Emerging evidence and research led Dr Woo Yin Ling and her team at Rose Foundation to believe that screening women with HPV PCR tests at least twice in their lifetime can significantly reduce cervical cancer cases in the country, alongside ensuring that women have access to treatments and vaccinations against HPV (Human Papillomavirus), a major cause of cervical cancer.

Acting on these insights, the University Malaya Medical Centre consultant gynaecological oncologist co-founded Programme ROSE (Removing Obstacles to Cervical Screening), a novel cervical screening strategy utilising a self-sampling method. Thanks to the work of Woo and the team from Rose Foundation with the support of their corporate sponsors, volunteers and donors, more than 20,000 women in Malaysia have been screened for cervical cancer using this innovative and discreet testing method that represents a game-changing shift from pap smear to HPV testing. Programme ROSE has earned Woo both local and international accolades, the latter consisting of the FIGO Award, the Rachel Pearline Humanitarian Award and most recently, the UNIVANTS Global Health Excellence Award–Rose Foundation being the first Southeast organisation to win this prestigious honour.

Woo holds a PhD from Cambridge University and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London.