A.T.P.L. Abeykoon

**MPS (Cornell), M.S., Ph.D. (Michigan, Ann Arbor)** Senior Fellow, Institute for Health Policy (2006-date); Director, Population Division Ministry of Health, Government of Sri Lanka (Public Servant, 1968-2006); President of the Population Association of Sri Lanka (1998-2002); Secretary General of the Asian Population Association (2009-2010); Consultant to the Planning Commission, Government of Bangladesh (1989-1990); Consultant to the National Commission on Population and Family Planning, Government of Vietnam (1994); Consultant to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (1998,2002-2003,2007,2011); Member of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Regional Programme Advisory Group for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand (2010-2011); Population Dynamics Expert, International Council on Management of Population Programmes, Maylaysia (2016-2017); Visiting Lecturer, Department of Demography for MA students (1977-2013), and at the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine for MSc and MD students (1991-2006), University of Colombo; Member, Board of Examiners - (MD Medical Administration), Post Graduate Institute of Medicine; External Examinar, for the promotion of senior lecturers to the Grade of Professor, Universities of Colombo and Sri Jayawardhanapura; Adjudicator for Ph.D. Thesis of candidates at Universities in Sri Lanka and abroad; Member, Editorial Board of the Asia-Pacific Population Journal; Represented the Government of Sri Lanka at many international meetings and conferences including the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo 1994; Member, Asia Pacific Pension Experts' Group 2012 to 2017; In March 2019, Dr. Abeykoon was awarded the Gold Medal by the Population Association of Sri Lanka for his outstanding scholarly contribution to the field of Demography and Population Studies. Dr. Abeykoon had his secondary education at St. Benedict's College, Colombo where he was appointed the Head Prefect of the school in its Centenary Year, 1965. Dr. Abeykoon comes from a family that has served in the Public Service of Sri Lanka for more than 200 years as shown below: D.C.P. Abeykoon, Atapattu Muhandiram Colombo, 1804 - J.C.C. Abeykoon, Mudaliyar, Kalutara and Panadura Totamunes - John Abeykoon, Mudaliyar, Pasdun and Walallawiti Korales, 1893, Justice of Peace and Oriental Scholar - Theodore Abeykoon,Chief Inspector of Police, 1898 - Henry C. A. Abeykoon, Senior Statistician, Department of Census and Statistics, (Public Servant from 1936 to 1972) - Dr. A.T.P.L. Abeykoon, Retired from Public Service in 2006 (source: up to John Abeykoon is from "The Chieftains of Ceylon" by J.C. Van Sanden, 1936. The rest is living memory. The above list shows the line of direct descent from father to son). Dr Abeykoon's maternal great grandfather, Gate Mudaliyar Philip Perera of Salpiti Korale served in the 1901 Census of Population of Ceylon (source: Letter of appreciation from the Colonial Secretary's Office dated 12th December,1901). The Chairman of the People's Bank, Dr. Gamini Fernando commenting on Dr. Abeykoon's professional contributions, has stated as follows: "Dr. A.T.P.L. Abeykoon, as an eminent demographer of Sri Lanka has made an immense contribution to the field of population and demography and exerted much influence in the State policy on reproductive health and population planning in his official capacity as Director, Population Division, Ministry of Health." (source:*Economic Review*, April/May 1999, People's Bank). The following is the statement delivered at the felicitation ceremony on 24th March, 2019 to award the Gold Medal to Dr. Abeykoon by the Population Association of Sri Lanka: "Dr. A.T.P.L. Abeykoon has been a researcher, lecturer, policy planner and director of population activities in Sri Lanka for a period of over 50 years. He was the President of the Population Association of Sri Lanka during 1999-2002. His first expo