NIC Marrakech Retreat 2024: Healthcare, Geopolitics and the Disruptors – An African Perspective
The NIC Conference is a biannual event for NIC members. Participation is by-invitation only. To find out how to join in, please write to: NIC Administrator, Ms NG Hwee Koon at mednhk@nus.edu.sg.
PROGRAMME
Saturday, 09 Nov 2024
| Time | Welcome Dinner |
|---|---|
| 10:30am – 10:35pm |
Welcome Remarks by Mr Khalil BINEBINE
Opening Remarks by Mr Kishore MAHBUBANI |
| 10:35am – 11:00am |
Update by Professor CHONG Yap Seng on “Changing Direction of Medicine and Health in Asia” |
| 11:00am – 12:30pm |
Conversation with The Honourable Macky SALL Africa’s Role in a Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities The Honourable Macky Sall will share his perspective on Africa’s growing influence within a rapidly shifting global landscape. He will address the continent’s key challenges—from economic development and security to climate resilience—and the unique opportunities Africa holds in today’s multipolar world. Drawing on his leadership experience, President Sall will discuss how African nations can leverage regional integration, natural resources, and multilateral partnerships to foster sustainable growth and strengthen Africa’s position on the world stage.
Moderator: Mr Kishore MAHBUBANI |
| 12:30pm – 2:00pm |
Lunch |
| 2:00pm – 3:30pm |
Conversation with The Honourable Armen SARKISSIAN Navigating Shifting Power Dynamics: Small States in a Complex Geopolitical Landscape The Honourable Armen Sarkissian will be having a conversation with NIC members about key global issues, including the Ukraine conflict, analysing its profound geopolitical implications for Eurasia, the shifts in global alliances, and the broader security concerns it triggers for the region. He will also explore the role of small states amidst the shifting alliances of major powers such as the Russia, the European Union (EU), and China, given his view that small states possess unique strengths, like agility and adaptability, that allow them to navigate complex geopolitical landscapes. Dr Sarkissian will share his analysis of how the political leadership changeover in the United States (US) is likely to reshape the global political landscape, and offer insights into how smaller nations can exert influence in the evolving global order.
Moderator: Dr Finian TAN |
| 3:30pm - 4:00pm |
Tea Break |
| 4:00pm - 4:30pm |
NIC Members' Meeting (all guests are welcomed) |
| 4:30pm - 5:30pm |
Lebanon and the Region’s Geopolitics 76 years ago, the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape has been in a state of flux. The regions everchanging alliances, wars, and proxy conflicts, profoundly impacted Lebanon. Lebanon's own challenges intensified with the 17 October 2019 protests demanding political reform, which fizzled in the face of entrenched power structures. The catastrophic 4 August 2020 horrific Beirut port explosion only deepened Lebanon’s economic and political crisis adding a humanitarian catastrophe. Now, with the 7 October 2023 escalation in Gaza spilling over into Lebanon, regional tensions have heightened, pulling Lebanon into the fray as its fragile state grapples with internal instability and external pressures.
Panellists:
Moderator: Dr Raja KAMAL |
| 5:30pm - 6:30pm |
Conversation with Ambassador Frank LAVIN (Ret.) Decoding the US Election: Global Impact and Policy Shifts The US elections receive perhaps more news coverage than any election in the world, so we quickly learn what happened. However, the significance of what happened can be more elusive. What does the change of presidency mean for US foreign policy, US relations with China, trade policy, the war in Ukraine, and other serious international issues? Frank Lavin will offer an overview of changes we can expect in the United States based on what took place Tuesday.
