Program schedule is tentative and will be updated shortly. Please check back soon for registration, program, abstracts, and details about the congress.
Day 1 – Sunday, March 14
Venue: Centennial Complex
8 - 8:20 a.m. - Opening Session
Welcome Address
Chancellor, Loma Linda University Health (LLUH) and Congress Co-Chair Joan Sabaté
Plenary 1
8:20 - 9:15 a.m. - Plant-Based Nutrition and Longevity: Extending Lifespan and Health Span, Frank Hu, MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Nutrition, Harvard University
Symposium 1
From Lifespan to Health Span: Plant-Based Diets in Aging and Longevity
9:15 - 9:50 a.m. - Plant-Based Dietary Patterns, Healthy Aging and Mortality: Insights from AHS-2 and Related Cohorts, Gary Fraser, MD, PhD, Loma Linda University School of Public Health & School of Medicine
9:50 - 10:25 a.m. - Plant-Based Diets, Long-Term Health Outcomes Including Cancer and Fracture Risk: Insights from EPIC-Oxford and Related Cohorts, Tim Key, DPhil, University of Oxford
10:25 - 10:40 a.m. - Break
10:40 - 11:15 a.m. - Converging Evidence for Healthy Aging: Lessons from Mediterranean Dietary Patterns, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, MD, PhD, Rovira i Virgili University, Spain
11:15 - 11:50 a.m. - Can Plant-Based Diets Slow Biological Aging? The Science of Diet, Longevity, and Health span, Luigi Fontana, MD, PhD, University of Sydney, Australia
11:50 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. - Diet Quality and Brain Aging: From Plant-Based Dietary Patterns to Cognitive Health Across the Life Course, Puja Aggarwal, MD, Rush University
12:30 - 2 p.m. - Lunch
1 - 2 p.m. - Culinary Adventure (Separate Registration Fee)
Plenary 2
2:00 - 2:55 p.m. - One Diet Does Not Fit All: Multi-Omics and the Future of Precision Nutrition, Jose Ordovás, PhD, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University
Symposium 2
Personalizing Plant-Based Nutrition: From Dietary Patterns to Individual Response
2:55 - 3:30 p.m. - Defining Plant-Based Diets: Diet Quality, Diversity, and Implications for Personalized Nutrition, Matthew Landry, PhD, RDN, University of California, Irvine
3:30 - 4:05 p.m. - Plant-Rich Diets and the Gut Microbiome: From Microbial Ecology to Human Health, Fayth Miles, PhD, Loma Linda University School of Public HealthHow Dietary Patterns Shape the Microbiome
4:05 - 4:20 p.m. - Break
4:20 - 4:55 p.m. - Molecular Signatures of Diet: Proteomics and Individual Responses to Plant-Based Eating, Tammy Tong, PhD, University of Oxford
4:55 - 5:30 p.m. - Precision Nutrition in Clinical Trials: Who Benefits Most from Plant-Based Diets?, Speaker: TBD
Welcome Reception
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Day 2 – Monday, March 15th
8:00 - 8:10 a.m. - Opening Remarks, Welcome Address
Speaker: Dean, School of Public Health
Plenary 3
8:15 - 9:10 a.m. - Making Food Part of Medicine: Integrating Plant-Based Nutrition into Health Care, Speaker: TBD
Symposium 3
Plant-Based Nutrition Across the Chronic Disease Continuum
9:10 - 9:45 a.m. - Plant-Based Diets and Residual Cardiovascular Risk: Beyond Traditional Risk Factors, Kristina Petersen, PhD, Pennsylvania State University
9:45 - 10:20 a.m. - Plant-Based Diets in Type 2 Diabetes: From Glycemic Control to Prevention of Disease Progression, Neal Barnard, MD, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
10:20 - 10:35 a.m. - Break
10:35 - 11:10 a.m. - Visceral Fat and Fatty Liver Disease: Plant-Based Strategies for Metabolic Reversal, Hila Zelicha, PhD, UCLA
11:10 - 11:45 a.m. - GLP-1, Satiety, and Metabolic Health: From Pharmacologic Agonists to Plant-Based Dietary Modulation, Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
12 - 1:30 p.m. - Lunch
Plenary 4
1:30 - 2:25 p.m. - Plenary Lecture: Rethinking Diets for People and Planet: The Science and Future of the EAT-Lancet Commission, Marco Springmann, PhD, University of Oxford
Symposium 4
Food, Health, and the Planet: Evidence, Tradeoffs, and Future Directions
2:25 - 3 p.m. - Bridging Human and Planetary Health through Plant-Based Diets, Ujué Fresán, PhD, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Spain
3 - 3:35 p.m. - Food Systems Through a One Health Lens: Antimicrobial Resistance, Foodborne Pathogens, and Human Health, Speaker: TBD
3:35 - 3:50 p.m. - Break
3:50 - 4:50 p.m. - Debate: Which Diet Is Better for the Planet: Regenerative Animal-Based or Plant-Based Diets?
