Prof. WMJ Welgama obtained his Ph.D. from Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (PGIHSS), University of Peradeniya, in Sociology being specialized in the fields of Sociology of Aging and Social Gerontology. He joined the Faculty of Social Sciences of Sabragamuwa University of Sri Lanka by the year 2001 as a temporary lecturer and subsequently promoted to the post of Lecturer (Probationary) by the year 2004. Currently he serves in the Department of Social Sciences as a Senior Lecturer. Main areas of teaching come under the sub fields of Sociology and Psychology such as Self, Family, Sexuality, Environmental Sociology, Introductory Psychology and Social Psychology, Sri Lankan Society and Culture, Research Methods and Counselling. Social Gerontology, Environmental Sociology, Family, Social Problems are the research interests. He serves as the Psychological Counsellor at Sitharana Counselling Centre extending service to both University and the outer community.

Faculty Coordinator (2017) - Internal Quality Assurance Unit, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka

Director - Centre for Indigenous Community Studies, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lnaka. (2018 -2021)

Board Member - Center for Indigenous Community Studies, Sabragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. (2017)

Tecnical Advisory Committee Member. Sri Lanka Social Security Board. (2019 -2021)

Life Member, Royal Asiatic Society. Colombo.

Member. National Science Foundation. Colombo

Sociology of Aging, Social Gerontology, Family, Youth, Environmental Sociology, Social Problems

Ongoing Reserach Projects

1. The Sick Role of Elderly Cancer Patients: A Sociological Analysis. This reserach project covers elderly cancer patients represent the sample include five cancer clinics in Sri Lanka. Investigation of their sick role, adjustments and coping, rationalization of illness come as the objectives. Government reserach grant scheme for universities has accepted the initial proposal and ethical review of the reserach is being progressed. 

Research Publications

Journal Articles

ජයසේන එම්.එස්.එස් සහ ඩබ්. එම්. ජේ. වෙල්ගම. (2022). "පරිවාස සහ ළමා රක්ෂණ සේවා ආයතනගතකරණය ආශ්‍රිත සුබසාධන ගැටලු පිළිබඳ සමාජ විද්‍යාත්මක විමසුමක්. ", ප්‍රථිමාන, සමාජ විද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව, රුහුණු විශ්ව විද්‍යාලය.

Welgama,J.(2021).Modernization, ‘New aging’ and Successful Aging Experience of Sri Lankan Sinhalese, Sri Lanka Journal of Sociology,2.

 වෙල්ගම ,ජයප්‍රසාද් .:2021*ග නවීකරණය, සාර්ථක වෘද්ධභාවය සහ සිංහල fජ්‍යෂ්ඨ පුරවැසි අත්දැකීම් පිළිබඳ විමර්ශනයක්, සමාජ විමසුම, 16, සමාජ විද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව.පේරාදෙණිය විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයග

 වෙල්ගම ,ජයප්‍රසාද් .:2020*ග ආගම, අධ්‍යාත්මිකතාව සහ වෘද්ධභාවය, ආඛ්‍යාන, 5 :1*. 

 අමරසේකර, චරිත් සහ වෙල්ගම ,ජයප්‍රසාද් . :2020*ග මත්ද්‍රව්‍ය වලට ඇබ්බැහි වූ  රැඳවියන්ගේ උප සංස්කෘතිය සහ දිළිඳුකම අතර පවතින සම්බන්ධතාවය පිළිබඳ සමාජ විද්‍යාත්මක අධ්‍යයනයක්, ආඛ්‍යාන,  5 :2*.

Welgama, J. (2019). Family and the Sexual Identity Development of Youth: A Comparative Sociological Study of the Semi-urban and Rural Youth in Ratnapura District of Sri Lanka. Sabaragamuwa University Journal, 17(1), pp.24–37. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/suslj.v17i1.772

Welgama, Jayaprasad. (2016). The meaning of being an elderly person among the Sinhalese: an ethnographic perspective, International Journal of Arts and Commerce,  5( 5).

de Silva, Amarasiri & Welgama, W.M.J. (2014).Modernization, Aging and Co residence of Older Persons: The Sri Lankan Experience. in, Anthropology & Aging, Journal of the Association for Anthropology & Gerontology, 35(1).

වෙල්ගම ,ජයප්‍රසාද් . :2014*. වෘද්ධභාවයෙහි සමාජමය නිර්මාණය; සමාජ විද්‍යාත්මක විමසුමක්, සමාජ විමසුම ,16. සමාජ විද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව.පේරාදෙණිය විශ්ව විද්‍යාලය.

 වෙල්ගම, ජයප්‍රසාද්. :2009*. ලිංගිකත්වය සහ ලිංගික අනන්‍යතාවය. සංකල්පීය මායිම් පිළිබඳ විග්‍රහයක්, සබරගමුව විශ්ව විද්‍යාලීය ශාස්ත්‍රීය සංග්‍රහය. 4.

