BIG DATA RESEARCH IN MATERNAL, PERINATAL AND RENAL HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY

Dr Erandi Hewawasam
Research Fellow,
National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit
Centre for Big Data Research in Health
UNSW Sydney, Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | June 2026

Dr Erandi Hewawasam is a Research Fellow at the National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit within the Centre for Big Data Research in Health at University of New South Wales (UNSW). Her work focuses on maternal and reproductive health, chronic diseases (e.g., kidney disease, endometriosis), and early-life outcomes. She is the Program Manager for the Fertility Medicine Data Asset for Australia (FM-DATA), an MRFF-funded national infrastructure project linking fertility, hospital, Medicare, pharmaceutical, and perinatal datasets covering more than 40 million individuals. She also coordinates the Early Life Course Platform, integrating around 20 New South Wales and Australian federal administrative datasets to support population health research.

Before joining UNSW, Dr Hewawasam spent over five years at the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA) at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) as a post-doctoral research fellow and program manager for Pregnancy and Kidney Research Australia (PKRA).  In these roles, she led patient-centred research at the intersection of pregnancy and chronic kidney disease (CKD), using data linkage, registry analysis, cohort studies, and surveys to improve parenthood outcomes for Australians with CKD. Her work has informed national clinical guidelines, been embedded into renal clinical care and specialist training programs, and contributed to international nephrology education initiatives.

Dr Hewawasam has published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals and secured  more than $275,000 in competitive funding. In 2025, she received the prestigious James McWha Rising Star Award, one of University of Adelaide’s Distinguished Alumni Awards, recognising exceptional early-career alumni demonstrating leadership and significant impact in their profession and community. Alongside her research, she supervises higher degree students, mentors medical trainees, contributes to teaching, and advocates for inclusive opportunities for women in science as a UNSW STEMM Champion 2025.

Source: Supplied