Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
23/09/2026 – 24/09/2026
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
M World Hotel (Formerly AVANTE Hotel)
Southeast Asia is experiencing rapid population aging, with rising non-communicable diseases challenging the extension of health span. Nutrition is a key, modifiable driver of healthy longevity, influencing metabolic health, physical and immune functions, as well as wellness and age-related decline across the life course.
This 2-day symposium convenes regional and international experts to translate advancing science, emerging knowledge and innovations into practical solutions. It will address translational nutrition impacting health, harness research on food and ingredients innovation alongside culturally relevant diets, share enabling systems and policy frameworks. Through cross-sector dialogue, the symposium aims to foster collaboration, align regional priorities, and catalyse research and action to advance healthy aging, extend health span with longevity across Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia is experiencing rapid population aging, with rising non-communicable diseases challenging the extension of health span. Nutrition is a key, modifiable driver of healthy longevity, influencing metabolic health, physical and immune functions, as well as wellness and age-related decline across the life course.
This 2-day symposium convenes regional and international experts to translate advancing science, emerging knowledge and innovations into practical solutions. It will address translational nutrition impacting health, harness research on food and ingredients innovation alongside culturally relevant diets, share enabling systems and policy frameworks. Through cross-sector dialogue, the symposium aims to foster collaboration, align regional priorities, and catalyse research and action to advance healthy aging, extend health span with longevity across Southeast Asia.
REGISTRATION
| Industry (Non-ILSI SEA Region Members) | 1600 RM | 650 SGD |
| Industry (ILSI SEA Region Members / NSM Members) | 1400 RM | 550 SGD |
| Government / Academia | 750 RM | 450 SGD |
| Other NSM Members Residing in Malaysia | 750 RM | - |
*Notes:
• Local Rates are only applicable for participants residing in Malaysia.
• Overseas registration fees are exclusive of Eventbrite platform charges. Applicable fees will be reflected upon checkout.
• No cancellation will be allowed once the registration is confirmed. However, a substitute participant will be accepted.
*Malaysian Registrants:
This symposium, co-organized by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM), is HRD Corp-claimable.
*Malaysian Registrants:
This symposium, co-organized by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM), is HRD Corp-claimable.
PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME
Day 1 | 23 September 2026
08:45 – 09:00 hr Opening and Welcome Remarks
09:00- 09:30 hr Opening Plenary: The Longevity Imperative in ASEAN
Speaker TBC
09:30 -10:00 hr Keynote Lecture: Nutrition for Healthy Longevity: An Integrative Overview of Epidemiological Evidence and Biological Pathways
Speaker TBC
10:00 – 10:30 hr Morning break / Networking
Day 2 | 24 September 2026
15:45 – 16:30 hr Panel Discussion
16:30 – 17:00 hr
Announcement of Best Posters/ Oral Presentation Awards
Closing Remarks
Summary and Call-to-action
SYMPOSIUM SPEAKERS
Prof Hidenori Arai
National Center for Geriatrics and gerontology (NCGG), Japan
Prof Hidenori Arai, National Center for Geriatrics and gerontology (NCGG), Japan
Prof. Hidenori Arai is the President of the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Japan. He obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. from Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine.
Prof. Arai has held various academic and leadership positions, including Director and Deputy Director of the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, as well as Professor at the Department of Human Health Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine.
He currently serves in leadership roles in several professional organizations, including as President of the Japanese Association on Sarcopenia and Frailty, and President of the Asian Academy of Medicine for Ageing. He is also a board member of the Japan Geriatrics Society and the Japan Atherosclerosis Society. Prof. Arai has contributed extensively to the scientific community through editorial roles in international journals and has received recognition for his work, including the JAT Award 2014 and John Morley Award 2020.
Dr Mya-Thway Tint
Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), A*STAR, Singapore
Dr Mya-Thway Tint, Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), A*STAR, Singapore
Dr Mya Thway Tint is a Principal Scientist at Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and an adjunct assistant professor at Human Potential Translational Research Program, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore.
Her expertise is in advanced body-composition assessment using criterion methods such as air displacement plethysmography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and quantitative magnetic resonance technology.
Her research adopts a life-course approach to understanding body composition, spanning early development to adult phenotypes. Her work examines how developmental factors shape offspring’s obesity and metabolic risk leveraging Singapore’s major longitudinal birth cohorts; GUSTO and S-PRESTO.