 වෙල්ගම ,ජයප්‍රසාද් .(2020). වෘධබාවය සහ දේශපාලනය, හඳරාගම(සංස්.),දේශපාලන සමාජ විද්‍යාව, 
බත්තරමුල්ල: සමීර ප්‍රකාශකයෝ.

Books

Welgama,W.M.J.(2021). The Sinhalese Old Age. Colombo: Godage Publishers.  Sri Lanka.

Welgama, W.M.J (2021). Youth, Family and Sexual Identity. Colombo: Neptune Publications (Pvt) Limited.

 වෙල්ගම, ජයප්‍රසාද් සහ ගලගමගේ ,ප්‍රභාත් .:2021*.ග්‍රාමීය දකුණු ආසියාව. කොළඹ: නෙප්චූන් පබිලිකේෂන්ස් පුද්ගලික සමාගම. 

ජයප්‍රසාද් , වෙල්ගම. ග:2021*ගකඳු මුදුනත එකම ගස, කාව්‍ය සංග්‍රහය සහ වෙනත් නිර්මාණ. කොළඹ: නෙප්චූන් පබිලිකේෂන්ස් පුද්ගලික සමාගම. 

ජයප්‍රසාද් , වෙල්ගම. ග:2021*ග සද දුර ගව්ව, කොළඹ: නෙප්චූන් පබිලිකේෂන්ස් පුද්ගලික සමාගම. 

Abstracts

Jayaprasad, Welgama. (2022). Mental Health Status and Psychological Counselling Needs of Undergraduates; A Dilemma in State Universities, Symposium of National Education Commission. 

Welgama, W.M.J.  (2022). A Sociological Analysis on the Suffering of Elderly Cancer Patients. [Conference Presentation Abstract] 12^th Annual Research Session. Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.  http://www.sab.ac.lk/crkd/ars

Welgama, Jayaprasad & Piumali, S.D. (2021, November 20-21). Sick Role of Elderly Cancer Patients in Sri Lanka: A Sociological Analysis. [Conference Presentation Abstract] 3^rd International Conference in Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine. Sri Lanka.https://silverageconference.com

Welgama, W.M.J. (2018). Socio-economic dimensions of senior citizens in gender perspective. [Abstract]. Proceedings of 5^th Annual Research Symposium, Department of Demography, University of Colombo.

Sirikumari, T.H.D.M & Welgama, W.M.J. (2017). Sociological study of Non-communicable Diseases and the Sick role of Senior Citizens. [Abstract]. Proceedings of 7^th Annual Research Session, Sabragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.

Welgama, W.M.J & de Silva, W.M.A. (2017). Cultural- Ecological Variations of Physical and Psychological Health of Sri Lankan Senior Citizens. [Abstract]. Proceedings of the International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna.

Welgama, W.M.J & de Silva, W.M.A. (2016). Properties of Positive Aging among Rural Sinhalese: An Ethnographic Perspective. [Abstract]. Proceedings of the International Conference on the Humanities and the Social Sciences (ICHSS), Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya.

Danawalavithana, Minuri  &  Welgama, Jayaprasad.(2015). Female Labour and Export Processing Zones, A sociological Analysis. [Abstract]. Proceedings of International Research Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sri Jayawardenapura.

Welgama, WM.J & De Silva, Amarasiri .(2014).Cross section of old age activity: A study on Sri Lankan Sinhalese. [Abstract]. Annual Research Symposium. National Centre for Advanced Studies.

 Welgama, W.M.J & M.W.A de Silva. (2014). The Sinhalese old age and religiosity. [Abstract]. Proceedings of the Peradeniya University international research sessions, Vol.18.

Welgama, Japarasad. (2012). The meaning of elderly; the experience of Sri Lankan Sinhalese in an ethnographic perspective. [Abstract]. 5^th research conference, Colombo: Royal Asiatic Society.

Welgama, WMJ & De Silva, Amarasiri. (2012). ‘Never too old’: ethnographic account of old age activity of Sri Lankan Sinhalese. [Abstract]. 41st annual scientific educational meeting, Canadian Association on Gerontology.

Welgama, WMJ. (2008). Family and the Sexual Identity Development of Youth: A Comparative Sociological Study of the Semi-urban and Rural Youth in Ratnapura District of Sri Lanka. [Abstract].2^nd International Symposium Proceedings, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.

Welgama, WMJ. (2006). The Social Ecological Perspective of Child and Adolescent Suicide: A Sociological Study Related to the Monaragala District of Sri Lanka. [Abstract].10th Anniversary International Symposium, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Belihuloya, 383-395.

Welgama, WMJ & Samarakoon, JMNG. (2006). The Profile of Childhood Neglected: A Socio-economic Study Related to the Ratnapura District of Sri Lanka. [Abstract]. 10^th Anniversary International Symposium, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Belihuloya, 396-401.