UM doctor wins prestigious global award for cancer research

Universiti Malaya obstetrics and gynaecology professor Dr Woo Yin Ling has won the prestigious 2023 Rachel Pearline Award in recognition of her global contribution to cancer research and practice in low- and middle-income countries.

Rose Foundation, in a statement today, said Woo had conceptualised and executed the Removing Obstacles to Cervical Screening (Rose), an innovative cervical screening programme that incorporates human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling.

Commenting on the award, Woo (above) said it is a great honour for Malaysia and that the recognition is a testament that Malaysians can achieve more if they work together.

“The Rose programme is the culmination of a huge collaborative effort from many Malaysians who believe in the vision of a cervical cancer-free Malaysia,” she added.

Then deputy prime minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail launched the programme in January 2019.

It is the initiative of the Rose Foundation which aims to make Malaysia one of the first countries in the region to be free of cervical cancer, the second most common cancer locally among women aged below 44.

Every year the Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research (ASGCR) Steering Committee invites nominations for the award and chooses one outstanding professional who embodies virtue and eminence in cancer research, practice, and/or training in a low-and middle-income country (LMIC).

The ASGCR is the flagship meeting of the United States National Cancer Institute Center for Global Health.

It brings together people in oncology to discuss trends in global cancer research and control, and map out collaborative efforts to move the field forward.

- Bernama

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