From the Shadows to the Spotlight: Pace Center for Global Health Champions Lung Health in Malaysia

Each year, more than 3.5 million lives are lost to chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), a staggering toll for a global health crisis that remains largely in the shadows. The Pace Center for Global Health, based in New York, is on a mission to change that.

Led by the founder of the Pace Center for Global Health—José Luis Castro—who serves as the WHO Director-General’s Special Envoy for CRDs, the Center is taking its global advocacy to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From November 12–14, 2025, the Center will convene a pivotal international media workshop on CRDs, a key part of its strategy to bring these underreported conditions out of the shadows.

This convening is not the first of its kind. It builds on the resounding success of the Center’s inaugural workshop held in Mexico City earlier this year, which set a powerful precedent for training journalists to amplify media coverage and drive public awareness of CRDs worldwide.

Pace Leadership on a Global Stage

Pace leadership will be at the heart of the event. José Luis Castro, a distinguished Pace alumnus, founding director of the Center for Global Health, and a visiting scholar at the university, will be joined by Dr. Sonia Suchday, the Center’s Director of Operations.

Dr. Suchday, who also serves as Pace University’s Director of Research and Graduate Education, is a core part of the Center's "scientist-practitioner" model. Her expertise in biopsychosocial well-being and global health is central to the Center's mission to drive tangible change.

A High-Level Convening to Drive Change

The Malaysia workshop will gather journalists from across Southeast Asia, culminating in a high-level press conference on November 12 to mark World COPD Day 2025.

The event underscores the Center’s power to convene top-tier global leaders. The press conference panel will feature:

Moderator: Michael Kessler, Media Consultant

• Datuk Dr Norayan Hassan, Director of Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Malaysia
• José Luis Castro, WHO Director-General’s Special Envoy CRDs/Pace University Center for Global Health, France
• Dr Helmy Haja Mydin, Consultant respiratory physician, Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Dr Saunthari Somasundaram, President and Medical Director, National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM), President-Elect, NCD Alliance, Malaysia
• Mr Thiagaraja Munusamy, person living with COPD, Malaysia

The workshop was attended by various international, national and local media personnel. This is more than a press conference; it is a critical step in reshaping the global narrative. By engaging media, mobilizing policymakers, and championing community voices, the Pace Center for Global Health is fulfilling its mission to transform the future of respiratory care and prove, once again, that “Go Getters Go to Pace”.

For more details, please visit the Pace Center for Global Health website and LinkedIn, where updates will be shared soon.