Moderator: Mr Ted SOUDER |
| 6:30pm - 7:00pm |
Addressing the Challenges of Chronic Disease, Obesity, And Beyond with Non-Thermal Laser Technology
|
| 7:00pm - 8:30pm |
Welcome Dinner and Cultural Performance |
Sunday, 10 Nov 2024
| Time | Conference Agenda |
|---|---|
| 9:30am – 10:30am |
Conversation with Mr Kishore MAHBUBANI What should we expect from Donald Trump? Many people assume that the choice of American Presidents changes the course of human history. In some ways, they do. In some ways, they don’t. This discussion will try to do a realistic analysis of what American Presidents can and cannot do. |
| 10:30am – 11:00am | Tea Break |
| 11:00am – 12:00pm |
Moroccan Politics, Economy, and Innovation |
| 12:00pm – 2:00pm |
Lunch |
| 2:00pm – 3:00pm |
Digital Longevity Medicine In October of 2024, a first-in-kind human trial protocol, with Professor Dean Ho as the test subject, was approved. This N-of-1 protocol harnesses a combination of fasting, fitness, and food to optimise metabolic health, monitored using an array of digital health platforms. Built from an unprecedented dataset, this study will culminate in a digital twin of Professor Ho to hyper-personalise his cardiometabolic health protocol. Learnings from this study will formulate data collection frameworks to power population-scale digital twin construction as well as regimens that do not require sustained digital monitoring to impact even larger populations. Professor Ho will share his digital health journey as well as how the unique team at the Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM) at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine blends Artificial Intelligence (AI), engineering, medicine, behavioural economics, and reimbursement towards practice-changing innovation with life-saving outcomes. |
| 3:00pm – 4:00pm |
Harnessing the Earth's Power: Eavor’s Revolution in Geothermal Energy by Mr John REDFERN Chief Executive Officer, Eavor Technologies, Canada |
| 4:00pm – 4:30pm | Tea Break |
| 4:30pm – 5:30pm |
Conversation with High-Level Government Official from Morocco
|
| 5:30pm – 6:30pm |
HyperVIEW™ - A Revolutionary Approach to the Detection and Treatment of Disease For over 120 years, x-ray systems that are used for industrial and clinical imaging have been based on Roentgen tubes which produce a broad spectrum of light emitted into a wide cone angle. Lumitron Technologies is pioneering a fundamentally different, compact, laser-based technology that produces narrow beams of mono-energetic x-rays. These systems, marketed under the trade name HyperVIEW™, are based on the collision of very high energy electron (VHEE) beams with short duration laser pulses and are capable of imaging at up to 1000x higher spatial resolution, imaging at up to 100x lower dose, and imaging specific elements or isotopes within a complex object. In addition, the underlying VHEE beams of HyperVIEW™ systems have sufficient charge and sufficient energy to treat cancer anywhere in a human body in both FLASH and stereotactic modalities. These modalities can dramatically decrease the damage to healthy tissue during radiotherapy. Because HyperVIEW™’s electron and x-ray beams travel along identical paths, it is possible for these systems to not only provide precision images of diseased tissue but also to enable precision, image-guided radiotherapy of them as well.
Moderator: Professor Dean HO |
| 6:30pm – 7:30pm | Free and Easy |
| 7:30pm – 9:00pm | Dinner and Cultural Show |
Monday, 11 Nov 2024
| Time | Agenda |
|---|---|
| 9:00am – 10:30am |
Breakfast Discussion on “Investing in Innovation: Global Tech Trends Shaping the Future” Join us for an insightful talk where Dr Finian Tan and Dr Khalil Binebine of Vickers Venture Partners, a leading venture capital firm, share personal perspectives on the global investment landscape and emerging technology trends shaping the future. From AI and healthcare breakthroughs to the rise of sustainable innovations, this session will explore the key shifts driving growth across industries. Drawing on real-world experience in venture capital, they will offer unique insights into the broader implications of investing in technology — how it’s not only transforming markets, but also redefining economies, societies, and the way we live and work. Panellists:
Moderator: Ms Melisa LEE |
| 10:30am |
End of Retreat Programme Transport to Return to Hotels (for those who wish to depart) |
| 10:30am – 7:00pm |
Free and Easy e.g.
The following facilities are also available on-site:
Lunch service will be between 12:00pm – 2:00pm |
| 7:00pm – 9:00pm |
Vickers Venture Networking Dinner (Optional) |
| 9:00pm |
Transport to Return to Hotels (for those who chose to stay for dinner) |
*The above programme is a tentative one and may be subject to changes.