Penilla Gunther

Member, EU Cancer Mission and Former Member of Parliament, Sweden

Penilla Gunther is an experienced policymaker as a former member of the Swedish Parliament, the Nordic Council and chair of the Welfare Committee, and also from local and regional councils. She is the founder of FOKUS Patient®, a digital and physical meeting place for life science & healthcare with a patient perspective. She is the President of the European Patient Safety Foundation and has been appointed by the European Commission as an Expert in the Cancer Mission Board, which provides a better understanding of cancer, allows for earlier diagnosis and optimisation of treatment, and improves cancer patients’ quality of life during and beyond their cancer treatment.

She has recieved a heart transplant and survived cancer twice.

She is a steering committee co-chair for smartCARE - a flagship initiative in Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, under the EU4Health Programme 2021-2027. The project is developing a cancer survivor smart card - in the form of a mobile app - to improve the health and wellbeing of cancer survivors throughout Europe. 

A founding member, she sits on the steering group of National & European Parliamentarians for Cancer Action.

Updated: August 2024