Dr. Ashani Weeraratna has emerged as a leading figure in global cancer research, specialising in melanoma and the effects of ageing on cancer. She is the E.V. McCollum Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, and co-leader of the Cancer Invasion and Metastasis Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.
She also serves as a professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, having joined the faculty in 2019. Her research focuses on the tumour microenvironment—the normal cells and structures surrounding a tumour—and how it influences cancer metastasis and resistance to therapy.
Dr. Weeraratna was among the first scientists to investigate how the ageing microenvironment affects melanoma progression and treatment outcomes. Her work explores biophysical changes that influence tumour and immune cell migration, revealing age-related differences in responses to targeted therapy and immunotherapy that could shape future clinical practice.
Born in Sri Lanka and raised in Lesotho, she moved to the United States in 1988 to study biology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She later earned her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Oncology from the George Washington University Medical Center.
Currently serving as President of the Society for Melanoma Research, Dr. Weeraratna is also a dedicated mentor to junior faculty, women, and people of colour in STEM fields. In 2021, she was handpicked by President Joe Biden and now chairs the top-ranked cancer department at Johns Hopkins University.
