Population ageing, particularly in the most developed countries, has become a priority for health professionals and public managers who are concerned about the effect of increased human life expectancy on the social and health system. In response, a commitment to promoting healthy living has become one of the main strategies for reducing the potential social impact of a change in demographic structure.
In this context, for the second year running the HUBc campus of international excellence is organizing a meeting of specialists in the area of active ageing. On 19 and 20 June, the University of Barcelona’s (UB) Faculty of Medicine will open its doors to dozens of medics and researchers to present and discuss the latest advances in the area. Dr. John Morley, one of the most prestigious gerontologists in the world, will give the opening lecture.
An interdisciplinary scientific programme
The aim of the conference is to offer participants an interdisciplinary view of active and healthy aging. To achieve this, a programme has been designed that addresses the study of ageing from scientific disciplines as diverse as biology, medicine, technology, genetics and neurology, and even from a social and humanistic perspective.
Conference attendees can hear an overview of the latest theories on ageing, or take an in-depth look at age-related pathologies, as papers will be given on conditions such as fragility, sarcopenia, diabetes mellitus, cognitive decline and mental disorders that could arise with age.
The most eagerly awaited lecture is that by Dr. John Morley, Director of the Division of Geriatrics and Endocrinology at Saint Louis University. Morley will outline what the near future may be like in the light of ageing populations. The programme also includes a notable presentation on immunosenescence by Dr. Cornelia Weyand, from the Immunology and Rheumatology Division at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, and a round table on the molecular basis of ageing, chaired by Dr. Ricardo Pujol from the Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron’s Department of Immunology.
The programme has been drawn up by a scientific committee chaired by Dr. Alfons López Soto, who is head of Internal Medicine in the Geriatric Unit of Hospital Clínic, chair of the Catalan Association of Internal Medicine (ACMI), a member of the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Geronotology (SEGG), and associate professor at the UB’s Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Jordi Alberch, Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Transfer at the University of Barcelona, heads the organizing committee. The conference is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Culture, Education and Sport through a specific programme entitled “Enfortiment 2011” for campuses of international excellence.