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 Retreat Agenda
10:30am – 10:35pm

Welcome Remarks by Mr Khalil BINEBINE
Moroccan Host

Opening Remarks by Mr Kishore MAHBUBANI
Chairman, NUS Medicine International Council (NIC), Singapore

10:35am – 11:00am

Update by Professor CHONG Yap Seng on “Changing Direction of Medicine and Health in Asia”
Dean, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), Singapore

11:00am – 12:30pm

Conversation with The Honourable Macky SALL
Fourth President of the Republic of Senegal

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
NIC Chairman

12:30pm – 2:00pm

Lunch

2:00pm – 3:30pm

Conversation with The Honourable Armen SARKISSIAN
Fourth President of the Republic of Armenia

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
Founder and Chairman, Vickers Venture Partners, Singapore

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:

  • The Honourable Wasseem KABBARA, President and Founder, People to People Aid Corp, Morocco, Lebanon, and United States of America (USA)
  • H.E. Tracy CHAMOUN Author, Lebanon (Hybrid participation)

Moderator: Dr Raja KAMAL
Senior Director, NUS Medicine International Council (NIC), Singapore, USA

5:30pm - 6:30pm

Conversation with Ambassador Frank LAVIN (Ret.)
Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution; Former US ambassador to Singapore and Under Secretary for International Trade at the US Department of Commerce, United States of America (USA) (Hybrid participation)

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
Founder, Wiggs Holding, USA

6:30pm - 7:00pm

Addressing the Challenges of Chronic Disease, Obesity, And Beyond with Non-Thermal Laser Technology
by:

  • Mr Simon RAMSHAW
    Managing Director, Erchonia Lasers, United Kingdom

  • Dr Rita RAKUS
    Physician, Dr Rita Rakus Clinic, United Kingdom

As a human race, we are living longer, but these extra years often come with the burden of chronic disease and compromised quality of life. In this presentation, we explore how non-thermal laser technology can transform this experience, offering not only a means for healthy fat loss on patients of all shapes and sizes, but also a way to enhance cellular health, reduce pain, decrease inflammation, and accelerate healing.

Non-thermal lasers uniquely work by delivering energy directly to the mitochondria – the cell’s powerhouse – triggering biological processes that support healing and optimise body function. This innovative approach provides a safe, natural method to empower our bodies, enhancing their capacity to manage chronic conditions and enjoy a more active, fulfilling life.

Join us to discover how non-thermal laser technology is redefining wellness and helping us address chronic disease at its core, paving the way for healthier, more vibrant years ahead.

7:00pm - 8:30pm

Welcome Dinner and Cultural Performance

Sunday, 10 Nov 2024

Time Retreat Agenda
9:30am – 10:30am

Conversation with Mr Mohamed Amine Sabibi
Director General, Marrakech Invest, The Regional Investment Center of the Marrakech Safi Region, Morocco

Moderator: Mr Aram GRIGORIAN
Entrepreneur, Switzerland

10:30am – 11:00am Tea Break
11:00am – 12:00pm

Moroccan Politics, Economy, and Innovation
by Mr Tarik BOUDIAR
Supply Chain Institute Head of Logistics; Head of Startgate, University Mohammed VI Polytechnic, Morocco

12:00pm – 2:00pm

Lunch

2:00pm – 3:00pm

Digital Longevity Medicine
by Professor Dean HO
Provost’s Chair Professor; Director of The Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM) at NUS Medicine; Director of The N.1 Institute for Health (N.1); and Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at NUS, Singapore

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 Mr Kishore MAHBUBANI
NIC Chairman

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.

5:30pm – 6:30pm

HyperVIEW™ - A Revolutionary Approach to the Detection and Treatment of Disease
by Dr Chris BARTY
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Lumitron Technologies, USA

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
Provost’s Chair Professor; Director of The Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM) at NUS Medicine, Singapore

6:30pm – 7:30pm

Panel 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:

  • Dr Finian TAN, Founder and Chairman, Vickers Venture Partners, Singapore
  • Dr Khalil BINEBINE, Senior Consultant, Vickers Venture Partners, Morocco

Moderator: Ms Melisa LEE
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ploutos Strategic and Arete XL, Singapore

7:30pm – 9:00pm Dinner and Cultural Show
9:00pm End of Retreat Programme

Monday, 11 Nov 2024

Time Retreat Agenda
Free and Easy
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.

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