smart ageing summit 2025

Clinical Oncologist & Functional Medicine Doctor, Founder of AWARE Clinic

Dr Wafaa Abdel-Hadi is a Clinical Oncologist & Functional Medicine Doctor, an international speaker, researcher and the Founder of AWARE clinic - a professional educational platform that guides people on how to take charge of their health through analysing the pattern of their imbalances and trusting in the miracle of the human body to heal when given the right tools to survive and thrive. She is an advisory board member of the German-based European Keto Live Centre for Ketogenic Metabolic Therapies. She is also on the scientific curriculum board committee of the Integrative Oncology Working Group (IOWG), USA, and the first certified Functional Medicine Doctor in Egypt and the Middle East from The Institute for Functional Medicine, IFM, USA, and a certified international health coach from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, USA.

OLP Co-founder & Former Warden of Keble College

Sir Christopher Ball is a British runner and academic, who served as Warden of Keble College, Oxford, from 1980 to 1988, and as the first Chancellor of the University of Derby, from 1995 to 2003. After surviving a triple bypass surgery, he started running at the age of 67. At 72, he won a world long-distance running record for completing 10 marathons in 10 days and now he is preparing for his next big feat - to run the London Marathon at age 100.

Research Fellow, Oxford Institute of Population Ageing

Dr. Kate Bancroft joined The Oxford Institute of Population Ageing in 2024 as a Research Fellow, having previously worked as a researcher at King's College London where she also served as Deputy Director of the PhD Applied Public Policy programme. Her long standing research interests lie at the intersections of health, sport, and physical activity, with a particular focus on gender issues. Currently, Kate is working on the EPIC Networks project funded by the Helen Hamlyn Trust, which examines healthy ageing and community connections through a multidisciplinary approach. This proof-of-concept research aims to determine if a new model can be generalised, scaled, and sustained across diverse settings in Oxfordshire. 

Heart-focused Therapist and Founder of Heart Source

Liz Butler, creator of Heart Matrix Therapy, combines her HeartMath coaching, meditation facilitation and Energy Psychology practices with lifelong spiritual studies to support emotional and physical healing for her clients. She has a passionate interest in the heart in all forms (physical, energetic and spiritual) and the focus of her work is the deepening of spiritual awareness through heart connection. As well as her one-to-one therapeutic work, Liz offers educational events emphasising the transformational power of the heart, through her joint venture, The Awakening Heart Collective, and she believes a deeper understanding and appreciation of the heart is crucial for navigating the turbulent times we are facing. With a background in Biochemistry and Nutritional Medicine, Liz is also a trained nutritional therapist and she recently developed a new concept 'Nutritional Coherence', which aims to align our food choices with all aspects of our being - body, mind and spirit.

Founder of Artocene & Arts and Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic

Dr. Iva Fattorini is a pioneering physician who bridges medicine and the arts. After earning her MD at 23 and completing dermatology training at Harvard, she joined Cleveland Clinic in 2004. There, she founded the Arts and Medicine Institute in 2008, making Cleveland Clinic one of the first hospitals to integrate art therapy into patient care. She later expanded these concepts to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. She has held numerous leadership positions in arts and medicine organizations globally and founded Artocene™, a digital platform connecting healthcare and creativity. She's currently pursuing an MSc in Global Healthcare Leadership at Oxford University's Saïd Business School.

Author of Dr. Gray’s Walking Cure, Former NHS Knowledge Officer, OLP Board Member

Sir Muir Gray began his career in the NHS in 1972 and since then has made an indelible mark on it, developing screening programmes in the NHS for pregnant women, children, adults and older people. He has published numerous books and articles and was the first to identify the 'fitness gap' in the British Medical Journal.

Sir Muir has held a number of NHS regional and national roles, latterly as the NHS's Chief Knowledge Officer, and he was the principal expert adviser to the European Union in the production of their report on Value Based Healthcare in 2019. He has advised governments of several countries outside the Uk, including Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, and Germany.

His mission, of 50 years, is how to help people live longer better. He has authored or co-authored the popular health books, Sod70! and Sod60!, Sod Sitting, Get Moving and Sod It, Eat Well! Sir Muir has developed a new model to help people Live Longer and Better. In his model, morbidity at the end of life is compressed and the incidence of dementia and frailty and, therefore, the need for social care is reduced.

