Sometimes, the smallest things can change your life. In the case of Dr. Ngoi Soo Mun, that small thing was a mouse. While doing her PhD, she was introduced to the concepts of the immune system. She learnt that if mice don’t have a complete immune system, they are more likely to get cancer. Inspired by the ways the immune system can be manipulated through immunotherapies, she decided to explore the subject more by dedicating herself to cancer research. Dr. Soo Mun’s passion for the subject has taken her across the world to the United States, and most recently, back home to Malaysia. Along the process, MyHeart’s Returning Expert Programme (REP) has helped her settle down back home. Here’s the story of an amazing journey of passion and love for her craft and country.
Navigating the uphill battle: Mount Kinabalu and cancer research.
Dr. Ngoi began her endeavor in biomedical science over 20 years ago in Singapore where she completed her Bachelor’s degree. Though she spent most of her life abroad, she expresses that she doesn’t truly feel she belongs to other environments. That coupled with a longing to be with her family and friends back home, made her decide to return home to Malaysia at last as a senior scientist at Cancer Research Malaysia (CRMY).
As a nature enthusiast, Dr. Soo Mun has been enjoying exploring various natural wonders across Malaysia since her return. On a trip to Kundasang for her birthday in 2023, she met a woman from the Caribbean who came from climbing Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia’s tallest mountain. Her climb was so spontaneous, driven by the pure desire to be on top of the mountain that it got Dr. Soo Mun thinking about her own trip, she thought to herself: “Don’t think about it too much, just do it!” Inspired by the free spirit, she began planning her trip to the top. But of course, a great adventure like this should be dedicated to a cause equally as great: cancer research.
Dr. Soo Mun and her colleagues saw an opportunity to support cancer research during their Mount Kinabalu climb. As an extension of CRMY’s “Support Our Scientist (SOS)” campaign, the “Climb A Mountain. Find A Cure.” fundraiser was launched to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. So, alongside 3 of her colleagues, she set off on her trip and completed the journey, raising over RM10,000 for cancer research in the process.
Dr. Soo Mun describes the view from the top of Mount Kinabalu as extremely rewarding and beautiful, as she sat at the top for 2 hours just admiring the view. In all her travels, the view from back home in Malaysia was one of the best and being able to dedicate the trip to her passion for cancer research, made it even better.
Taking part in preventing and treating cancer
Dr. Soo Mun’s work in Cancer Research Malaysia mostly consists of creating a vaccine for cancer based on the genetics of the local population. As an immunologist, her job is to perfect the vaccines. She also helps to train PhD and Master’s degree students in her team as part of her job which allows her to pay her knowledge and expertise forward towards the next generation of scientists.
A common question Dr. Soo Mun gets in her work as a cancer researcher is how people can do their part in preventing cancer. Her advice is simply to eat with nutrition in mind, get good quality sleep, manage stress levels and exercise frequently. For those who have a history of cancer in their families, do visit the hospital for a cancer screening, as Dr. Soo Mun stresses: “Information will make a difference when it comes to genetics and risks.”
A smooth transition back home.
Coming back home after more than 20 years abroad, Dr. Soo Mun was expecting to face lots of challenges settling down in Malaysia. To her pleasant surprise, the entire process had been quite smooth. When Dr. Soo Mun was told about MyHeart’s Returning Expert Programme (REP), it had only taken her 2 days to gather all the necessary documents and the whole process of returning and settling down took only about 3 months. For this, she expresses gratitude, feeling very lucky to have benefitted from the incentives offered by the programme and at last, feels welcomed to be home.
If you’re a Malaysian abroad who plans to return home for good, check out MyHeart’s Returning Expert Programme (REP) to enjoy attractive incentives and benefits with your return.
