Having functioned as a paediatrician in various parts of the country including Jaffna, She became the first woman in Sri Lanka to be appointed to a professorial chair, when she succeeded her mentor, Professor C. C. de Silva, as Professor of Paediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ceylon and subsequently the University of Colombo. She held the chair in Paediatrics for 25 years before retiring in 1991. Widely known for her pioneering research in Nutrition and Infectious Diseases, she was also instrumental in imposing regulations restricting advertising of infant formula milk, and formulating the national policy on breast feeding, which recommended Exclusive Breast Feeding for 4–6 months.