 Under-5 Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, and national progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 for neonatal and child health: all-cause and cause-specific mortality findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet. 17 August 2021. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01207-1.
Bhattacharjee NV, Schaeffer LE, Hay SI, Local Burden of Disease Exclusive Breastfeeding Collaborators. Mapping inequalities in exclusive breastfeeding in low- and middle-income countries, 2000–2018. Nature Human Behaviour. 3 June 2021. doi:.10.1038/s41562-021-01108-6.
GBD 2019 Chewing Tobacco Collaborators. Spatial, temporal, and demographic patterns in prevalence of chewing tobacco use in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Public Health. 27 May 2021. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(21)00065-7.
GBD 2019 Tobacco Collaborators. Spatial, temporal, and demographic patterns in prevalence of smoking tobacco use and attributable disease burden in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet. 27 May 2021. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01169-7.
Local Burden of Disease HIV Collaborators. Mapping subnational HIV mortality in six Latin American countries with incomplete vital registration systems. BMC Medicine. 8 January 2021. doi: 10.1186/s12916-020-01876-4.
Local Burden of Disease Vaccine Coverage Collaborators. Mapping routine measles vaccination in low- and middle-income countries. Nature. 16 December 2020. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-03043-4.
GBD 2017 US Neurological Disorders Collaborators. Burden of Neurological Disorders Across the US From 1990-2017. JAMA Neurology. 2 November 2020. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.4152.
GBD 2019 Universal Health Coverage Collaborators. Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet. 27 August 2020. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30750-9.
Local Burden of Disease WaSH Collaborators. Mapping geographical inequalities in access to drinking water and sanitation facilities in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000–17. The Lancet Global Health. August 2020. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30278-3.
Franklin RC, Peden AE, Hamilton EB, et al. The burden of unintentional drowning: global, regional and national estimates of mortality from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study. Injury Prevention. 20 February 2020. doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2019-043484.
GBD 2016 Occupational Risk Factors Collaborators. Global and regional burden of disease and injury in 2016 arising from occupational exposures: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 13 February 2020. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2019-106008.
GBD 2016 Occupational Chronic Respiratory Risk Factors Collaborators. Global and regional burden of chronic respiratory disease in 2016 arising from non-infectious airborne occupational exposures: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 13 February 2020. doi:10.1136/oemed-2019-106013.
Local Burden of Disease 2017 Child Mortality Collaborators. Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant, and child deaths between 2000 and 2017. Nature. 16 October 2019. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1545-0.
Global Burden of Disease Cancer Collaboration. Global, Regional, and National Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life-Years for 29 Cancer Groups, 1990 to 2017. JAMA Oncology. 27 September 2019;5(12):1-21. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.2996.
GBD 2017 Childhood Cancer Collaborators. The global burden of childhood and adolescent cancer in 2017: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet Oncology. 29 July 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30339-0
GBD 2017 Child and Adolescent Health Collaborators. Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors in Child and Adolescent Health, 1990 to 2017. JAMA Pediatrics. 29 April 2019. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.0337.
GBD 2016 Neurology Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. The Lancet Neurology. 14 March 2019. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30499-X.
GBD 2016 Stroke Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of stroke, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. The Lancet Neurology. 11 March 2019. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(19)30034-1.
Naghavi M., on behalf of the Global Burden of Disease Self-Harm Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of suicide mortality 1990 to 2016: systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. BMJ. 6 Feb 2019; 364:I94. doi:10.1136/bmj.l94.
GBD Tuberculosis Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of tuberculosis, 1990–2016: results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2016 Study. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 1 Dec 2018. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30625-X.
GBD 2017 Population and Fertility Collaborators. Population and fertility by age and sex for 195 countries and territories, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet. 8 Nov 2018;392:1995-2051. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32278-5.
GBD 2017 Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality and life expectancy, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet. 8 Nov 2018;392:1684-735. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31891-9.
GBD 2017 Causes of Death Collaborators. Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet. 8 Nov 2018;392:1736-88. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32203-7.
GBD 2017 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet. 8 Nov 2018;392:1789–858. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32279-7.
GBD 2017 DALYs and HALE Collaborators. Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 359 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet. 8 Nov 2018;392:1859–922. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32335-3.
GBD 2017 Risk Factor Collaborators. Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet. 8 Nov 2018;392:1923-94. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32225-6.
GBD 2017 SDG Collaborators. Measuring progress from 1990 to 2017 and projecting attainment to 2030 of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals for 195 countries and territories: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet. 8 Nov 2018; 392:2091–138. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32281-5.
GBD 2016 Injury Collaborators. Global Mortality From Firearms, 1990-2016. JAMA. 28 Aug 2018; 320(8):792-814. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.10060.
GBD 2016 Alcohol Collaborators. Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. The Lancet. 23 Aug 2018. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31310-2
Global Burden of Disease Cancer Collaboration. Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life years for 29 cancer groups, 1990 to 2016. JAMA Oncology. 2 June 2018. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2018.2706
GBD 2015 Neurological Disorders Collaborator Group. Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders during 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet Neurology. 17 Sept 2017. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30299-5.
