Founding Father

It was never Dr Saunthari Somasundaran’s plan to follow in her late father’s footsteps; Kathlyn D’Souza finds out more about the daughter of a man whose life was dedicated to cancer research

The now-president and medical director of the National Cancer Society never intended to be in the ‘family business’, so to speak. It was never forced on her, it was something that just occurred. Dr Saunthari explains, “Neither of my parents expected for me to be in medicine, or to be involved with the Society in this capacity. It was one of the board directors who asked me, and when I first started, my father’s work and mine were completely separate.”

Separated meant that the late Dato’ Dr SK Dharmalingam worked as an oncologist, focusing more on the medical and clinical aspect of cancer such as screening and treatments, while Dr Saunthari herself, having been a caregiver for her mother— who survived cancer five times—saw the need for more support, awareness and policy.

Her views, which were different from that of her father, took a while to take off. “Even my father had opposing ideas, and we sometimes argued. When my mother was first diagnosed, he wrote to doctors around the world, seeking their advice on treatment. Me, having seen my mother fight the disease and having cared for her, saw the importance of healing beyond treatment. For me, survivorship was an entirely new journey.”