Advancing Women’s Health

Published: 28 Oct 2024

The Women’s Health Conference 2024, jointly held by the Global Centre for Asian Women’s Health (GloW) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and the Université Paris Cité (UPCité) spotlights the need to support women’s health over their life course as women face distinct health milestones and challenges across their lives.

Attended by Guest-of-Honour, Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Health, Her Excellency Ms Minh-di Tang, French Ambassador in Singapore, Professor Michelle Williams, Former Dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, the conference themed ‘Save women’s lives, promote well-being, and nurture potential—a holistic and life course approach’ was held from 24-26 October 2024.

From left: Professor Michelle Williams, Joan and Julius Jacobson Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Professor Matthieu Resche-Rigon, Dean of the School of Medicine, Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Professor Chong Yap Seng, Dean of Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Health, Her Excellency Ms Minh-di Tang, Ambassador of France to Singapore, Professor Zhang Cuilin, Director of the Global Centre for Asian Women’s Health, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (GloW), Professor Vassilis Tsatsaris, Director of Institute of Women’s Health, UPCité at the Women’s Health Conference 2024 jointly organised by GloW at NUS Medicine and UPCité.

One of the key focuses of the conference is the call for a shift in women’s health to prioritise the prevention and early detection of non-communicable diseases as it has tremendous potential to reduce the disease burden in women. Having previously found that maintaining a healthy lifestyle before pregnancy including being a non-smoker, getting sufficient physical activity, adopting a healthy diet and having a healthy weight before pregnancy can prevent more than 50% of GDM events and more than 90% type 2 diabetes diagnoses, GloW set out to identify modifiable factors at both molecular and behaviour levels partnering with investigators from UPCité and others that could influence women’s health outcomes across their life course and beyond.

Professor Chong Yap Seng, Dean of NUS Medicine delivering the welcome address

Professor Matthieu Resche-Rigon, Dean of the School of Medicine, UPCité delivering the welcome address

Professor Vassilis Tsatsaris(left), Director of Institute of Women’s Health, UPCité and Professor Zhang Cuilin(right), Director of GloW delivering the welcome address

Nutrition is one of the crucial modifiable factors in health and disease prevention and is a running theme across sessions on all three days of the conference. This involves exploring the link between dietary habits, food choices and the impact on long-term health outcome in women. There was also a cooking demonstration and panel discussion showcasing culinary strategies for optimal nutrition on the second day of the conference, chaired by experts including Greg Drescher from the Culinary Institute of America, U.S. and Singapore campus.

Cooking demonstration and panel discussion: ‘Spices, aromatics, and the Asian plant-forward kitchen: culinary strategies for optimal family nutrition’

A panel discussion jointly helmed with the World Economic Forum feature speakers including Amira Ghouaibi, Head of the Global Alliance for Women’s Health, World Economic Forum, Dr Sanjana Bhardwaj, Deputy Director, Program Advocacy and Communications, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr Megan Greenfield, Partner with McKinsey & Company, and Professor Chong Yap Seng, Dean of NUS Medicine outlined ways to address diverse health challenges faced by women in Asia.

From left: Professor Michelle A. Williams (Joan and Julius Jacobson Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health), Dr Helena Hui Wang (Asia Senior Executive Editor of the Lancet), Dr Megan Ann Greenfield (Partner, McKinsey Health Institute), Professor Zaleha Abdullah Mahdy (Head of Department, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UKM Medical Centre, National University of Malaysia), Professor Chong Yap Seng (Dean, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine)