From June 30 to July 12, 2025, I had the privilege of participating in the Healthy Longevity Talent Incubator (HLTI), hosted by the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. This intensive program brought together 40 brilliant minds from around the world – PhD candidates, researchers, medical doctors, and master’s-level professionals – all united by a shared passion for advancing the science and practice of healthy longevity.
I first learned about HLTI in 2023 when a close friend joined the inaugural cohort. Inspired by her experience, I applied and was accepted into the highly competitive 2024 intake. Unfortunately, illness prevented me from attending that year, but the organisers graciously held my place for 2025. Now recovered and ready, I stepped into the program with immense gratitude, and what followed was nothing short of transformative.
🇸🇬 Singapore’s Vision for Healthy Longevity
Singapore is not just a host for HLTI – it’s a global leader in longevity science. The government has made substantial investments in research and development aimed at extending healthspan, not just lifespan. Initiatives like the Centre for Healthy Longevity and the Academy for Healthy Longevity reflect a national commitment to evidence-based aging interventions, public health innovation, and precision medicine.
Experts like Professor Andrea Maier and organisations such as Chi Longevity are at the forefront of this movement. Their work actively challenges pseudoscientific trends circulating on social media –plasma fusions, cold water plunges, and other viral hacks – by grounding public discourse in rigorous science. HLTI was a space where these myths were dissected and replaced with actionable, research-backed strategies.
🧠 Learning from the Best
The HLTI curriculum was rich and multidimensional. We explored:
- Longevity Medicine: Hype or Hope
- Biomarkers of Ageing, Geoprofiling
- Digital Phenotyping
- Geromedicine, targeted interventions and precision dosing
- Bat-inspired Targets to Fight Human Diseases
- Healthy Longevity through the Lens of Cancer Research
- Music Interventions for Health and Wellbeing
- Nutrition and Women’s Healthy over Lifespan and across Generations
- Multi-dimentional Research in Ageing
- Lessons from the Singaporean Healthcare System
- Diagnostic for Biological Ageing
- Oral Health and Healthy Ageing
- Drugs, Supplements, Nutrition and the Gut-Brain Axis
- Animal Models
- Ethical Considerations in Research
- Leadership Workshops, Scientific Manuscript Writing, and {resentations
- Debunking Pseudoscience with Data-driven Approaches
Our mentors were world-class: Prof. Hans Meij, Prof. Suresh Rattan, Dr. Anne Tine Hjorth, Prof. Ashok Venkitaraman, Brian Kennedy, Associate Prof. Kat Agres, Assistant Prof. Matae Ahn, Dr. Nara Lapsys, Mr. Vishal Harnal, Mr. Craig McGee, and many others. It was a rare gift to engage with such minds—to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and absorb decades of expertise.
🏙️ SG City Missions: Research in Action
Beyond lectures and labs, HLTI immersed us in real-world research through SG City Missions. Each team of 10 tackled a unique challenge, from barriers to social connection, to digital health engagement, to women’s midlife health and mental wellbeing in the digital age.
My team focused on Singaporeans’ attitudes toward using advanced technologies like ChatGPT for mental health support. We designed a survey, hit the streets to gather responses, and analyzed the data to produce a manuscript. On July 10, during HLTI’s Open Day, I had the honor of co-presenting our findings with my teammate Vanja. To our delight, our presentation was awarded “Best Presentation” by Guest of Honour and Member of Parliament, Mr. Henry Kwek, a moment that felt especially meaningful after recovering from illness during the program.
🎶 Talent, Connection, and Joy
HLTI wasn’t just about science – it was about soul. On the opening night, I performed with my guitar during the International Talent Night, sharing music with peers from around the globe. Despite the intensity of the program, these moments of connection and creativity reminded me why I love working in interdisciplinary spaces.
💬 Looking Back, Looking Forward
I write this post a few months after HLTI, and I still feel the echo of inspiration from those two weeks. Each participant was a force of curiosity, compassion, and brilliance. I miss the conversations, the collaborations, and the shared vision for a healthier future.
As HLTI continues to grow, I am excited to see how future cohorts build on this foundation. If you’re passionate about healthy aging, evidence-based medicine, and global collaboration, this program is a beacon. I’m grateful to have been part of it – and I’m even more excited for what’s next.
Artist & Academic 