Organised by the Malaysian Society of Lifestyle Medicine (MSLM), the three-day conference, themed “Lifestyle Medicine: The Foundation of Longevity Medicine”, will be held from Oct 24 to 26 at Berjaya Times Square Hotel here, featuring discussions on the latest developments in lifestyle and longevity medicine.
MSLM founder and president Adjunct Prof Dr Siva Poobalasingam said the growing number of people living longer had made it necessary to shift the focus of healthcare beyond lifespan towards healthspan, or the years people live in good health, vitality and independence.
“Our goal must extend beyond merely increasing lifespan to optimising healthspan – the years of life spent in good health, vitality and independence, free from the burden of preventable chronic disease,” he told Bernama.
He said Malaysia was expected to become an ageing society by 2030, when 15 per cent of the population would be aged 60 and above, while the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2025 found that only 14.7 per cent of older Malaysians were ageing well.
He said the situation presented a critical opportunity to rethink and transform the country’s approach to healthcare, particularly as lifestyle-based interventions remained among the most effective, accessible and cost-efficient strategies for extending healthspan.
A key highlight of the conference is a joint symposium between MSLM and Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, themed “Leading the Future of Healthcare: Integrating Lifestyle Medicine into Health Systems”, which will explore the integration of lifestyle medicine into healthcare systems.
Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar Dean and Professor of Psychiatry and Population Health Sciences Dr Javaid I. Sheikh will deliver the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture and take part in an expert panel discussion on lifestyle medicine as an emerging frontier in healthcare.
Another prominent speaker is NUS Academy for Healthy Longevity co-founder and director Prof Andrea Maier, an internationally recognised expert in healthy longevity and gerontology. Prof Maier was recently named one of TIME magazine’s top 12 longevity leaders.
The conference will also feature experts in lifestyle medicine, longevity, metabolic health, psychiatry, neurology, nutrition, oncology, menopause and primary care from leading institutions in Malaysia and abroad.
Among the other speakers are representatives from the World Health Organisation, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, National University of Singapore, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Malaysian Medical Association and Asia Pacific Longevity Medicine Society, among other international lifestyle and longevity medicine institutions.
The scientific programme will cover a broad range of issues, including decoding ageing, healthspan optimisation, Blue Zones, metabolic and mitochondrial health, stress and resilience, the microbiome, fasting and caloric restriction, circadian rhythm, physical activity, nutrition, social connections, smoking and alcohol, and menopause.
Two post-conference workshops on Oct 26 will focus on positive health and healthy longevity, and the role of lifestyle medicine in cancer survivorship, providing healthcare professionals with practical approaches to applying lifestyle medicine in clinical practice.
Dr Siva said the conference was designed not merely as an academic gathering but as a call for healthcare professionals to work together to redefine longevity, “not simply as adding years to life, but as adding life to years.”
MSLM will also host the Board Certification Examination in Lifestyle Medicine by the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine on Oct 27.
Originally published here