Dr Ho Weang Kee

Dr Ho Weang Kee, a distinguished Malaysian statistician and associate professor at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, is transforming how breast cancer risk is assessed for women across Asia. Her work applies advanced statistical and genetic modelling to identify subtle variations that shape cancer susceptibility—particularly among diverse and underserved populations often excluded from Western-centric studies.

After completing postdoctoral research in the United Kingdom, including roles at the National Institute for Health Research and the University of Cambridge, Ho returned to Malaysia in 2013 to build a research programme rooted in precision medicine for Asian women. Her achievements have earned her international recognition, including the L’Oréal-UNESCO Malaysia For Women in Science Fellowship (2017) and the International Rising Talent Award (2018).

In 2024, Ho became the first Malaysian scientist to receive the prestigious £1.92 million (RM 11.3 million) Wellcome Trust Career Development Award. This eight-year programme seeks to develop new breast-cancer risk-stratification and communication tools for multi-ethnic Asian populations, marking a major step toward closing long-standing gaps in global cancer research. She also serves as a visiting scientist at Cancer Research Malaysia, collaborating on projects that increase the representation of indigenous and minority populations in genetic datasets.

Her research team continues to contribute to international discourse, most recently at the International Cancer Research Symposium 2025 (ICRS 2025), where she presented advances in lifestyle-genetic modelling for BRCA mutation carriers. Driven by a vision of healthcare equity and scientific inclusion, Dr Ho’s work stands to revolutionise breast-cancer prevention and screening—offering more accurate, accessible, and culturally relevant risk assessment for millions of Asian women.