Professor Dr. Soo-Hwang Teo OBE established, and is now Chief Scientific Officer of Cancer Research Malaysia, where she leads the research portfolio. Professor Teo graduated with a First-Class Honours degree from the University of Cambridge and then completed her PhD at the same university. She won the prestigious Wellcome Trust Studentship Award for her PhD and the Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship for her Post-doctoral research work. As Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Teo establishes and implements Cancer Research Malaysia’s scientific programs and engages with academic, clinical, governmental and non-governmental organizations that conduct and support cancer research. Cancer Research Malaysia is Malaysia’s first independent cancer research non-profit organization, which is funded, managed, and staffed by Malaysians and specifically focused on research of cancers prevalent in Malaysia. These include breast cancer, oral cancer, and nasopharyngeal cancer. Since its establishment in 2001, Cancer Research Malaysia has published more than 200 scientific publications, filed 4 patents, established new clinical services, and trained Malaysian cancer researchers. Prof Teo is also the Principal Investigator of the Malaysian Breast Cancer Genetic Study (MyBrCa), the Malaysian Ovarian Cancer Genetic Study (MyOvCa) and the Malaysian Mammographic Density Study (MyMammo). In collaboration with the University of Cambridge (Prof Doug Easton), MyBrCa has been part of the Breast Cancer Association Consortium and this has led to the identification of more than 100 genetic loci associated with an increased risk to breast cancer. This is of particular importance because there are few cohorts in Asia and MyBrCa makes an important contribution as these studies are only possible through collaboration involving large numbers of patients. In addition, Prof Teo’s team builds models for risk assessment in the Asian population integrating lifestyle, genetic and mammographic images, and conducts community programmes to downstage breast cancer. Prof Teo is one of the most highly cited Malaysian scientists in medicine, having published 199 research articles, which have been cited more than 13,700 times, with an average of 30 citations per article on WebOfScience. This includes publications in high impact journals such as New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nature Medicine, Nature Genetics and Nature Communications. Prof Teo’s H-index is 60 (Google scholar) and i10-index is 155 [Apr 2021]. She has demonstrated sustained translational and clinical research performance at the highest level, supported through a strong track record in research grants, including being the first Malaysian to win the Wellcome Trust Collaborative Science Award and 2 of the Newton Grant Awards from the Medical Research Council. Prof Teo’s contributions to medical research have been acknowledged through appointments as an Adjunct Professor of University Malaya in 2008, an Eisenhower Fellow in 2010, a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences on 2014, Top Research Scientist Award in 2014, Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 and a Dato’ Sultan Sharifudin Shah Award by Sultan of Selangor in 2018. The OBE is particularly significant as she is the only female scientist in living memory to have won the award in Malaysia. In addition to her research leadership, Prof Teo has contributed to the development of health policy, having chaired the Familial Section of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for breast cancer and contributed to the Malaysian National Cancer Control Plan. She is the co-Chairman of the Medical and Health Sciences Division of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Professional Highlights • Chief Scientific Officer, Cancer Research Malaysia, Apr 2020-present • Chief Executive, Cancer Research Malaysia, 2001-02; 2006-Apr 2020 • Adjunct Professor, University Malaya Medical Centre, 2009-present • Head of Tissue Resources, Cancer Research UK, 2004-06 • Research Manager (Tissue Resources), Cancer Research UK, 2003-04 • Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow, CRC Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology, University of Cambridge, 1998-2000; 2003 Awards • Dato’ Sultan Sharifuddin Shah (DSIS), 2018 • Officer of the British Empire, 2017 • Top Research Scientist of Malaysia Award, 2014 • Fellow of Academy of Sciences Malaysia, 2014 • Asia Pacific Cancer Conference Young Investigators Award, 2011 • Eisenhower Fellow (Multinational Programme), 2010 • National Cancer Institute- American Association for Cancer Research International Investigator Award, 2008 • Top40 Under40 (Prestige) Award, 2008 • Great Women of Our Time Award (Women’s Weekly), 2007 • PruLady (Prudential) Award, 2007 • FASEB Young Investigator Award, 1998 Grants • Pfizer Global Cancer Research Award, 2020-2024 [~RM3 million] • Wellcome Trust Collaborative Award, 2017-2019 [£770,000] • Newton Ungku Omar Fund, 2017-2018 [£188,000] • Newton Ungku Omar Fund, 2017-2018 [£200,000] (collaboration with University of Nottingham) • Ministry of Higher Education High Impact Research Grant, 2011-2016 • Ministry of Science eScience Grant, 2008-2009 • Ministry of Science TopDown Grant, 2003-2007 • Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship Award, 1998-2003 Education and Scholarships • University of Cambridge, MA, PhD, 1996 [Winner of Wellcome Trust Prize] • University of Cambridge, BA, 1992 [First Class Honours, Top student in class] • Wellcome Trust Prize Studentship (1992-1995FF) • Overseas Research Studentship Award (1992 – 1995FF) • Yayasan Sime Darby Scholarship (1989 – 1992) • Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Award (1989 – 1992) • Shaw Foundation Award (1987 – 1988) • Asean Scholarship (1982 – 1986) Membership • Treasurer, Eisenhower Fellowship Association of Malaysia, 2012 - 2014 • Vice President, British Malaysia Society, 2012 - 2015 • President, Yayasan Sime Darby Scholars Alumni Association, 2011 – 2014 • Technical advisor to Breast Cancer Welfare Association, 2011 onwards • Member of Malaysian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, since 2011 • Third World Academy of Women in Science, Malaysian Chapter Protem Committee member, 2011 • Member of American Association for Cancer Research, since 2008 Committees • Co-Chairman of the Medical and Health Sciences Discipline of Academy of Science Malaysia, 2019 onwards • Chairman of the Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh Trust Committee of Academy of Science Malaysia, 2019 onwards • Ahli Jawatankuasa Universiti Penyelidikan, Ministry of Higher Education, from 2015 - present • Chairman of Familial Cancer Section of the Malaysian Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Breast Cancer (Ministry of Health), 2010 • Member of review committee for Ministry of Higher Education, from 2015 - present • Member of review committee for Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, from 2009 - present • Member of country panel representing Malaysia for the Asia-Pacific National Cancer Control Planning Leaders Forum, from 2015 - 2018 • Expert Panel member for Universiti Teknologi Petronas, 2015, 2016 • Represented Malaysia in the establishment of the Asian BRCA Consortium, organized the first meeting in KL in Aug 2012 and is a member of the Steering Committee from 2012 - present • Member of the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (since 2010), the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 penetrance (since 2008, first Asian partner), the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (since 2010), and the ENIGMA consortium (since inception in 2009) • Member of a committee to establish the Malaysian NPC Study Group in 2008 and subsequently member of the Steering Committee Highlights and impact to science and to Malaysian society • Co-author in 199 scientific publications • Contributed to the scientific discoveries at Cancer Research Malaysia that led to 4 patents. This includes the identification of tumour specific antigens which are being developed for immunotherapy for head and neck cancer. This has been licensed in 2020 and first in man clinical trials are planned for 2021/2022 • Led in the research that enabled the establishment of the first comprehensive genetic testing service for breast cancer genes in Malaysia since 2006 • Led in the research that developed a rapid and affordable genetic test for breast and ovarian cancer predisposition genes and the establishment of a social enterprise for providing wider access to genetic services in Malaysia (2016) • Established collaborations with international cancer research organizations including the University of Cambridge, Karolinska Institute, American National Cancer Institute, University of Melbourne and John Hopkins University.