Chinese ageing specialist receives global health award

The World Health Organization, or WHO, honored Chinese scholar Wang Huali, a professor at Peking University Sixth Hospital, on Friday for her contributions to the promotion of healthy ageing.

The His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Prize for the Promotion of Healthy Ageing was presented by the State of Kuwait Health Promotion Foundation to both Wang and the Geriatric Healthcare Directorate of the Kuwait's Ministry of Health at the 78th World Health Assembly, or WHA, in Geneva, Switzerland. It was the sixth time China had won the award.

Upon accepting the honor, Wang said China attaches great importance to promoting healthy ageing.

"This recognition is not only a personal accolade but a tribute to the collective efforts of my team, collaborators, and all those who have dedicated their lives to the cause of dementia care and prevention in China and beyond," she said. "I am committed to continuing our journey to promote active aging, dementia care and prevention, and the mental well-being of older adults."

The WHO said Wang has "made significant contributions to healthy ageing at the national and global levels", not only through her role in shaping China's national healthy ageing strategic plan and national dementia action plan, but also by pioneering advances in dementia care.

Wang developed dementia care guidelines and a technical implementation protocol that are now being used across 19 provinces in China, enabling dementia screenings for more than 100,000 older adults, the WHO said.

She has also developed interdisciplinary, community-based service models that integrate professional and family support, which are now active in 150 teams across 27 regions in China.

In 2000, Wang founded the nation's first memory cafe, a community space where baristas and servers are older adults with mild cognitive impairment. By engaging with customers and learning new tasks, they are able to keep their minds active and potentially slow cognitive decline. The model has since been promoted nationwide.

In terms of practitioner training, Wang has directed national training programs since 2006, educating thousands of healthcare professionals on cognitive impairment diagnosis and care.

The efforts extend beyond China, as she has collaborated with the WHO on global dementia guidelines and on designing online courses that teach caregiving skills to dementia caregivers. Wang has also pioneered the establishment of dementia caregiver support groups in China.

According to Peking University Sixth Hospital, Wang plans to use her prize money to endow a public welfare project, initiated by her, focused on supporting and caring for dementia caregivers, as she hopes to encourage families of patients to also pay attention to their own mental well-being.

When presenting the award, Ahmad Al-Awadi, the State of Kuwait's minister of health, said it is a recognition of the recipients' prominent roles in providing distinguished national models for elderly care, and the well-deserved achievement serves as a source of pride and incentive for further innovation and dedication in the field.

In addition to China, individuals or organizations from Denmark, Slovenia, Kuwait, South Africa, and Tunisia also received awards for advances in public health or the health of local communities.

The WHA is the highest decision-making body of the WHO. The 78th edition of the gathering, themed "One World for Health", runs through May 27.