Speakers

Keynote Speakers
[In alphabetical order of family name]

Prof. Emeritus Dawn Brooker PhD MBE (UK) is internationally recognised for scholarship in practice development of person-centred dementia care and has long established working relationships with practitioners and scholars worldwide. Originally qualified as a clinical psychologist, Prof. Brooker has many years’ hands on experience in health and social care. She was the founding Director of the Association for Dementia Studies at University of Worcester. Dawn is passionate about writing books and developing resources that reflect the complexity of dementia care but that make these accessible for the widest possible audience. Whilst at Worcester she developed the Care fit for VIPS free website https://carefitforvips.co.uk/ based on her 2016 book on Person Centred Dementia Care. In 2019, she edited an updated edition of Tom Kitwood’s seminal work on person-centred dementia care. Together with Dr. Keith Oliver, Prof. Brooker is the Reconsidering Dementia Book Series editor for Open University Press. She was made an MBE for services to those affected by dementia in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours in 2021.

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Prof. Lesley Palmer is an architect with 24 years of professional practice and a Professor of Ageing and Dementia Design at the University of Stirling. Palmer field of interest is in environmental design for dementia and ageing. Palmer works globally, supporting people to design products, services and environments to support healthier cognitive ageing.

Palmer is a co-founder of Iridis, a university spin-out company with an emphasis on developing technologies and innovations in the built environment to support healthy ageing.

Palmer is also the founding director of INCH Architecture and Design, an award-winning non-profit architecture practice based in Glasgow, working to break-down economic inequalities in accessing architecture. 

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Prof. Anne Margriet Pot is an endowed professor at the Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management in Rotterdam and a strategic advisor for Long-Term Care at the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate in the Netherlands. She also holds the position of extraordinary professor at Optentia, North-West University in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is the President-elect of the International Psychogeriatric Association.

With a career spanning over 30 years, Anne has dedicated herself to enhancing the quality of long-term care, particularly for older individuals. Her extensive research, published in peer-reviewed journals, focuses on measuring and monitoring the quality of care and quality of life for older adults and their caregivers. She is known for developing innovative interventions that leverage technology to improve mental health and well-being.During her time at the World Health Organization from 2014 to 2018, Anne contributed to global discussions on long-term care policy, expanding her impact on an international scale. Currently, at ESHPM, she is leading a research program centered on regulation in person-centered and integrated long-term care, emphasizing narrative methods.Anne’s collaboration with the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing (JCCPA) began in 2014 when she shared  her expertise in dementia care and BPSD management in a seminar organised by JCCPA in Hong Kong. Her unwavering commitment to advancing long-term care practices and her influential contributions to the field continue to drive positive change and innovation worldwide.

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Dr. Andrew Sommerlad is an Associate Professor at Division of Psychiatry, University College London and a Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist, supported by a Wellcome Trust fellowship. He is a member of the Lancet Standing Commission for Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care which has produced key evidence on the potential for prevention of dementia through modification of lifestyle factors and summarised evidence on effective interventions and care for those who have dementia. This evidence has been incorporated into national guidelines, and cited as one of the key breakthroughs in dementia research by Alzheimer’s Research UK. His research also aims to understand the nature, causes and consequences of social functioning impairment in people with dementia and approaches to improve social functioning for people with the earliest stages of dementia, to those with severe dementia in care homes. He will present evidence from the 2024 Lancet Commission report on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care. Dr. Sommerlad’s presentation will be pre-recorded for the event.

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Prof. Huali Wang’s connection with Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing (JCCPA) began in 2006 during her attachment at the centre, where she gained valuable insights and inspiration for developing dementia services in mainland China. Notably, she established China’s first dementia caregiver support group in 2000 and currently leads training programs for community doctors, service providers, and dementia caregivers in China. Her impactful contributions are reflected in five published books on dementia care, including “Smart Caregivers” and “China Memory Clinic Guideline.”

Prof. Wang’s innovative care model has garnered international recognition, with the World Health Organization’s West Pacific Regional Office adopting elements for a toolkit on community-based dementia care in low- and middle-income countries. She also spearheads the National Platform on Clinical Dataset and Biobank of Major Mental Disorders and conducts groundbreaking research on Alzheimer’s Disease biomarkers, revealing insights into the ApoE4 allele’s impact on brain connectivity.

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After graduating from Pharmacy, Mr. Yeates entered the field of education where he was a school administer and has taught senior Physics and Chemistry for over 35 years. In August 2019, at the age of 59, he was diagnosed with Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Mr. Yeates has a keen interest in learning how to best manage his diagnosis on a daily basis and has created his own website where he enjoys helping and showing others who are also living with dementia, how it is possible to still lead a better life. Besides being a volunteer surf lifesaver, Mr. Yeates competes in masters Swimming, Finswimming, Pool Rescue and Surf Lifesaving Championships, at a local, state, national and international level. Last year Bill travelled to Fiji and participated in his first ever ocean swim.

