Dr Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy 

 

Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy works as an Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the  Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of  Malaya, and practices as a public health physician in University Malaya Medical  Centre, Malaysia. She is also a visiting scholar at Queen’s University Belfast,  United Kingdom since 2014.  

Dr Bhoo Pathy’s career is focused on optimizing life after cancer in resource limited settings through research and advocacy. She is particularly interested in  the state of cancer control in the low- and middle-income countries, and  enhancing treatment outcomes and patient-centered outcomes in these settings. 
Notably, Dr Bhoo Pathy was the principal investigator of phase III of the Asean  CosTs In ONcology (ACTION) study, comprising close to 10,000 cancer patients  from eight low-and middle-income member countries of the Association of South  East Asian Nation (ASEAN). The study has been crucial in providing country specific evidence for Southeast Asian nations to prioritize policies and develop  local solutions to reduce the financial loss and premature deaths associated with  cancer.  

Dr Bhoo-Pathy currently serves in two Lancet Commissions, namely the Lancet  Commission on Women and Cancer, and the Lancet Commission on Cancer and  Health Systems. Besides her involvement in these commissions, she is a member of the Covid-19 and Cancer Taskforce, a globally representative group  of cancer leaders who are gravely concerned that decisions made under the  duress of the pandemic will have momentous consequences for cancer mortality  for years to come https://covidcancertaskforce.org/ 
Nirmala Bhoo Pathy graduated as a medical doctor from University of Malaya,  Malaysia in 2001. Following completion of her master’s degree in Public Health  with distinction in 2008, she was awarded a fellowship by the European  Commission, under which she completed a master’s degree in clinical  epidemiology with cum laude, followed by a PhD (cancer epidemiology) from  University of Utrecht, Netherlands in 2011.