Plant-Based Position: Nicholas Carter, Game Changers Institute
Animal-Based Position: Renata Martins, PhD, IRTA, Spain
5 - 6 p.m. - Controversies, Contenders, and Communication, Speaker: TBD
Banquet
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Day 3 – Tuesday, March 16th
8 - 8:10 a.m. - Opening Remarks, Sujatha Rajaram, PhD, Congress Co-Chair
Plenary 5
8:15 - 9:10 a.m. - What is Missing in the Protein Guidelines? Evolution of evidence, Practicality, and Transparency in the Dietary Guidelines, Connie Weaver, PhD, San Diego State University
Symposium 5
Rethinking Protein for Healthy Aging: Plant-Centered Strategies in the Era of the Inverted Pyramid
9:10 - 9:45 a.m. - Beyond Protein Quantity: Dietary Patterns, Protein Quality, and Healthy Aging, Christopher Gardner, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine
9:45 - 10:20 a.m. - Meeting Higher Protein Needs with Plant Proteins: Evidence, Controversies, and Opportunities, Mark Messina, PhD, Soy Nutrition Institute Global
10:20 - 10:55 a.m. - Ultra-Processed Plant Protein Foods: Nutrition, Health, and Sustainability, Joan Sabaté, MD, DrPH, Loma Linda University
10:55 - 11:10 a.m. - Break
Symposium 6
The Clinical Power of Foundational Plant Foods: Emerging Evidence for Health and Longevity
11:10 - 11:45 a.m. - Whole Grains and Legumes: The Foundation of Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Patterns, John Sievenpiper, MD, PhD, University of Toronto
11:45 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. - Beyond Traditional Cardiovascular Risk: Nuts and Emerging Cardiometabolic, Cognitive, and Immune Health, Sujatha Rajaram, PhD, Loma Linda University
12:20 - 12:55 p.m. - Fruits and Vegetables: Beyond Essential Nutrients to Chronic Disease Prevention, Emily Ho, PhD, Oregon State University
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. - Lunch
1:15 - 2:15 p.m. - Parallel Sessions: Short Oral Presentations III & IV
Clinical/Translational Symposium
From Evidence to Practice: Implementing Plant-Based Nutrition in Clinical Care
2:30 - 4:30 p.m.
- Optimizing Micronutrient Adequacy in Plant-Based Diets: A Practical Guide for Clinicians, Edward Bitok, PhD
- Essential Fatty Acids in Plant-Based Nutrition: Separating Evidence from Controversy, Julie Jones, PhD
- Plant-Based Nutrition Across the Female Lifespan: PCOS, Fertility, Menopause, and Beyond, Kayli Anderson, MS, RDN
- Helping Patients Transition to Plant-Based Eating: Practical Strategies for Clinicians and Dietitians, Brenda Rea, MD
- The Vegetarian Lifestyle Index and Nutritional Adequacy, Kelly Cara
- Plant-Based Nutrition in Renal Disease, Roy Mathew, MD
- From Evidence to Clinical Practice: Integrating Plant-Based Nutrition into Health Care, April Wilson, MD
- Evidence-Based Tools for Healthy and Sustainable Food Choices, Sapna Peruvemba, PhD
4:30 - 5 p.m. - Panel Discussion
5 - 5:15 p.m. - Closing Remarks, Speakers: Joan Sabaté and Sujatha Rajaram, Congress Co-Chairs
