Dr Mary Suma Cardosa Takes Office in Bangkok
Pain affects people in every country, but access to effective pain care remains profoundly unequal,
Dr Mary Suma Cardosa said in a statement issued by the International Association for the Study of Pain.
Malaysian physician Dr Mary Suma Cardosa has assumed the presidency of the International Association for the Study of Pain, becoming the first Asian leader in the organisation’s history, CodeBlue reported. Dr Cardosa took over the two-year term at the closing of the 2026 World Congress on Pain in Bangkok, Thailand, succeeding Andrew Rice of the United Kingdom.
Three Decades of Shaping Malaysian Pain Medicine
Dr Cardosa has spent more than thirty years developing clinical pain management services and professional education across Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Her career includes establishing the Ministry of Health’s first acute pain service in 1993 and founding the country’s first multidisciplinary pain clinic in 2000, according to CodeBlue. She later spearheaded the Pain Free Hospital initiative launched in 2011 to improve how healthcare facilities recognize and treat patient discomfort.
After retiring from full-time service at the Ministry of Health in 2016 as a consultant pain specialist at Hospital Selayang, Dr Cardosa maintained an active clinical schedule. She practises as a visiting consultant pain specialist at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and at ParkCity Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Beyond her clinical work, she broke leadership barriers domestically by serving as the first woman president of the Malaysian Medical Association in 2011.
Global Strategies for Unequal Access to Relief
Dr Cardosa will guide the association’s international initiatives through 2028, implementing its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, The Star reported. Her presidential agenda centres on strengthening clinical services, investing in healthcare education, and encouraging multidisciplinary cooperation among medical professionals worldwide.
The appointment coincides with the International Association for the Study of Pain holding its flagship World Congress on Pain in Southeast Asia for the first time. The Bangkok gathering marks the organisation’s return to Asia since 2016, bringing together global clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to share scientific developments in pain science.
Her two-year term runs until 2028, following her transition from outgoing president Andrew Rice at the 2026 World Congress on Pain in Bangkok.
What specific initiatives did Dr Cardosa establish in Malaysia?
She helped establish the Ministry of Health’s first acute pain service in 1993, founded the country’s first multidisciplinary pain clinic in 2000, and spearheaded the Pain Free Hospital initiative in 2011.
Where does Dr Cardosa currently see patients?
She practises as a visiting consultant pain specialist at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and at ParkCity Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
As IASP president, I look forward to working with our global community to advance pain science and help ensure that its benefits reach more people, wherever they live,
Dr Cardosa said.
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