By Tony Hicks. Bay City News.
What will happen when more humans start living to 100 years old?
The social, political and health-related impacts of an increasingly long-lifespan population will be the focus of the third annual Century Summit, hosted by the Stanford Longevity Center on Dec. 13-14.
The conference is a hybrid event, with the public invited to watch virtually alongside the in-person audience.
Experts from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines will discuss new ideas about what is called the “health span” of a life, including how to make century-long lives healthier, more productive, and more equitable.
One concern that needs to be addressed is the question of what drives favorable health outcomes for more people—not just the wealthy and well-educated, but also those with less access to health care and other resources.
“Part of the theory is that health span begins at birth,” conference chair Ken Stearn said in a statement. “That means investing not just in the formal health care system, but also in preventative health care measures and social support for a wide range of things that support mental health and longevity.”
Organizers said the summit will ask “smart, creative, innovative people tough questions around the quest for longer, healthier lives: Can we shift the focus to ‘health span’ rather than just life span? Can we conceive of longer careers that are more balanced, more productive, and more equitable? And can a nation that has nurtured so much generational antipathy rethink intergenerational relationships in positive and productive ways?”
Speakers will include California’s new surgeon general, Dr. Diana Ramos, who will be interviewed by Louise Aronson, professor of medicine at Stanford and author of “Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life.”
Laura Carstensen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, will discuss the role of stress and happiness in longevity and health with Bob Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development and executive director of the Lifespan Research Foundation.
Leaders from two of California’s largest health care systems will discuss how to rethink health care in the U.S.; Alice Waters will speak about nutrition and how to provide greater access to nutritious foods and the new frontiers of brain health will be discussed by UCSF professor Adam Gazzaley.
The full list of speakers and the full conference agenda can be found at https://www.longevity-project.com/century-summit-2022-event-landing-page.
The Summit of the Century takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on December 13 and 14 at the Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge at 291 Campus Drive, Stanford. To register for in-person or virtual tickets, go to https://hopin.com/events/2022-century-summit.
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