Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation to host inaugural longevity event

The Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation (AVH) is holding its first Healthy Journey Symposium on Friday, March 8, and Saturday, March 4.

“Our vision for the hospital has always been to foster our community as one of the healthiest in the nation, and this event aligns with that,” said Diana Bulman, President and Chief Development Officer of AVH Foundation. “Pitkin County is an incredibly healthy community. Folks believe in exercise and are taking good care of their bodies, and the hospital is critical to that. We probably have over 1000 people come through our emergency room and that’s usually how they learn about us. But they don’t know kind of the breadth and depth of our physicians and surgeons and some of the new things that are happening here.”

To that end, the AVH Foundation set out to put on a two-day event highlighting topics that are relevant to staying healthy as we age.

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The Healthy Journey Symposium kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday, March 8 with a welcome cocktail reception with Aspen Valley Hospital physicians. Dr. Grewal’s presentation, “The Future of Health and Longevity Medicine: Making Personal Health Decisions in the Era of Information Overload,” will follow the reception and begin at 6:30 p.m.

“Aspen’s natural environment inspires a passion for movement and mindfulness. The Aspen community is on the forefront of health consciousness, and the education level of the population makes it possible to have high-level and engaging discussions, which I’m very much looking forward to,” Dr. Grewel said.  “Advances in science and medicine have made our lifespan far outstrip our ‘health span.’ If we pay careful attention to the causes of chronic disease and biomechanical decline, the last 1-2 decades of life may be a period of full functionality and enjoyment rather than a slow, inevitable decline.”

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Dr. Grewel is the founder and Chief Medical Officer at Curia Health based in New York and London. He is also an Internal medicine physician, author, and speaker who focuses on data-driven nutrition and lifestyle strategies for metabolic health and longevity and is the co-author of The New York Times best-selling book “Genius Foods,” a guide to dementia prevention and cognitive optimization.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University, and he studied medicine at Rutgers Medical School. He currently splits his time in private practice and as a scientific advisor in New York City.

When asked what the one simple thing he recommends we do to live healthier lives, his answer naturally focused on what we eat.

“Undoing the single biggest change in nutrition since the Agricultural Revolution — monoagriculture and ultra-processed foods,” he said. “Sugar gets a great deal of attention, but there are several other elements that contribute to toxicity: easily oxidized and rancid fatty acids, untested chemicals, and dietary emulsifiers and other agents that can strip away the mucous lining of the gut leading to autoimmunity. The effect of food is so powerful that heart disease can be slowed and type 2 diabetes can even be completely cured in a huge percentage of cases.”

The event will also feature seven breakout sessions on the afternoon of Saturday, March 9, from 1:00-5:00 p.m., presented by Aspen Valley Hospital physicians, as well as physicians from The Steadman Clinic and Radiology Imaging Associates.

Topics include:

Longevity Through Heart Health: Live Stronger Longer
Joint Health in the Context of Healthspan
Answering Your Questions About Longevity Medicine
Pain is Inevitable, Suffering is Optional. Bridging Cellular and Central Mechanisms to Enhance Quality of Life

Advancing Health with Advanced Technology: Robotic Surgery at AVH
Aspen Emergency Medicine: What to Expect When the Unexpected Occurs
Breast Cancer Screening: New Recommendations and a More Individualized Approach

“Science has advanced rapidly in the last few decades, and there’s far too much available information for any one person to effectively filter into a digestible stream of recommendations,” said Dr. Grewel. “Rather than a specific prescription, I hope attendees take away a framework for taking in new information, asking the right questions to a learned partner in their health, and integrating new information with healthy skepticism. But of course, 90% of the benefits in longevity medicine come from simple lifestyle habits — sleep, training (strength AND cardio), nutrition, stress management, and social relationships.”

Two-day ticket holders will be able to attend up to four of the sessions. All events will be held at the Aspen Institute Campus at 845 Meadows Road. Tickets are $500 for the full weekend, $350 for the cocktail reception and keynote address only, or $150 for Saturday breakout sessions only.

The mission of the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation is to raise and manage philanthropic support for the current and future needs of Aspen Valley Hospital. Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation is a 501(c)(3).