Professor Dr. Chan Lai Fong
Celebrating women across the globe helping to prevent deaths from pesticide self-poisoning.Academic, clinician, and educator conducting research on preventing pesticide-related suicides
Name
Professor Dr. Chan Lai Fong
Job role
Professor & Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at the National University of Malaysia (UKM)
Location
Malaysia
Tell us about your role?
I have published and presented research in the area of pesticide suicide prevention, which showed that the paraquat ban in Malaysia (2020) had some positive effect on reducing the case fatality from pesticide poisoning. This work was supported by the Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention. I have also been consulted by the World Health Organization on the cost-effectiveness of pesticide bans for suicide prevention.
Why is this work important to you?
As an academic, clinician and educator, I identify as a person with lived experience of losing patients to suicide. Such an experience drives me to not be a dispassionate observer in the field of suicide prevention, but to actively engage in this field as someone who has struggled with grief and experienced post-traumatic growth.
This profile has been compiled for International Women’s Day 2025, to celebrate the incredible women worldwide who are helping to prevent deaths from pesticide self-poisoning.