Dr Palitha Abeykoon is the Chairman of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA), Past President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association and a Senior Research Fellow of the National Science Foundation (NSF). He serves on the Board of the National Medicines Authority of Sri Lanka and is also an Advisor in Health Research to the Regional Director of the WHO South East Region. Dr. Abeykoon is a medical graduate from Sri Lanka. He has had post graduate education and training in medical education and public health in the University of Southern California and then in the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston where he was also a Taro Takemi Senior Fellow. His professional career started as a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine in Sri Lanka after which he joined the World Health Organization as Advisor in Human Resources for Health in Nepal and then in Indonesia. Moving to the WHO Regional Office in New Delhi he was first the Regional Advisor in Human Resources and then Director of Health Systems Development and later Director of Non Communicable Diseases. He is a Fellow of the College of General Practitioners, the College of Community Physicians, the College of Medical Education and also of the College of Medical Administrators of Sri Lanka. He was awarded the prestigious Fred Katz Memorial Gold Medal of the Australia – New Zealand Medical Association for his contribution to Medical Education and Health Development in Asia and Pacific. Some of Dr. Abeykoon's other relevant current and recent institutional affiliations include: • President- Sri Lanka Medical Association • Chairman and Member, Sri Lanka Medical Council • Trustee – College of Medical Education of Sri Lanka • Advisor, World Health Organization South East Asia Public Health Network (SEAPHEIN)