About the Keynote Speaker...

Leslie R. Martin is Professor of Public Health at Loma Linda University and Research Professor at the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Martin graduated summa cum laude from the California State University and received her MA and PhD from the University of California. She was a faculty member in the psychology department at La Sierra University for 17 years and received the Distinguished Research Award and the Anderson Award for Excellence in Teaching during that time. In addition to her studies of clinician-patient partnerships and how these relate to medical outcomes, she has spent more than 20 years exploring who lives long, and why. Her research is based on the lives of more than 1,500 men and women who have been studied since 1921 and has yielded important, and sometimes surprising, insights about the paths to longevity.

Keynote Title
"Throw Your Heart into it, and the Rest Will Follow"


Keynote Abstract
Lewis Terman, at Stanford University, began a scientific examination of approximately 1,500 bright boys and girls in 1921. His initial aim was to follow them until adulthood but, as it turned out, his work with the group continued until his death in 1956. Others then took over the data collection and in 1990 we began to document when and how they died, studying their lives in meticulous detail to better understand the predictors of early mortality versus thriving into old age. Surprisingly, the secrets to and long and rich life were not in special diets or exercise regimens-instead, it was personalities, social connections, and productivity that proved highly relevant to long-term health-sometimes in ways we did not expect. Findings from this study show that there is not a single, magical formula foraging well-instead, there are a few key elements that are broadly beneficial, and many healthy variations. You may even find that some of what you thought you knew simply isn't true!

Keynote Learning Objectives-at completion, participants will be able to:
1. Understand the ways in which cross-sectional and short-term studies may yield findings that are different from those of longitudinal studies. 2. Identify contributors to healthy aging as follows:     a. Social ties     b. Personality     c. Health behaviors     d. Productivity 3. Identify ways that information on healthy life-trajectories might be used to direct personal behaviors and larger-scale interventions.

Workshop Title
"Throwing Your Heart Into... What? A Call for Engagement that Matters"  

Workshop Abstract
Data from a variety of sources are converging to suggest that actively engaging with others and with life is an important predictor of longevity, as well as richness-in-life. This workshop will provide additional evidence of the importance of active engagement, along with hands-on activities to help identify areas of strength and interest and steps for creating a more purposeful and meaningful life.


Workshop Learning Objectives-at completion, participants will be able to:
1. Describe ways in which active engagement can promote better health and well-being. 2. Identify at least two personal strengths or interests that might be developed. 3. Describe a method for creating unique combinations of interests/abilities, thus broadening opportunities for active engagement.



Page last modified September 12, 2018