Placebo Effect Expert, University of Leicester

Dr. Jeremy Howick Professor Howick is the inaugural Director of the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare, where he ensures all consultations include empathy. Previously at Oxford's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, he co-founded the Oxford Empathy Programme. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College, the London School of Economics and Oxford University. He founded the Global Network for Empathy in Healthcare to integrate empathy into healthcare practice. With over 250 peer-reviewed publications and three books, including the bestseller Doctor You, he's an authority in evidence-based healthcare, receiving awards from the British Medical Association and others. His expertise is sought after; he's appeared on BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and NPR. His research featured in a BBC Horizon Documentary viewed by 2 million people. He regularly delivers keynotes worldwide. Follow him on X at @jeremyhowick.

Menopause Expert and HRT Advocate

Dr. Louise Newson is a leading menopause specialist and member of the UK Government's Menopause Taskforce. After studying Medicine at the University of Manchester and working in hospital medicine, she specialized in General Practice before dedicating her career to women's hormone health. She founded Newson Health in 2018, providing specialized menopause care across the UK, and created the balance menopause support app, which has reached over one million downloads. A Fellow of the Royal College of GPs and Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University's Murray Edwards College, Dr. Newson hosts the UK's top-ranked medical podcast and has developed extensive educational resources for healthcare professionals. Known for pioneering the "Menopause Revolution," she has authored numerous books, including a Sunday Times bestseller, and remains committed to advancing menopause research and education through her clinic's profits, while maintaining independence from pharmaceutical companies.

OLP Co-founder & Emeritus Professor of Computational Physiology

Prof Denis Noble is a British biologist who held the Burdon Sanderson Chair of Cardiovascular Physiology at the University of Oxford from 1984 to 2004 and was appointed Professor Emeritus and Co-Director of Computational Physiology. He discovered the electrical process that generates the rhythm of the heart, thus making electronic pacemakers possible and saving many lives. Published in Nature in 1960, this discovery was honoured in 2022 by the award of the Lomonosov Grand Gold Medal of the Russian Academy of Science, an honour also held by several Nobel laureates. He is a pioneer of Systems Biology, explained in his popular books, The Music of Life and Understanding Living Systems.  He is the most vocal opponent of gene-centred Biology. His message to people is that we, living organisms, control our genes. It is an empowering message. 

Broadcaster & Founder of Let's Dance!

Angela Rippon, CBE, has been a prominent figure in British broadcasting for nearly six decades, establishing herself as an award-winning journalist who has worked extensively across radio and television for both commercial and BBC channels in Britain, America and Australia. Her impressive portfolio includes presenting numerous programmes, from BBC One's Rip-Off Britain and appearances on The One Show and Morning Live, to hosting shows like Come Dancing, Top Gear, and the Antiques Roadshow. Her contributions to broadcasting were recognised with her induction into the Royal Television Society Hall of Fame in 1996, and she received both an OBE in 2004 and a CBE in 2017 for her services to broadcasting and dementia care, respectively. Beyond broadcasting, Rippon serves as Vice President of the British Red Cross, advocates for The Alzheimer's Society, has authored 14 books, and has recently launched Let's Dance, an initiative to get people across the UK up and dancing! 

Founder of LiNK BREATHING, Breathing Habits Retrainer, Speaker & Educator

Jane Tarrant, the Founder of LiNK BREATHING and Author of ‘Rose Loses Her Nose’, is a Breathing Retrainer & Healthy Breathing Habit Educator. She retrained as a breathing coach upon discovering the power of reclaiming optimal breathing habits. She sheds light on the complex web of breathing's connection to overall health and the ways in which it can deteriorate over time. Breathing Retraining has been shown to help with numerous issues including snoring, anxiety, stress, panic attacks, digestion, mental focus and mood, sleep quality, sports performance, recovery and pain, among others. Jane's unwavering commitment to helping others realise that how we breathe matters, has established her as a respected figure in the Oxford community and beyond, even taking her to the Paris 2024 Olympics to educate Olympians.

Founder of Reclaim Movement, MovNat Certified Trainer

Oxford-based natural movement coach and movement inspirer, Wendy Welpton @reclaimmovment.co.uk, helps people see movement differently - reconnecting with how their bodies are designed to move each day, rebuilding lost variety and reclaiming the foundations for confident, capable movement for life. Wendy coaches natural movement online through the Reclaim Movement membership, courses and workshops. She educates through talks and offers private coaching online and in-person in Oxford. She also hosts the 5-star rated ‘Make Movement Matter’ podcast.