GBD 2016 Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, and national under-5 mortality, adult mortality, age-specific mortality, and life expectancy, 1970–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. The Lancet. 14 Sept 2017: 390;1084–1150.
GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators. Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. The Lancet. 14 Sept 2017: 390;1345-1422.
GBD 2015 Eastern Mediterranean Region Collaborators. Intentional injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990–2015: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study. International Journal of Public Health. 7 Aug 2017.
GBD 2015 Eastern Mediterranean Region Collaborators. Maternal mortality and morbidity burden in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study. International Journal of Public Health. 7 Aug 2017.
GBD 2015 Eastern Mediterranean Region Collaborators. Neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality and morbidity burden in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study. International Journal of Public Health. 7 Aug 2017.
GBD 2015 Eastern Mediterranean Region Collaborators. Burden of cancer in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 2005–2015: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study. International Journal of Public Health. 7 Aug 2017.
GBD 2015 Eastern Mediterranean Region Collaborators. Burden of cardiovascular diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990–2015: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study. International Journal of Public Health. 7 Aug 2017.
GBD 2015 Eastern Mediterranean Region Collaborators. Diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study. International Journal of Public Health. 7 Aug 2017.
GBD 2015 Healthcare Access and Quality Collaborators. Healthcare Access and Quality Index based on mortality from causes amenable to personal healthcare in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2015: a novel analysis from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study. The Lancet. 2017 May 18.
Global, regional, and national burden of cardiovascular diseases for 10 causes, 1990 to 2015. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 17 May 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.04.052.
Global Burden of Disease Health Financing Collaborator Network. Future and potential spending on health 2015–2040: development assistance for health, and government, prepaid private, and out-of-pocket health spending in 184 countries. The Lancet. 19 April 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30873-5
Global Burden of Disease Health Financing Collaborator Network. Evolution and patterns of global health financing 1995–2014: development assistance for health, and government, prepaid private, and out-of-pocket health spending in 184 countries. The Lancet. 19 April 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30874-7
GBD 2015 Tobacco Collaborators. Smoking prevalence and attributable disease burden in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet. 2017 April 7;14:48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30819-X
Global Burden of Disease Cancer Collaboration. Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life years for 32 cancer groups, 1990 to 2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease study. JAMA Oncology. 2016 Dec 3. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.5688.
GBD 2015 Risk Factors Collaborators. Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioral, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet. 2016 Oct 7; 388:1659–1724.
GBD 2015 DALYs and HALE Collaborators. Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 315 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE), 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet. 2016 Oct 7; 388:1603–1658.
GBD 2015 Maternal Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, and national levels of maternal mortality, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet. 2016 Oct 7; 388:1775–1812.
GBD 2015 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet. 2016 Oct 7; 388:1545–1602.
GBD 2015 Child Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, national, and selected subnational levels of stillbirths, neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality, 1980–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet. 2016 Oct 7; 388:1725–1774.
Lim SS, Allen K, Bhutta ZA, et al. Measuring the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries: a baseline analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet. 2016 Sep 21. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31467-2.
Wang H, Wolock TM, Carter A, et al. Estimates of global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and mortality of HIV, 1980–2015: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet HIV. 2016 Jul 19. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3018(16)30087-X.
Feigin VL, Roth GA, Naghavi M, et al. Global burden of stroke and risk factors in 188 countries, during 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet Neurology. 2016 Jun 9. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(16)30073-4.
Kyu HH, Pinho C, Wagner JA, et al. Global and national burden of diseases and injuries among children and adolescents between 1990 and 2013: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2013 study. JAMA Pediatrics. 2015 Jan 25. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.4276.
Haagsma JA, Graetz N, Bolliger I, et al. The global burden of injury: incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years and time trends from the Global Burden of Disease study 2013. Injury Prevention. 2015 Dec 3. doi: 10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041616.
Feigin VL, Mensah GA, Norrving B, Murray CJL, Roth GA, GBD 2013 Stroke Panel Experts Group. Atlas of the global burden of stroke (1990–2013): the GBD 2013 study. Neuroepidemiology. 2015 Oct 28;45:230-236. doi: 10.1159/000441106.
Forouzanfar MH, Alexander L, Anderson HR, et al. Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioral, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet. 2015 Sep 11. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)61455-6.
Murray CJL, Barber RM, Foreman KJ, et al. Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 306 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 188 countries, 1990–2013: quantifying the epidemiological transition. The Lancet. 2015 Aug 27. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)61340-X.
Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet. 2015 June 8. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60692-4.
Naghavi M, Wang H, Lozano R, et al. Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet. 2014 Dec 17. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61682-2.
Murray CJL, Ortblad KF, Guinovart C, et al. Global, regional, and national incidence and mortality for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria during 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet. 2014 July 23. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60844-8.
Murray CJL, Vos T, Lozano R, et al. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 291 diseases and injuries in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The Lancet. 2012 Dec 13; 380: 2197–2223.
Lozano R, Naghavi M, Foreman K, et al. Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The Lancet. 2012 Dec 13; 380: 2095–2128.
Vos T, Flaxman AD, Naghavi M, et al. Years lived with disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The Lancet. 2012 Dec 13; 380: 2163–2196.