NCD Frontlines with Saunthari Somasundaram | A New OncoDaily Podcast – Coming Soon

Announcing a New Podcast Series from OncoDaily: NCD Frontlines with Saunthari Somasundaram

OncoDaily, the global oncology media leader and home to OncoDaily.com, OncoDaily TV, OncoDaily Medical Journal, and CancerWorld Magazine, is proud to announce the launch of a new podcast series: NCD Frontlines with Saunthari Somasundaram.

Dato’ Dr Saunthari Somasundaram is a globally respected leader in noncommunicable disease (NCD) control, bringing over two decades of experience across clinical care, policy advocacy, and international governance. Her leadership bridges global vision with local realities, always grounded in advancing health equity for communities most affected by NCDs.

She has held governance roles at the highest levels of global health. Dr Saunthari Somasundaram currently serves on the Board of the NCD Alliance, where she chairs the Governance Committee and sits on the Finance and Audit Committee. She is also a Board Member of the City Cancer Challenge Foundation and previously served on the Board of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), where she chaired key committees on membership and capacity building. Across these roles, she has strengthened governance, accountability, and partnership frameworks to better integrate lived experiences into health solutions.

At the national level, Dr Saunthari Somasundaram is President and Medical Director of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) and Co-Chairperson of NCD Malaysia. She has led major initiatives linking universal health coverage (UHC) principles to NCD prevention and care, building civil society coalitions, securing sustainable financing, and embedding NCD services into public health systems. Her leadership has been characterised by an unwavering commitment to community engagement, inclusion, and the pursuit of sustainable health systems that leave no one behind.

Among her contributions to global policy, she was instrumental in advancing the Lung Health Resolution, a global initiative aiming to reduce the burden of lung-related diseases through prevention, early detection, and integrated care strategies. The resolution, proposed by Malaysia with support from the World Health Organization and nearly 20 countries, is expected to be tabled at the 2025 World Health Assembly and United Nations General Assembly — a testament to her ability to transform local leadership into global action.

Dr Saunthari’s leadership was particularly critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she advocated for the classification of cancer and NCD services as essential health services. Recognising the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people living with NCDs, she spearheaded Malaysia’s house-to-house COVID-19 vaccination initiative for vulnerable populations, ensuring that marginalised groups, especially those with pre-existing conditions, received timely and equitable protection. Her efforts demonstrated the importance of addressing intersectional vulnerabilities during health emergencies and contributed to strengthening trust in public health services at a critical moment.

Throughout her career, Dr Saunthari Somasundaram has consistently championed a whole-of-society approach to health. She has advocated for partnerships that span governments, academia, the private sector, civil society, and communities themselves — mobilising non-traditional actors to address the shared risk factors of NCDs such as tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and air pollution. Under her leadership, NCSM has pioneered collaborations with local councils, schools, small businesses, and digital platforms to embed health promotion into daily life, particularly in underserved and semi-urban areas.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to public health and civil society, she was conferred the royal title Dato’ by His Royal Highness, the Sultan of Perak, Malaysia.

Dr. Saunthari’s commitment to integrating lived experience into governance and policy has been a hallmark of her work. She has built patient and survivor networks, strengthened grassroots advocacy platforms, and ensured that community voices inform the design and implementation of NCD interventions. Her regional contributions include shaping health dialogues within ASEAN and South-East Asia, where she has called for contextual solutions that reflect the realities of middle-income and developing countries.

Her leadership embodies the critical link between strong governance, people-centred policy, and global solidarity. Whether at the community level or within the boardrooms of major international alliances, Dato’ Dr Saunthari continues to advocate for a world where health equity is not just an aspiration but a lived reality.

Through NCD Frontlines, Dr Saunthari will lead insightful conversations with global leaders, practitioners, and advocates working to advance health equity and tackle the growing burden of NCDs worldwide.

At OncoDaily, our vision is to be the global voice of oncology, embodying our motto: “Cancer doesn’t take a day off, neither do we.”

With NCD Frontlines, we expand that commitment — giving voice to those shaping the future of NCD prevention, care, and advocacy.

Stay tuned — first episodes coming soon.