Welcome to the Inaugural International Conference
on Longevity.
As we stand in the early years of a new millennium, enormous changes
in the practice of medicine and health care are occurring, particularly
in the global direction of health management for the ageing.
In the year 2000 there were 600 million people on the planet aged 60
and over. This figure will rise to 1.2 billion by 2025 and 2 billion
by 2050 (World Health Organization). The prevention, early detection
and treatment of ageing-related diseases is needed to alleviate the
load of our rapidly increasing ageing population. It is essential this
phenomenon is addressed now.
The Inaugural International Conference on Longevity is bringing together
medical consultants and practitioners, allied health professionals,
clinicians, scientists, policy makers, and the public for a global perspective
on the issues confronting them in the areas of quality and length of
life, and new research applicable to our ageing population.
In developing the conference programme we have respected the views of
the World Health Organisation that "Ageing is a challenge that
cannot be addressed by the public or private sectors in isolation, it
requires joint approaches and strategies" and that "Health
is a state of complete physical mental and social well-being and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity".
Our aim is to achieve harmony and ongoing communication among the world's
leading scholars and clinicians on healthy ageing and longevity for
the betterment of humankind. We are grateful for the support of Dr Alexandre
Sidorenko, Chief of the United Nations Focal Point on Ageing who will
speak at our Opening Ceremony and Dr Alexandre Kalache, coordinator
of the World Health Organization Ageing and Life Course Program who
will be our first keynote speaker.
Our Inaugural Conference is the precursor to an annual event for the
next ten years. At the final session on Sunday March 7th 2004, there
will be the launch of the International Research Centre for Healthy
Ageing and Longevity. The Research Centre is a non-profit corporate
entity subject to Australian Government audit, and will be based in
Sydney, Australia. The Research Centre will collaborate with the worlds
leading researchers and clinicians to form the basis of the programme
for our annual conferences and the dissemination of the information
internationally.
Enjoy the Conference and we look forward to receiving feedback from
you to assist us with next years Conference.
Yours Sincerely,
John Weller
Conference Convener
Programme Development
Dear Colleagues,
Thank you for attending the Inaugural International Conference on Longevity.
In the development of the Conference programme over the past three years,
we have had communication with leading doctors, scientists, allied health
professionals and policy makers from across the globe. We indicated
that the conference had no affiliation with sponsors or product sales,
and that we wanted to pool evidence-based material from all areas of
healthcare research and knowledge, both old and new.
The response was overwhelming, and I wish to thank all invited speakers
in helping to put together the programme. In particular, I would like
to give special thanks to the following for their unconditional support,
encouragement and guidance:
1. Prof. S. Jay Olshansky (University of Illinois, Chicago, USA)
2. Dr. Don Ingram (National Institute of Aging, National Institute of
Health, USA)
3. Dr. George Roth (National Institute of Aging, National Institute
of Health, USA)
4. Prof. Marc Cohen (RMIT University, VIC, Australia)
5. Prof. Suresh Rattan (University of Aarhus, Denmark)
6. Dr. Michael Fossel (Michigan State University, USA)
7. Prof. Gary Andrews (University of South Australia)
8. Dr. Leonid A. Gavrilov (NORC Center on Aging, University of Chicago,
Illinois, USA.)
9. Prof. David Le Couteur (Center for Education and Research on Ageing,
University of Sydney, NSW, Australia)
10. Dr. James Joseph (Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.)
11. Prof. Brian J. Morris (University of Sydney, NSW, Australia)
12. Dr. Eugen Molodysky (University of Sydney, NSW, Australia)
Also, special recognition is deserved to Dr. Alexandre Kalache of the
World Health Organization, whose Ageing and Life Course Programme served
to further inspire us to reinforce the value of elders in society, the
critical need to prevent the non-communicable diseases associated with
ageing, the urgent need to address the health of the world's rapidly
ageing population, and the notion that healthy ageing begins at birth.
We believe the Conference programme will promote inter-disciplinary
collaboration and exchange of evidence-based knowledge in a warm-hearted
environment for the betterment of human kind.
I am thrilled that this year we will have the support and guidance of
the International Advisory Council of the International Research Centre
for Healthy Ageing and Longevity to ensure that the programmes for future
annual conferences are
of the highest quality.
See you all next year for another stellar conference.
Yours sincerely,
Noah J. Weller
Research and Programme Development
Dear Colleagues: Welcome to the First International
Conference on Longevity.
As President of the Federal AMA I was pleased to be asked to participate
in what
I believe will become an essential event...
I would like to take this opportunity to express the AMA's support for
all work that will improve the quality of care the medical and allied
professions can provide to their older patients. We need to embrace
and work with a wide range of evidence based methodologies, only together
can we successfully meet this challenge.
I look forward to receiving feedback from AMA
members to feed issues and
priorities identified by the conference into our work programme.
Have a great conference.
Yours sincerely
Dr William Glasson
Federal President
