NAMS Utian Translational Science Symposium Report

NAMS 2021 Utian Translational Science SymposiumSeptember 2021, Washington, DCCharting the path to health in midlife and beyond: the biology and practice of wellness

Santoro, Nanette F. MD1; Coons, Helen L. PhD1; El Khoudary, Samar R. PhD2; Epperson, C. Neill MD1; Holt-Lunstad, Julianne PhD3; Joffe, Hadine MD, MSc4; Lindsey, Sarah H. PhD5; Marlatt, Kara L. PhD6; Montella, Patti7; Richard-Davis, Gloria MD8; Rockette-Wagner, Bonny PhD2; Salive, Marcel E. MD9; Stuenkel, Cynthia MD10; Thurston, Rebecca C. PhD2; Woods, Nancy RN, PhD11; Wyatt, Holly MD12

Author Information
Menopause 29(5):p 504-513, May 2022. | DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001995

Abstract

Charting the Path to Health in Midlife and Beyond: The Biology and Practice of Wellness was a Translational Science Symposium held on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. Foundational psychosocial and behavioral approaches to promote healthy aging and strategies to disseminate this information were discussed. The following synopsis documents the conversation, describes the state of the science, and outlines a path forward for clinical practice. Wellness, in its broadest sense, prioritizes an orientation toward health, and an embrace of behaviors that will promote it. It involves a journey to improve and maintain physical and mental health and overall well-being to fully engage and live one's best life. It is more about recognizing and optimizing what one can do than what one cannot do and emphasizes the individual's agency over changing what they are able to change. Wellness is therefore not a passive state but rather an active goal to be sought continually. When viewed in this fashion, wellness is accessible to all. The conference addressed multiple aspects of wellness and embraced this philosophy throughout.

© 2022 by The North American Menopause Society

You can read the full text of this article if you:

Access through Ovid