AARP Hearing Center
Addressing Disparities as a pathway to greater health for all
2025 Conference
"Unlocking Healthy Longevity: A Blueprint for Thriving with Age"
We are navigating a significant demographic shift marked by an increasingly aging population. People across generations aspire to live longer, healthier lives, striving for healthy longevity, which profoundly impacts industries, institutions, and communities. This conference brought together C-suite leaders, policymakers, and global thought leaders to explore how we can create a future where longer, healthier lives are not just an aspiration but a reality for all. We dove into the implications of healthy longevity across sectors and discussed actionable steps for progress.
Insights from the 2025 AARP Global Thought Leadership Conference
This global flagship conference helped to raise awareness about the importance of healthy and active aging. It also allowed policymakers, the private sector, NGOs, and community organizations to explore how they could support this initiative to achieve sustainable economic prosperity for all around the world.
Key Takeaways from the 2025 Conference
Adding Life to Years, Not Just Years to Life
The pursuit of healthy longevity focuses on extending healthspan, not just lifespan. Research indicates interventions that could increase healthy longevity may be available within the next decade, benefiting people alive today. This represents an unprecedented opportunity to reimagine aging and create a society where everyone can choose how they live as they age.
The Economic Power of Healthy Aging
Adults 50+ already contribute $8.3 trillion to the U.S. economy, projected to triple to $28.2 trillion by 2050. This economic activity would rank as the third-largest GDP in the world, behind only the U.S. and China. By investing in healthy longevity today, we create real possibilities for economic growth that benefits all generations and builds more vibrant, inclusive communities.
Significant disparities in life expectancy exist across socioeconomic lines. Addressing these inequalities could yield an estimated $1.6 trillion economic benefit by 2030. Ensuring that all communities are empowered to live longer, healthier lives with dignity, purpose, and independence is essential for a strong and propserous society.
Activating all sectors to achieve Better Solutions
Healthy longevity cannot be achieved through healthcare alone. It requires coordinated innovation across private, public, and philanthropic sectors. The AARP Healthy Longevity Knowledge Network will connect diverse stakeholders, amplify impactful work, and drive positive change by sharing insights and fostering collaborative action that enables everyone to thrive as they age.
Percentage of Total Conference Attendees in 2025 by Sector
All percentages are out of the total 611 attendees
Featured Speakers
Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer, AARP
Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, CEO of AARP, is a nationally recognized physician and health equity advocate with a deep commitment to advancing healthy longevity. With decades of leadership in community health and health philanthropy, she has championed integrated, person-centered care models that improve outcomes for underserved populations. Her work at the Dimock Center and CareQuest Institute positioned her at the forefront of efforts to make healthcare more accessible, equitable, and holistic—especially for older adults. A frequent advisor and speaker on aging, health innovation, and social determinants of health, Dr. Minter-Jordan brings a powerful voice to the national conversation on aging well.
Erwin Tan, MD
Senior Thought Leadership Director-Health, AARP
Erwin works on healthy longevity and health disparities. Erwin previously served as the director of Senior Corps at the Corporation for National and Community Service. From 2004 to 2010, he served as an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where he was an attending physician in the Division of Geriatric Medicine. He was also a co-investigator in the Baltimore Experience Corps Study. From 2003-2004, Erwin was a White House Fellow serving as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Before coming to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, Erwin was a faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, where he served as Geriatric Medicine Fellow and a Primary Care Medicine Resident. Erwin was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves. He received a bachelor’s from Brown University where he was an exchange student at Tougaloo College and graduated from New York University School of Medicine as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. Erwin was born in Indonesia and is a naturalized citizen of the United States.
Conference Photo Gallery
Related Resources
Past Conferences
2023 Conference
“The Power of Global Aging in an Interdependent World”
This program focused on the global megatrend of population aging that extends deeply into Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), where 85% of the 65+ population growth worldwide will occur between now and 2050. To leverage the opportunities of this demographic change and harness growth, economies will need to invest in the health of an aging population that is stronger, healthier, more skilled, and adaptable than it has ever been. We heard from leaders and experts from around the world and highlight real-world solutions that strengthen health, wellbeing, and the opportunity for all to thrive as they age.
2022 Conference
“Building a Competitive Future for All: The Business Case for Health & Longevity”
Health and well-being is not just an individual concern—it is the reflection of a strong and competitive society. Health is fundamental and anything that makes it harder for us to get healthy, stay healthy, or recover when we’re sick will have societal and economic ramifications. We have seen how the pandemic bundled with changing demographics around the world has impacted labor shortages, supply chain issues, and increased competition for talent. Amid these changes, our aging population is increasing, and many people are working longer and over the long-term living longer.
Let’s talk about how we build stronger, more competitive economies by harnessing the potential contributions of people living longer, healthier lives. We recognize the important role and potential that the private sector can play in promoting healthy longevity.
2021 Conference
“Redefining Health: New Approaches for How We Live and Age”
In October 2021, AARP convened a global conference, Redefining Health: New Approaches for How We Live and Age, where we engaged some of the world’s top thinkers and leaders on how to invest in the health of an aging population that is stronger, healthier, more skilled, and more adaptable. During the conference speakers from AARP and from across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors presented the audience representing 65 countries with a global vision for aging where everyone has the opportunity to live a long and healthy life.
2020 Conference
“Moving Forward: Reimagining How We Invest in Health, Wealth & Aging”
Hosted in October 2020, this conference served to challenge and rethink current systems and structures in light of COVID-19, leverage innovation and reimagine a future that ensures people at every life stage have the opportunity to make the most of a longer and healthier life. This event builds upon AARP’s long history of working to address racial injustice and disparities, epitomized now by current efforts to address the impact of inequities in health and wealth through the lens of COVID-19. The roster of premier speakers focused on proposed solutions and ideas to achieve health and wealth equity.
2019 Conference
“The Future of Work for All Generations”
Work, and the workplace, is changing around the world at a rapid pace. With people living and working longer, employers are managing up to five generations at work on any given day. A new approach to the future of work is required; one that is multigenerational.
On Thursday, June 6, The Future of Work for All Generations Global Summit brought together leading thinkers, executives and innovators from a range of industries and sectors, both from the U.S. and abroad, to envision a future of work that leverages age diversity as a competitive advantage and key to success.