A key focus of her research is musculoskeletal health across the life course, with a particular emphasis on identifying early, silent phenotypes that predispose individuals to later musculoskeletal disorders. Her research aims to transform musculoskeletal healthcare from its current reactive model into a proactive, preventive life course approach.
Her aspiration is to prevent sarcopenia, frailty, and related comorbidities through early risk profiling, systematic screening, and tailored intervention strategies.
Prof Feng Lei
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Prof Feng Lei, Department of Psychological Medicine & Healthy Longevity Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Prof Dr Feng Lei received his medical and psychiatric trainings in Shandong, China and obtained his PhD from the National University of Singapore in 2009. He has worked as a lecturer of medical psychology at Weifang Medical University in Shandong province, China from 2000 to 2004, where he also provided counselling and psychotherapy services. He received research training on functional neuroimaging, at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge in 2013 and conducted visiting research on cognitive aging at the Aging Research Center (ARC), Karolinska Institute (KI) in 2016. Dr Feng is currently a Principal Investigator and Research Assistant Professor at Department of Psychological Medicine, National University of Singapore.
His primary research interests include healthy longevity and the epidemiology and prevention of cognitive decline and dementia, with a particular focus on lifestyle factors, nutrition, and plant-based bioactive compound.
He has been involved in cognitive aging and dementia research for over 20 years. He is currently leading several community-based studies in Singapore: The Diet and Healthy Aging (DaHA) study, the Aging in a Community Environment Study (ACES), the Choral Singing for Dementia Prevention Trial, Evidence-based Lifestyle Interventions Trial, and the Efficacy of Mushroom to Prevent Cognitive Decline Study, with over 200 research publications on ageing, dementia, psychiatric and neuroscience research studies.
He has won numerous awards like the Alice Lim Memorial Fund Award in 2010, the NUHS Academic Medicine Development Award in 2013, and the NUHS Clinician Scientist Program Award in 2014. He was chosen to receive the NMRC Clinician Scientist Transition Award in 2017 and the NMRC Clinician Scientist Award in 2023.
Dr Junjie Xiao
Shanghai University, China
Dr Junjie Xiao, Shanghai University, China
Dr. Junjie Xiao is the dean of the School of Life Science, Shanghai University, China. In addition, he is the director of the Key Laboratory of Biomedical Materials and Technology for Organ Regeneration of the Ministry of Education, the director of the Shanghai Organ Regeneration Engineering Technology Research Centre, and the head of the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Shanghai University. He is an Associate Editor of Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology and Journal of Cardiovascular Translational Research, and is on the editorial boards of several other notable journals. He has authored or co-authored in journals such as Circulation and Circulation Research. His research focuses on heart failure intervention and risk prediction, with a particular emphasis on exercise-induced cardiac regeneration and the identification of novel therapeutic targets. He is also interested in epigenetic and metabolic regulations of cardiac function upon exercise and under pathological conditions such as aging.
Prof Patricia Conway
Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
Prof Patricia Conway, Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
Prof Patricia Conway is Visiting Professor of the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Singapore and CEO of PC Biome Pte Ltd. She was Professor at the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and in the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Food Technology Centre, NTU. She has extensive research and industry R&D experience, including authorship on over 100 scientific papers in international journals, monographs or book chapters, and numerous plenary or keynote lectures at international meetings. She is inventor on over 20 patent applications and Principal Investigator on grants in Sweden, Australia and Singapore. Prof Conway’s research interests are gastrointestinal microbiology, functional foods including probiotics and prebiotics. She has a particular focus on bacterial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract and mechanisms of bacterial adhesion, pathogen inhibition and immune modulation in animals and humans in order to develop ways of modulating the microbiome for health.
Asst Prof Dr Varanya Techasukthavorn
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Asst Prof Dr Varanya Techasukthavorn, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Assistant Professor Dr. Varanya Techasukthavorn is a university professor, researcher, and registered dietitian who bridges the gap between food science and clinical nutrition. A leading expert in food rheology and dysphagia management, she specializes in the science of food texture modification, ensuring that altered-diet meals are both clinically safe and sensorially appealing.
She has played a pioneering role in adapting and implementing the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) frameworks in Thailand and across the broader Asian region. Her research into fluid mechanics and hydrocolloid thickeners investigates how innovative food products can ensure that texture-modified meals precisely meet global safety standards.
