Human Welfare Conference explores healthy ageing as it goes virtual for first time

The Human Welfare Conference 2021 recently took place at Green Templeton College and, due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, was entirely virtual for the first time in its history.

Expert speakers and audience members from around the world gathered on conferencing platform Airmeet to discuss this year’s theme, Living Longer: Healthy Ageing and the Opportunities of Longevity.

Conference organizers Constanze Cavalier and Jordan Gorenberg said: ‘We were inspired to choose a theme that foregrounded the needs and issues of a growing aged population during a time when older people feel forgotten and abandoned. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed stereotypes that homogenize the older adult population (at least in Western countries). Through our theme, we hoped to disrupt these assumptions and interrogate the meaning of ageing.’

Speakers included the University of Oxford’s Professor Lynne Cox, Department of Biochemistry, and Professor Sarah Harper, Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, and Dr Iza Kavedžija, Senior Lecturer (Anthropology) from the University of Exeter.

Governing Body Fellow Professor Mary Daly moderated a panel discussion featuring participants Emeritus Fellow Sir Muir Gray, Dr Hiroko Costantini, Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, Dr Tamás Jozsa, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and Dr Ramon Luengo-Fernandez, Health Economics Research Centre.

There was also a physiotherapy session led by clinical yoga teacher Catherine Huck and a lunchtime concert from musician-in-residence Maki Sekiya, followed by a discussion on ageing, music and wellbeing.

Among the sessions at the HWC 2021 was a panel chaired by Governing Body Fellow Professor Mary Daly, which examined the challenges of ageing worldwide.

‘Our sessions questioned: Why and how do we age? What are the changing global demographics of an ageing population and their implications? What does healthy ageing mean in other cultures? What are the challenges of and opportunities for healthy ageing worldwide?’ said Constanze and Jordan.

‘Over the course of the day, there were incredibly rich discussions on the possibility of classifying ageing as a disease without enforcing stereotypes, differential longevity in various countries, ways of creating interdependence for older people in Japan, and knowledge as the ‘elixir of life’.’

The official poster for the HWC 2021

The organizing committee brought together Green Templeton students across multiple disciplines: biochemistry, engineering, finance, bioethics, medical anthropology, sociology, demography, clinical neurosciences, and primary health care.

‘Although our team never met face-to-face, we all grew personally and professionally, learning from and supporting one another throughout the conference organizing process,’ said Constanze and Jordan.

‘Based on the feedback we have received from participants, college staff, and speakers, we are pleased to declare that the event was a huge success!’ they added.

‘We are honoured to have had the opportunity to continue the tradition of this conference and contribute to Green Templeton College’s robust academic community.’