Prof. Dr. Woo Yin Ling

Founding trustee & Medical Technical Advisor of ROSE Foundation, Prof. Dr. Woo Yin Ling envisions a cervical cancer-free Malaysia and and has taken big steps to revolutionise the local cervical cancer screening process.

With ROSE Foundation’s innovative and unique HPV self-sampling programme, Program ROSE, Malaysian women have the dignified choice of using a self-swab, which simplifies, streamlines and eases the pain of a usual HPV test. The swab is then collected by the ROSE Laboratory, and results are promptly delivered via ROSE’s digital health platform within 3-weeks with a link to request follow-up treatment if needed.

Program ROSE’s cost-effective approach has made it a model to low-to-middle income countries. Dr. Woo’s credits the foundation’s success to the support and endorsements from its many collaborators, volunteers and supporters. Alongside its advocacy and education efforts, Program ROSE has thus far touched and reached over 770,000 women, screened over 31,000 Malaysian women across more than 350 community locations.

Having transformed the prospects for the secondary prevention of cervical cancer in Malaysia, ROSE Foundation’s impact has been honoured globally as the first Asian winner of the Top 3 UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award in 2022.

Making an impact is about empowering people with the knowledge and the tools to take control of their health, including collaborating with policy and decision makers to ensure no one is left behind. Impact is made when we shift paradigm in eco-system, via decisions, behaviours and lives towards a healthier future for generations to come.