News Desk
DUBAI: Healthcare professionals from across the UAE and wider region will gather in Abu Dhabi from 24 to 26 October for the 2nd UAE Annual Lifestyle and Longevity Medicine Conference, which will follow an international board certification exam in Lifestyle Medicine. The event comes as the country strengthens its focus on longevity and preventive healthcare, with growing investment in regulation, professional education and clinical standards.
The conference is organised by the Emirates Lifestyle and Longevity Medicine Society (ELLMS), which operates under the umbrella of the Emirates Medical Association, in collaboration with the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM), and with the support of the Abu Dhabi Convention & Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
The event is being held against the backdrop of a series of developments in longevity and preventive healthcare in the UAE. These include the establishment of the Dubai Longevity Authority earlier this year and the recent approval of its strategy, which prioritises regulation, standards, clinical innovation and investment in the sector.
Dr Mishkat Shehata, Chief Medical Officer at OMICS Precision Health and Vice President and Founding Member of ELLMS, welcomed the increased focus on regulation and standards. “The establishment of a dedicated longevity authority and the emphasis being placed on regulation and standards are important steps in the right direction,” said Dr Shehata. “There is a great deal of interest in longevity, but as the field develops, people need to know that the care they receive is based on evidence and delivered by appropriately trained professionals. The UAE has been quick to embrace innovation, while recognising that new approaches need the right scientific and regulatory safeguards.”
For patients, Dr Shehata says longevity medicine is about increasing the number of years spent in good health by identifying individual risks earlier and taking steps to prevent disease or reduce those risks. It overlaps with preventive medicine while also drawing on lifestyle, functional and precision medicine, with areas such as nutrition, physical activity, sleep, mental wellbeing and social connection remaining central.
Dr Shehata, who supports the board certification process for physicians through ELLMS, adds that professional education in the field is also expanding. There are currently 83 IBLM board-certified Lifestyle Medicine physicians and healthcare professionals in the UAE. “When I moved to the UAE in 2023, there were only 18 board-certified Lifestyle Medicine physicians and healthcare professionals here, so I have seen the professional community grow significantly in a relatively short period,” said Dr Shehata. “Through ELLMS, I have been closely involved in establishing ELLMS as the official examination hub for IBLM certification in the UAE. I also served on the subcommittee under the National Institute for Health Specialties to develop the country’s first Lifestyle Medicine Fellowship for physicians. Building the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals is important as this field continues to develop.”
The upcoming conference will explore areas including nutrition, physical activity, mental health, genomics, digital health and preventive care, with several OMICS Precision Health doctors and healthcare professionals participating in the scientific programme.
“We want the conference to help healthcare professionals understand the science behind lifestyle and longevity medicine and how to apply it in practice,” said Dr Shehata. “It is also an opportunity for clinicians, researchers and healthcare organisations to learn from each other and strengthen the professional community developing around this field in the UAE.”
rafiq@biztoday.news
