The UAE demonstrated its leadership in shaping a global approach to healthspan-focused healthcare at the World Health Expo (WHX) held in Dubai from 9–12 February 2026. Held at the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), the event emphasized how innovation and clear regulatory frameworks are extending the number of years people live in good health. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum opens World Health Expo.
WHX, formerly known as Arab Health, attracted over 235,000 professional visitors and more than 4,300 exhibitors from 180 countries. With a 50-year legacy of promoting global health, the event featured nine specialized product sectors, six CME-accredited conferences, and a forward-thinking content program that included certified bootcamps and three specialized stages.
The Wellness & Longevity forum, held on the final day of WHX, provided a platform to explore how education, clinical practice, and regulatory systems must evolve to support longer, healthier lives. This forum was set against the backdrop of data from the World Health Organisation, which revealed a global gap of 9.6 years between healthspan and lifespan, with people living longer but spending more of those years in poor health.
At the forum, hosted on the Frontiers Stage, experts discussed how the UAE was creating conditions for a new healthspan workforce. Dubai’s Salama programme and Abu Dhabi’s world-first standards for Healthy Longevity Medicine Centres were highlighted as examples of scalable models for delivering longevity and healthspan medicine worldwide.
A panel titled ‘Educating for the Longevity Era: Building Skills and Systems for Healthspan Medicine’ examined the importance of workforce development, accredited education, and multidisciplinary care models as healthcare systems shifted toward prevention-led, longitudinal care.
Dr Mishkat Shehata, Founding Member and Vice President of the Emirates Lifestyle & Longevity Medicine Society and Chief Medical Officer at OMICS, noted that the UAE had a unique opportunity to lead globally by setting the blueprint for teaching, regulating, and delivering longevity medicine. He stated, “Through its strong focus on prevention, innovation, and governance supported by structured physician education via bodies such as the Emirates Lifestyle & Longevity Medicine Society (ELLMS) and the responsible integration of AI for clinical decision-making and care delivery, the UAE can define international standards for healthspan medicine that combine clinical excellence, multidisciplinary care, and patient safety at scale.”
Garineh Serpekian, Associate Director of Coaching at PURA Longevity Clinic, emphasized the need to translate clinical insights into sustainable daily behaviors. She also stressed the role of accredited education in building trust and credibility, noting that institutions like the CNM Institute of Natural Health, under the patronage of Sheikha Salama bint Tahnoon Al Nahyan, were training health coaches and ensuring practice was grounded in defined competencies and ethical standards. On the exhibition floor, international companies showcased technologies supporting prevention-led care and cognitive health.
Masimo presented SafetyNet, a cloud-based remote patient management and telehealth platform designed to extend monitoring beyond hospital settings. Meanwhile, New Country Healthcare LLC highlighted Magtein®, a patented form of magnesium that laboratory studies suggested could support brain health, learning, memory, and mood. Ross Williams, Commercial Director at Informa Markets Healthcare, reflected on the event’s significance, saying, “What we saw at WHX was a clear market signal.
Wellness and longevity are no longer niche conversations. They are becoming central to how healthcare systems, investors, and providers think about sustainability and long-term value.” In 2026, WHX was co-timed with WHX Labs (formerly Medlab Middle East), the region’s leading laboratory and diagnostics event, which continued at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) until 13 February. This alignment reinforced the growing importance of wellness and longevity as central themes in global healthcare innovation.
The UAE’s strategic focus on prevention, early detection, and value-based care at WHX underscored its role in defining a new era of healthspan medicine, setting an example for how longevity care can be delivered safely and sustainably on a global scale.
