“I didn’t have any interest in medicine at school at all,” he said with a light chuckle. Yet today, he is one of London’s leading orthopaedic surgeons, specializing in knees and hips, serving both the NHS and private patients with a mix of cutting-edge technology and an honest, personable touch. 

From an unexpected inspiration to a career grounded in compassion, Dr. Imbuldeniya's journey is as unique as it is compelling. 

 

For many surgeons, the path to medicine begins with a deep-seated desire to heal, but for Dr. Imbuldeniya, it was a mix of television and tragedy. “I watched this TV show called ER, and the doctors in it looked really like they were having a great time, especially George Clooney” he recalled with a wry smirk. Beneath the surface was a much more personal reason: “My dad passed away when I was 16. At the time, I just felt the doctors weren’t very helpful; [my family] were a bit lost. I decided to try and be a better doctor”. 

 

This desire to make a difference propelled him through medical school, even if the academic side didn’t always excite him. “I loved the social side of it,” he admitted but it wasn’t until his early days on the wards, interacting with patients, that he truly fell in love with medicine. 

 

Life as a junior doctor may be more familiar to us than we realise. With shows like Grey’s Anatomy and ER being “more similar than you’d imagine” as reality reflects the dramas with “all sorts of gossip and scandal going on… it probably shouldn't be quite as dramatic as the TV shows, but worryingly, it is”; unfortunately, all stories were too outrageous for the surgeon to be willing to reveal them. 

 

Dr Imbuldeniya seemingly fell into orthopaedics. “They [senior doctors] forced me into the operating theatre” he said, grinning. 

 

“I did this tiny surgery, with all of them watching and mocking me. 

 

“Someone had a little growth on the bone. I took a little chisel, chiselled it off, and then put some stitches in, put a dressing on, and then I was hooked. I’d fixed someone in my mind. It was incredible.” 

 

As is life, incredible highs are juxtaposed with its crashing lows. “It’s a lonely job when things go wrong” Dr Imbuldeniya said candidly recounting the memory of losing a patient during surgery. 

 

“I work on call for trauma in the NHS. One patient I remember who basically died on the table. We'd previously fixed one of his hips but he unfortunately fell on holiday, came back and he'd shattered the bone around his femur. 

 

“I did a really long surgery on him, and I remember he had a joke about how he was going to chase the nurses afterwards, I think he was a bit of a bit of a jack-the-lad back in the day. 

 

“He never woke up. His heart just stopped working.” 

 

Despite these moments, it’s the connection with patients that keeps him going. For Dr. Imbuldeniya, being a good surgeon isn’t just about technical skill “it’s about being good with people. 

 

“We've all got different attitudes, expectations and worries. So I think that's the first thing, it’s just to understand that and also knowing when not to operate.” 

 

As the world continues to develop and innovate, Dr. Imbuldeniya is enthusiastic about the role technology plays in the future of his field: “I use it a lot for knee surgery, it's not quite there yet for knee ligament surgery, but it's definitely there for knee replacement surgery. We've got these really powerful tools now that can make three models of your knee, and they can help remove the bone and cartilage accurately. 

 

“There's a lot more work going done on trying to regenerate or trying help your body heal; I think that might be something that's going to improve. By the time you're (me) really old, we might be able to make your knee new again, as opposed to give you a new one”. 

 

As a proud West Londoner, Dr. Imbuldeniya finds great pride in “being able to help [his] community”. 

 

He cherishes his role within the community he grew up in. “It’s amazing to help people where I was raised,” he says. But his greatest achievement? Despite being “really, really corny, having three kids. It’s the coolest thing. And then the orthopaedic stuff afterwards”. 

 

While his children show no interest in following his career path: “They see what I do and say, ‘Forget that’”, Dr. Imbuldeniya is content knowing he’s made his mark in other ways. Whether it’s teaching the next generation of surgeons, embracing groundbreaking tech, or simply being a reassuring presence for his patients, his impact is undeniable. 

When not giving people the ability to walk again, Dr. Imbuldeniya finds himself in TW8 sat comfortably in Brentford’s G-Tech Community Stadium, every other Saturday. 

 

A fan who’s been to Wembley for all four of the West London side’s play-off final losses; May 29th 2021, everything changed: “We played Swansea and we won. I couldn't believe it. For my son, it was kind of normal, because he's really young. And I was like, this literally doesn't happen. It literally doesn't happen. So that was amazing for me. And then just for us to be in the Premier League is amazing. I don't take it for granted at all”. 

 

And when the time comes for him to hang up his surgical gloves? “I’d just like to be remembered as a good guy”, a doctor who listened, a dad who wasn’t too tough, and someone who made a difference.”