Akemi T. Wijayabahu, Ph.D., M.S.

Akemi T. Wijayabahu, Ph.D., M.S., joined DCEG as a postdoctoral fellow in the Clinical Epidemiology Unit (CEU), Clinical Genetics Branch (CGB) in December 2021. She earned her B.S. in molecular biology and biotechnology from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (2014), and an M.S. in epidemiology (2017) and Ph.D. in epidemiology with a cancer epidemiology concentration (2021), both from the University of Florida, Gainesville. For her doctoral dissertation, she investigated associations between lifestyle factors, micronutrients, and biomarkers of biological aging. She was promoted to research fellow in 2025, and transitioned to the Trans-Divisional Research Program (TDRP) in 2026. 

Research Interests

Dr. Wijayabahu focuses on the epidemiology of cancers that affect women, with a particular emphasis on endometrial cancer. Epidemiologic evidence on endometrial cancer, particularly aggressive subtypes, including prevention, early detection, etiology, and survivorship, remains limited. Thus, through her work, Dr. Wijayabahu aims to help address critical gaps in endometrial cancer research under the mentorship of Dr. Wentzensen.

Dr. Wijayabahu manages the Discovery and Evaluation of Testing for Endometrial (Uterine and Ovarian) Cancer in Tampons (DETECT Study) under the supervision of Dr. Wentzensen, Principal Investigator of DETECT and leads several research projects within DETECT. In 2022, she received the DCEG Cancer Health Disparities Award for her proposal titled “Race-specific associations of prognostic biomarkers (P53, HER2, L1CAM) with recurrence, progression-free, and overall survival among individuals diagnosed with high-risk endometrial cancer”. She also received the 2023 NCI Director’s Innovation Career Development Award for her proposal titled “Investigating overall and race-specific differences in telomere length distribution and mean telomere length between normal, endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN), and endometrial cancer tissue.”

She has also been recognized with the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) Fellows Service Award (2025) and received funding through the Office of Intramural Training & Education (OITE) Award to Mentor a Summer Intern (2025/2026).