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For more about this topic, access the related blog “Beyond the Panic Button: 5 Surprising Realities of the Aging Challenge” at IEEE SA.
As longevity increases, the challenge is no longer simply adding years to life—it’s adding independence, vitality, and purpose to those years. Advances in AI, connected health devices, smart home systems, and digital therapeutics are transforming how we monitor health, prevent decline, and support aging in place.
From wearable sensors that detect subtle changes in mobility or cognition to homes that anticipate safety risks and personalize daily support, technology is reshaping what it means to grow older.
This session will highlight crucial excerpts on public policy challenges from the PBS Documentary: Aging in America: Survive or Thrive while exploring how emerging innovations can support the aging curve. Experts will examine the technologies enabling longer, healthier lives—along with the practical challenges of access, usability, data privacy, and equity. What will it take to design aging-responsive and accessible design systems that truly empower older adults rather than overwhelm them? And how can healthcare, housing, and technology sectors collaborate to develop global technical standards to provide trusted solutions for people to thrive well into their later decades?
Join this forward-looking conversation on how smarter bodies, smarter homes, and smarter systems can unlock a new era of longevity—one where living longer also means living better.
*Event Registrants will receive complimentary access to the PBS Documentary: Aging in America: Survive or Thrive.
Panel
Moderator:
Maria Palombini, MBA, Global Director Healthcare and Life Sciences Practice, IEEE Standards Association
Maria joined IEEE Standards Association with a mandate to build global, multidisciplinary volunteer communities that collaborate to develop technical standards supporting the responsible adoption of emerging technologies across the healthcare and life sciences value chain. As the leader of the Healthcare and Life Sciences Global Practice, she is responsible for advancing initiatives that foster innovation and enable sustainable access to quality care and nutrition, with the ultimate goal of improving overall wellness for individuals worldwide.
Maria brings a distinguished career spanning multiple industry sectors, including pharmaceuticals, life sciences, legal, financial services, natural resources, and luxury goods, with experience both in the United States and internationally. She is also an accomplished entrepreneur, having founded and led several information and technology startups focused on healthcare, including ventures in health information systems and patient data sovereignty solutions.
Maria currently holds an MBA from the Rutgers Graduate School of Business and a BA and BS from Rutgers College at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey. She is an accomplished leader, public speaker, and writer having presented at various industry events and published blogs and articles in trade and peer-review publications.
Panelists:
George Arnold, Chair, IEEE AgeTech
Dr. George Arnold leads IEEE’s AgeTech project. He is the retired CEO of Tercio Solutions LLC, an MIT spin-out specializing in dynamic scheduling and optimization of industrial operations. From 2006 to 2014, he was a Senior Executive at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), responsible for coordinating the U.S. federal government’s standardization activities and also leading the private-public sector partnership developing the architecture and standards to modernize the nation’s electric grid (Smart Grid). Arnold previously served as a Vice-President at Bell Laboratories where he directed the company’s global standards efforts and management of intellectual property. Prior to this role, Arnold had a wide range of technical and managerial assignments at Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, and AT&T in research and development, product management, quality management and process re-engineering. Arnold also served as President of the IEEE Standards Association, Chairman of the Board of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and Vice-President-Policy for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Maxine Cohen, Chair, IEEE AgeTech Education Committee
Dr. Maxine Cohen, Professor Emerita, received a B.A. from the University of Vermont, a M.S. and a Ph.D. from Binghamton University. She retired from Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2019 after 20 years.
She co-authored Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction, a classic HCI text. She has published in several technical journals and presented her research and lead workshops at many conferences including ACM SIGCHI, IEEE Frontiers in Education, AMCIS, and Grace Hopper.
Before joining NSU, she worked at IBM in both Endicott, NY and Boca Raton, FL. Prior to IBM, she was a faculty member in the Computer Science department, in the Watson School of Engineering at Binghamton University.
She is a member of ACM and is a Senior Life Member of IEEE as well as a WIE and YP member as well as an ABET Commissioner. Since retiring she has been very active in many IEEE volunteer activities including presently being Education Chair of the IEEE AgeTech Initiative as part of IEEE Future Directions.
Puja Modha, Partner, Aria Grace Law
Puja Modha is a Solicitor of England & Wales and a Partner at Aria Grace Law CIC, where she has been a Partner for over seven years. She is a commercial, data protection and AI lawyer, advising organisations on the responsible use of technology while managing regulatory and ethical risk.
Puja works with clients across health, technology, finance, education and the third sector, supporting them on data protection compliance, AI governance and emerging technologies. She has experience engaging with multiple data protection supervisory authorities, including advising on regulatory strategy and risk mitigation.
She has contributed to the IEEE Digital Privacy Podcast, discussing data protection challenges in wearable technologies and digital health. She has also presented at the IEEE Symposium on Privacy Expectations, where her talk, “Redefining privacy in the age of AI‑driven recruitment,” examined the privacy implications of automated hiring systems.
Puja volunteers with the IEEE AgeTech Initiative, reflecting her commitment to the development of technologies that promote dignity, independence and inclusivity.
Her interests include privacy‑by‑design, accessibility, and human‑centred regulation in AgeTech innovation.
Hervé Muller, VP & GM North America, Telecom Design
Hervé Muller manages Telecom Design’s business strategy in North America. He is tasked with the introduction of TD’s Smart Home IoT solutions in the US and Canada and with replicating their European market success. The initial focus of this strategy is as a B2B partner to large brands and bringing unique technology in RF jamming protection, fall detection and AgeTech.
Prior to joining Telecom Design, Hervé had a successful career managing sales and operations for international organizations. He worked in airport technology for over 25 years where he is an expert in passenger processing technology including biometrics. He helped the world’s leading airports and airlines modernize their passenger experience.
Born in France and established in the US for over 30 years, Hervé studied electrical engineering and business in France and the US. He has 4 children, he loves playing music, running, hiking and traveling.
Neil Steinberg, Director, PBS Documentary: Aging in America: Survive or Thrive
Neil Steinberg, the founder and president of Generation Entertainment, Inc., has a diversified career in documentary, motion picture, and television productions. He has produced and directed documentaries for the TNT network, Lionsgate and several projects for PBS including the acclaimed documentary The Boomer Century: 1946-2046. He also produced nine films and two series starring teen stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
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