Currently, Mr. Yeates is a member of Dementia Australia’s Advocate Program and has been Vice Chair of Dementia Alliance International for the past two years. He is also a member of the World Health Organisation GDO KE Focus Group, member of the Global Review Panel for ADI Accreditation of dementia care, member of the Public Involvement Panel for StepUp, member of the Advisory Committee for the NSW Trustee and Guardianship, member of SIESTA Lived Experience Advisory Panel (SLEAP), member of HammondCare Clinical Governance Committee and a member Race Against Dementia Ignition Fund. Recently, Mr. Yeats accepted the role of Living Experience Associate Consultant with Dementia Support Australia. In the last few years, Mr. Yeates has started to share his experiences at national and international conferences as a way of raising awareness about dementia, focussing mainly on post diagnostic care and support via his holistic approach to life and the development of reablement plans.

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Speakers
[In alphabetical order of family name]

Prof. Helen Chan’s research interests focus on aged care and long-term care. She was a pioneer in the healthcare field, studying the acceptance and effects of advance care planning (ACP) in the Chinese population. She has developed a culturally sensitive ACP intervention and tested it among various patient groups, including dementia, cancer and COPD. She has also co-designed various educational materials with stakeholders to raise awareness and build capacity related to ACP in health and social care disciplines. These works have been adopted in diverse care settings and contributed to service and policy development at the regional and international levels. She was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2021 and awarded the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame by Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing in 2024 and other awards in recognition of her research capability and contribution to the society. Currently, she is an Editor for Journal of Clinical Nursing and an editorial member for Journal of Nursing Ethics. She also serves as an honorary advisor of elderly services for various non-government organizations, including Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, Hong Kong YWCA, Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing and Jockey Club CADENZA Hub, and a Council Member of Hong Kong Association of Gerontology.

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Grace Chan has dedicated 30 years to social welfare and is the Business Director of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors and as the International Vice President of the International Federation on Ageing, reflecting her commitment to enhancing the lives of older adults. In 2013, she joined the Strategic Advisory Group of the WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. As of 2024, she is also a member of the 30Elderly Commission and the Deputy Chairperson of the Social Workers Registration Board. Ms Chan leads the development of innovative services, including the Gerontechnology Platform and the Jockey Club “Age at Home” Gerontech Education and Rental Service. In recognition of her contributions, she was named the Ageing Asia Global Ageing Influencer in 2019 and received the Most Successful Women Award from JESSICA in 2022 for her societal achievements.

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Mr. Charles Chiu was admitted as a solicitor of Hong Kong SAR since 1981. He was also admitted as a solicitor of England and Wales in 1985, a solicitor and barrister of Victoria and New South Wales, Australia respectively in 1986 and 1989.

In February 2003, he was appointed by the Chief Executive of HKSAR as the full-time Chairperson of the Guardianship Board of Hong Kong SAR, a position he held until January 2021. During his tenure, he chaired a total of 7,318 guardianship hearings. In addition to his numerous local and international presentations on issues of mental incapacity, he is the author of two books, “Enigma of Guardianship” published in April 2019 and “Mental Capacity and Related Issues” in December 2020.

He is regarded locally and internationally as an expert in the following areas of the law and practice :-

(1) mental capacity assessment; (2) adult guardianship; (3) medical law with regard to mental incapacity; (4)court applications of committee and related orders; (5) will; (6) enduring ( continuing ) powers of attorney; (7) advance directive and care planning including estate administration; (8) contested family conflict cases over will/testamentary capacity and estate administration; (9) elder abuse (including financial abuse) He was a Notary Public, a panel arbitrator and mediator of HKIAC and Fellow of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He was the Chairman of Haven of Hope Hospital and the Board Chairman of Haven of Hope Christian Service of Hong Kong. He was also members of Hospital Authority’s sub-committees.

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Mr Jason Foo is the Chief Executive Officer of Dementia Singapore Ltd (previously known as Alzheimer’s Disease Association), a social service agency set up in 1990 as a result of the growing concern for the dementia prevalence affecting Singapore. With a vision of building a dementia inclusive society in Singapore, Dementia Singapore provides a whole host of programmes and services to tackle the challenges of dementia and to support people with dementia and their families.

Jason had served on the Board of Alzheimer’s Disease Association as a volunteer for 22 years before taking on the role of Chief Executive Officer in 2012. He is a Chartered Accountant by training with more than 25 years of experience in senior positions in the banking and financial industry before making the career switch to the social services sector.

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Prof. Florence Van, President of Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau, was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Education by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Registered nurse in Macao SAR Government. Her major teaching subjects are healthcare ethics and law and the changing health care context. Her primary research interests are in the areas of nursing education and nursing development. Prof. Van currently serves as a member of the advisory committee of Nursing Higher Education in Guangdong Province, as an advisor for the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Greater Bay Area Specialist Nursing Alliance, as the chief advisor for the Zhuhai Nursing Association, and as a member of the Nursing Specialties Committee and the Education Committee of the Macau SAR Government. She is also the Vice‐President of the Nurses Association of Macau, the Nursing Education Association of Macao, the Macau Alzheimer’s Disease Association, the Macao Carers Association and the Chinese Educators’ Association of Macau, among others.

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We are in the process of finalizing additional distinguished speakers. Please check back soon for updates!

For any enquiries, please contact us at info@icd2025.org.