Conference Speakers
Speakers | SilverAge 2026 Gerontology Conference
Speakers of SilverAge 2026 Gerontology Conference in Bali
Dr. Nidhi Mishra
Associate Professor,HOD Applied Psychology GITAM School of Humanities and Social Sciences Visakhapatnam
Dr. Nidhi Mishra is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Applied Psychology at GITAM (Deemed to be University), Visakhapatnam. She holds a PhD in Geropsychology from the University of Allahabad. She is an editorial board member of the European Journal of Mental Health and part of the international advisory team of the Miroir Foundation, Canada. Her expertise in psycho-social gerontology has earned her advisory roles with Life Circle Health Services, Hyderabad, and A1 Snehanjali, Mumbai.
Dr. Mishra has been actively involved in national and international research projects addressing diverse psycho-social issues, including health and well-being, environmental concerns, identity and collective experiences, the lived realities of marginalized groups, ageing, and inclusive education. She has extensive experience in psycho-social gerontology, bridging academic research and social impact.
Notably, Dr. Mishra contributed to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) project on building a knowledge base on ageing in India. In 2013, she represented India at the United Nations International Programme on Policy Formulation, Planning, Implementation, and Monitoring of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing held in Malta. Additionally, she founded and managed Senior Express, an online initiative dedicated to promoting active ageing in India.
Carolyn B Yucha, RN, PhD
Professor and Dean Emeritus, School of Nursing University of Nevada, Las Vegas Editor, Biological Research for Nursing
"Linking generations - An intergenerational approach to aging well"
Dr. Carolyn Yucha is an RN with a PhD in Physiology. Over her career, she fulfilled progressive leadership roles, serving as Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for 13 years. Her research has been funded by the USA National Institutes of Health, and she has published extensively. She has served as the editor of Biological Research for Nursing for the past 24 years.
Dr. Prakash Kumar
Principal and Professor Mahatma Gandhi Occupational Therapy College (MAHATMA GANDHI UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES & TECHNOLOGY) RIICO Institutional Area, India
"Linking generations - An intergenerational approach to aging well"
Professionally, Dr Prakash is an Occupational Therapist and hold a PhD in Geriatric Mental Health from AIIMS, New Delhi. I also did a research-based Master's Program from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, in Medical Gerontology. Throughout his professional career, focused extensively on geriatric care and the ageing brain, particularly in the area of non-pharmacological interventions for frailty, dementia and mental health. He had the privilege of being invited as a keynote speaker to more than 17 international conferences, including those hosted by the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) and the Alzheimer’s Society (AAIC). Currently, He serve as the Principal of Mahatma Gandhi Occupational Therapy College in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. At present, they have a thriving research environment at our institution with 17 PhD scholars, the majority of whom are conducting research in gerontology and ageing. In addition, our postgraduate students are eager to participate and present papers at your esteemed conference. He was previously a member of the Scientific Committee in Silver Age 2023 and 2024, and in both years, more than 10 participants attended this conference from our organization.
Dr. Mustafa Atee
Research and Practice Lead - Team Leader, Hammond Innovations Honorary Lecturer, The University of Sydney Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Edith Cowan University. Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Curtin University
Dr Mustafa Atee is a Research and Practice Lead (Team Leader) at Hammond Innovations with adjunct academic positions at Curtin School of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Edith Cowan’s School of Nursing and Midwifery (Centre for Research in Aged Care) and Sydney Pharmacy School. Dr Atee is a Fellow of Australian and New Zealand College of Advanced Pharmacy (FANZCAP; GeriMed, Lead&Mgmt); and Fellow of Australasian Institute of Digital Health (FAIDH). His PhD led to the development and commercialisation of PainChek®, a world’s first FDA-cleared (De Novo) digital medical device that combines AI-driven facial recognition analysis with user-guided features and cloud computing to identify pain in non-verbal adults, including those living with dementia. The device is currently in use in more than 2,000 aged care homes in Australia, NZ, UK, USA and Canada with over 20M digital pain assessments completed for ~200,000 residents by over 45,000 staff trained globally. Dr Atee has published widely on dementia, geriatrics and aged care. His work has been awarded with competitive grants, including from Australian Government, CISRO, MRFF and Dementia Australia, totalling over $9.6M. His work has been recognised in multiple awards in Australia, such as the Innovator of the Year, Incite Awards, iAwards, AMY (Digital + Technology Collective), Curtin Alumni Innovation Award, Premier’s Science Awards and most recently the Research Australia Health and Medical Research Awards-Discovery Award.
Dr Vijaykumar S Harbishettar
Assistant Professor, Geriatric Unit, Department of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, India
"Linking generations - An intergenerational approach to aging well"
Dr. Vijaykumar S. Harbishettar is an Assistant Professor in the Geriatric Unit, Department of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru. He is a geriatric psychiatrist and academic clinician with 25 years of experience in psychiatry, including specialist training and professional experience in the United Kingdom. His areas of expertise include geriatric psychiatry, dementia, delirium, sleep disorders, ageing, public mental health literacy, systematic reviews, teaching, and mentoring.
Dr. Harbishettar has made significant contributions to clinical psychiatry, academic research, teaching, and public mental health. He has authored approximately 55 scientific publications, including 35 PubMed-indexed papers, with 27 PubMed-indexed publications appearing over the past decade. His research has received substantial academic recognition, with an h-index of 15 and approximately 1,400 citations. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Psychiatry Spectrum and supervises DM Geriatric Psychiatry, MD Psychiatry, and Fellowship trainees.
His research and programme experience spans major collaborative mental-health initiatives, including the Centre for Brain and Mind supported by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, the NIMHANS-AHT Comprehensive Mental-Health Action Program for Rural Communities, and ICMR-funded research on cognitive behavioural interventions, sleep, metabolic outcomes, and obstructive sleep apnoea. He has also contributed to the Sense-Cog project at the University of Manchester and led research on healthy ageing and public mental health.
Beyond his clinical and research work, Dr. Harbishettar is actively involved in academic leadership, mentoring, professional training, and public outreach. He coordinates the VayoManasa Sanjeevani Health Talk series, which has completed more than 226 episodes, and has contributed to publications promoting healthy ageing. He has organised systematic review training programmes, mentored postgraduate and doctoral researchers, and served in academic conference leadership roles. His contributions have been recognised through several awards, including Best Oral Presentation awards at the 6th International Conference on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine in Bangkok in 2025 and the First Prize for Oral Presentation at the GERON National Conference in 2024.
