Sophie Okolo, MPH, is the founder and host of Global Health Aging. More than a decade ago, Ms. Okolo moved to the U.S. to live her “American dream” and now works as a journalist. She is a Forbes Contributor, Columbia University Age Boom Academy Fellow, and TEDMED Research Scholar. Her articles regarding the intersection of technology and healthcare, including how innovations transform the management of chronic diseases for diverse populations, have been published extensively, most notably appearing in Salon, and other media outlets. Sophie is passionate about telling science stories that build human connections, create age-friendly narratives, and inspire change. She enjoys translating research insights into action for improving the quality of life at the individual, local, and societal levels. Outside work, she helps students, particularly from Africa and the diaspora, through scholarship, mentorship, and coaching. Connect with Ms. Okolo on LinkedIn, Twitter, and her portfolio website.
Monica Javidnia, PhD, is a pharmacologist and an experienced yoga instructor for people with Parkinson’s disease. She believes yoga has the potential to improve symptoms, help prevent falls, and may be beneficial for their care partner. Dr. Javidnia has a strong background in pre-clinical, translational, and clinical neurodegenerative disease research. She was previously a neuropharmacologist and Experimental Therapeutics in Neurological Disease Fellow at the University of Rochester Medical Center, New York. Her work focused on pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, disease progression modeling, and patient outcomes. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas and her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Georgetown University, USA. Connect with Dr. Javidnia on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Diana Patel, Ph.D., is the director of research and analytics at Summit Education Initiative. She was previously a postdoctoral research associate in the College of Public Health at Kent State University, focusing on child and maternal health and technology. She worked on projects investigating the health impacts of technology (including screen time, virtual reality, and clinical health outcomes, and using machine learning to study social media posts about maternal and child health). Dr. Patel has also studied health and well-being across the lifespan, focusing on social support and social networks and their role in impacting health. She was the Australia and International Correspondent for Global Health Aging, focusing on different topics, including the health plight of older refugees, homelessness among older women, and strategies to promote positive aging. Connect with Dr. Patel on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
Emma Barrett Palmer, LLB, MSc, is the founder of humanKINDER Ltd, a company whose mission is to amplify silenced voices for whole systems change using humanitarian design, social innovation, and creative research. She was a founding member and team lead at the first Social Innovation Lab in the UK government, where she curated the award-winning project called The Dementia Diaries. In 2019, the humanKINDER team was awarded a global design research prize by the European Academy of Design (EAD) and South African Design Indaba for Recipes of HOPE, using food as a catalyst to build community. She is writing a book that documents the food prepared, cooked, and shared with displaced communities during a 16,000-mile journey across Europe in The Welcome Tent, a 1952 army catering tent re-purposed for peace. Connect with Ms. Barrett Palmer on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. She is a long-term advisor for Global Health Aging.