When a poor night’s sleep ruins your morning, back pain cuts your walk short, and your meals depend on when you get home, advice to “live healthier” offers little help. Where should you start, and which recommendations for longevity actually make sense in everyday life? These questions are at the heart of the Online Longevity Conference, organized by ZdravaCreva.rs on Saturday, December 5, 2026. Through 13 presentations and one panel discussion in Serbian, 16 physicians, researchers, and other experts from Serbia, other European countries, and the United States will share their knowledge.
Chicago-Based Speaker to Discuss Chronic Pain
What can modern medicine offer people living with chronic pain? Professor Nebojša Knežević, MD, an anesthesiologist at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and a professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, will address this question. His presentation begins at 10:35 a.m. Chicago time. Knežević is the first author of a review article on lower back pain published in The Lancet.
From Longevity Trends to Personalized Medicine
The conference will open with Ivana Gajić Hoffman, MD, who leads the Precision Longevity program at the AUMAR clinic in Zurich. She will discuss what longevity medicine encompasses and the role prevention plays in it. Professor Stefan Stefanović, MD, from Heidelberg University, will explore the future of personalized medicine. One of the questions is how physicians might assess an individual’s risk over the next decade and tailor preventive care accordingly. Professor Vladimir Ilić, MD, will discuss supplements, the evidence supporting their use, and how to evaluate advertising claims.
Nutrition and Gut Health
Stevan Milenković, MD, a surgeon and proctologist at Klinikum Bremen-Nord in Germany and the conference organizer, will discuss the gut microbiome, inflammation, and metabolic health. Aleksandra Đorđević, a nutritionist and dietitian, will explain how to improve family meals without preparing a separate dish for every household member. How much can food choices change the microbiome? In a small controlled study involving adults, a diet richer in fermented foods was associated with greater microbiome diversity and lower levels of certain markers of inflammation. Read the study published in Cell on PubMed.
Women’s Health, Sleep, and Stress
Jovana Zlatković, MD, who earned her doctorate at the University of Gothenburg, will discuss the relationship between hormones, metabolism, and body weight in women. Tamara Radaković, MD, will explain when hormone therapy may be considered during menopause, who may benefit, and which questions about its benefits and risks are worth asking a physician. Professor Dragana Rogulja, PhD, a neurobiologist at Harvard Medical School, will introduce the audience to the biology of sleep and explain why we need it. In one study using animal models, her team investigated what happens in the gut when sleep is withheld. Read her team’s study published in Cell.
Irena Đorđević, MD, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, will discuss women’s mental health. Marija Knežević, MD, will explore the relationship between stress, trauma, and immunity, while Darko Cvetković, MD, will address stress regulation, the role of the vagus nerve, and the practice of focused attention known as mindfulness. Marko Jovašević, MD, a family psychotherapist, will discuss how the quality of close relationships affects health.
Muscles and Longevity
The “Muscles and Longevity” panel will feature Marko Stojanović, Professor Marko Vukotić, and Petra Jurić, PhD. The discussion will bring together the practical experience of two coaches and the perspective of a researcher specializing in exercise biomedicine. They will discuss how exercise, nutrition, and recovery can help us maintain strength as we age. It is the kind of strength we need for everyday activities, from carrying grocery bags upstairs to getting up from the floor after playing with children or grandchildren.
How to Watch the Conference from Chicago
The conference will be streamed live via Zoom from 3:00 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Chicago time (10:00 a.m. to 6:10 p.m. in Serbia). Each presentation includes up to 20 minutes for the talk and up to 10 minutes for audience questions. A ticket also provides access to the recording for 30 days, allowing viewers to watch sessions that fit their schedules live and return to the others later. For every completed, nonrefunded ticket purchase, the organizer will allocate €5 to NURDOR, the National Association of Parents of Children with Cancer.
View the full conference program · Buy a ticket
Source and Photo: Zdrava Creva
