Arosha Weerakoon

Lecturer, General Dentist & PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland
Dr Arosha Weerakoon is a general dentist, lecturer and PhD candidate from the School of Dentistry, University of Queensland (UQ). She graduated from UQ in 2003 with a BDSc (Hons) and commenced employment with Queensland Health before moving to private dental practice where she currently works. In 2007, she completed her fellowship exams with the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, and in 2014 Arosha graduated with a Masters in Public Health. Her Master’s thesis explored the experiences of patients, dental practitioners and general medical practitioners involved in the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme.

In 2002, Arosha was awarded the Pierre Fouchard Academy’s Undergraduate Award of Merit and won the Australia-New Zealand International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Colgate Pre-doctoral research award. She was a finalist at the 2003 International Association for Dental Research’s Hatton Pre-Doctoral Research Competition. In 2015, Arosha was nominated to compete in the Emerging Young Lecturer’s Award Competition at the Australian Dental Association National Congress and placed second in the 2018 3MT competition held in IADR London, UK. This year, she was awarded the top prize, The Vice Chancellor’s Award, for her research pitch titled: "It’s about bonding with fillings", hosted by Universities Australia, the peak body that represents Australia’s Universities. As part of her prize, Arosha recently completed an internship with The Conversation. She is also successful recipient of the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer Grant. Her latest research presentation at the 2019 Light Microscopy Australia Conference won the ‘Best Oral Presentation Award’. Arosha co-lectures with Professor Meyers at ADAQ workshops related to restorative dentistry. Arosha has been a speaker at local, national and international conferences and has published her research in several journals. Her current research focus is on the effect of patient age, cavity depth and site on dentine collagen and mineral, and how these changes affect the bond to different white adhesive restorative materials.

Awards
2019
• Winner of Vice Chancellor’s Award for the Pitch It Clever competition hosted by Universities Australia.
• Winner of The Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer Grant
• Winner of ‘Best Oral Presentation’ Award at the Light Microscopy Australia Conference, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

2018
2nd Place Three Minute Thesis Competition, International Association for Dental Research Conference, London, UK.

2002-03
Finalist IADR/Unilever Hatton Pre-Doctoral Research Award 2003
Bede Hintz Endodontic Scholarship 2002 & 2003
Pierre Fouchard Academy Undergraduate Award of Merit for outstanding academic achievement 2002
Colgate Pre-doctoral Research Award 2002