MALAYSIA
New Straits Times-Mar 21
She’s a mum, wife and a highly respected expert for her work on novel molecular therapeutics in cancer. Yesterday, (March 20), Chern Ein Oon added another title to her repertoire that she can be proud of.
The young scientist from Penang won the Women of the Future Award South East Asia in the Science, Technology and Digital category, beating four other talented women who were also nominated in the same category.
Chern, 34, a senior lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia was among 12 Malaysian women also shortlisted for the prestigious award in various categories.
The daughter of a chemist, Chern credits her father for getting her interested in science. “I hope to inspire young people to pursue science the right way, the ethical way and to make them understand that age is just a number and that they can achieve anything if they set their mind to it,” she said.
Chern’s research and expertise will likely influence more effective strategies in anti-cancer drug development.
As a young women pursuing a career in science, Chern was often told that she was too young to take the lead or to do certain things or as a mother, she should always put the needs of her family above her career.
And like many working mothers she felt guilty at missing out on valuable time with her one year old daughter while doing her job.
But with a very supportive husband and the right mindset, Chern has forged a path for herself that has given her the best of both worlds.
“As a woman, I often heard that family must come first but I wanted to have both and now I have.”
The Women of the Future, South East Asia Awards honours outstanding women from across Asean who have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities in their respective areas of expertise.
This year, a total of 50 candidates were shortlisted from 170 nominations from ten countries .
Founded in the United Kingdom in 2006 by Pinky Lilani, the Women of The Future programme was conceived to celebrate, support and inspire the next generation of female leaders.
This community of influential British women grew exponentially, with networks that naturally expanded beyond British shores. South East Asia was the obvious region to formally connect into the programme and with the firm support of British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Vicki Treadell, it is currently the next step in building a global network of exciting business leadership talents.