Recognizing that modified diets must be enjoyable to prevent malnutrition and food fatigue in aging populations and clinical patients, Dr. Techasukthavorn actively spearheads culinary innovations. She led the creation of “46 IDDSI-Compliant Swallowing Practice Menus” (developed in collaboration with the Thai Dietetic Association), which served as Thailand's first-ever cookbook designed to assist with swallowing rehabilitation. She subsequently built upon this foundation by publishing “Happy to Swallow: 52 Simple Recipes for Delicious Meals.”
Beyond her laboratory research and academic publications, Dr. Techasukthavorn is deeply committed to translating complex food science and sensory principles into real-world, community-level solutions that improve patient quality of life.
Prof Suzana Shahar
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia
Prof Suzana Shahar, Aging and Wellness Research Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia
Prof Dr Suzana Shahar is a Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics from the Healthy Aging and Wellness Research Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM); and Honorary Fellow of the Malaysian Dietitians’ Association. She is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, UKM. She is the founder of the Centre for Healthy Aging, UKM and the Senior Citizen Centre (PAWE UKM).
Prof Shahar obtained her BSc (Hons) (Dietetics) from UKM and MMed Sci (Human Nutrition) and PhD (Human Nutrition) from the University of Sheffield, UK. Her research interest is on nutrition, wellness and aging. Prof Shahar led a nationwide project on ‘Neuroprotective Model for Healthy Longevity among Malaysian Elderly’, and currently leads a clinical trial to reverse cognitive frailty among Malaysian older adults under the auspice of the World-Wide FINGERS Trial. Both projects were funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia. Prof Shahar also led the Newton Impact Fund Scheme on Developing Salt Reduction Policy for Malaysia. She has filed two formulations for improvement of oxidative stress and cognitive function in aging population, i.e. TP3in1 juice and Cosmos Caudatus powder.
Prof Shahar has published more than 300 publications. She also serves as committee member of several guidelines spearheaded by the Ministry of Health, under the National Coordinating Committee of Food and Nutrition, as well as the International Research Networking on Dementia Prevention, WHO Working Guideline Committee of Risk Reduction of Cognitive Decline, and Consortium on Longitudinal Study on Memory (COSMIC).
Prof Diana Nur Afifah
Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP), Indonesia
Prof Diana Nur Afifah, Department of Nutrition Science at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP), Indonesia
Prof. Dr. Diana Nur Afifah is a Professor at the Department of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia. Her expertise focuses on nutrition science of local foods and food biotechnology, with extensive research on Indonesian fermented foods, functional foods, food bioactives, metabolic health, gut health, and sustainable local food innovation. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Food Technology and doctoral degree in Food Science from IPB University, and her master’s degree in Community Nutrition from Universitas Diponegoro. She has also undertaken postdoctoral and academic experiences at Gyeongsang National University, South Korea, and The University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Prof. Afifah has published widely on gembus tempeh, fibrinolytic enzymes from fermented foods, banana resistant starch, mangrove-based foods, fish protein hydrolysate, sacha inchi tempeh, and functional noodles. Her work bridges traditional food practices with modern scientific evidence, particularly in exploring how local bioresources and fermented foods may contribute to improved nutrition, metabolic health, and healthy longevity. Her current research interest includes the development of noodles as functional foods and sustainable local food innovation for health benefits. At the 2nd Regional Symposium on Nutrition and Healthy Longevity, she will present “Fermented Foods, the Microbiome and Metabolic Health: from Cultural Practice to Modern Evidence.”
Prof (Emeritus) Pavinee Chinachoti
International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), Thailand
Prof (Emeritus) Pavinee Chinachoti, International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), Thailand
Pavinee Chinachoti received Ph.D. in Food Science (U of Illinois) at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), she pioneered the study of water mobility in foods that impacts microbial activity, staling mechanisms, lipid oxidation, and MREs shelf-life. In 2003, she became the founding Chair of Product Science group at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. where she led some functional ingredient projects such as fish oil, probiotics, palatability, encapsulation, and chitosan etc. She became Dean and Director of NFF R&D Center at PSU, Thailand. She is now active in FDA’s regulatory aspects of health claims. She is current IUFoST’s President-Elect.
Stay tuned for more eminent speakers!
ORGANIZER
CO-ORGANIZER
COLLABORATOR
CONTACT
If you have any inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us through:
For Local Participants:
Dr. Tee E Siong
Email: estee@nutrihealth.com.my
For Overseas Participants:
ILSI Southeast Asia Region
18 Mohamed Sultan Road #03-01 Singapore 238967
Tel: 65 6352 5220
Email: event@ilsisea.org.sg