THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

Livelong Summit Brings Women’s Healthcare Front and Center

The HFA-sponsored event brought A-list names to New York.

Interest in healthy aging and longevity for women continues to grow, and the turnout at the Livelong Women’s Health Summit in New York City indicated a growing demand for credible information in the space.

Approximately 1,600 people registered for the September 25–26 event at the Hilton Midtown, which brought together consumers, medical professionals, researchers, and health experts for conversations spanning menopause, strength and performance, brain health, nutrition, hormones, and the science of aging. HFA served as a sponsor for the event.

“What struck me in New York was the mix in the room—clinicians sitting next to women who came to take charge of their own health, all hearing the science straight from the people doing the work,” says Katie Gaudu, head of events and partnerships at Livelong Media, adding that the 1,600 people in the room shows the demand for this type of education is strong.

Featured speakers included actress and activist Jane Fonda, women’s performance expert Dr. Stacy Sims, menopause expert Dr. Mary Claire Haver, and entrepreneur and makeup artist Bobbi Brown. More than 75 physicians, scientists, wellness leaders, and technology innovators addressed the crowd in mostly 20-minute panels.

Sims, who serves on the Livelong board, used the gathering to introduce Collective X, a new women’s health research and intelligence platform built to counter male-biased medical and sports science data. It is focused on making scientific research on women’s health more accessible through artificial intelligence.

Dr. Stacy Sims speaks with Jane Fonda at the summit in New York.

HFA Manager of Public Affairs Lia Palazzo, and HFA Senior Director of Communications Pamela Kufahl, at the 2026 Livelong Women's Health Summit.

More Events Planned in 2027

Livelong will host the Women’s Health Summit in four US cities in 2027: San Francisco, New York, and Boston. Each event will continue to include a dedicated clinician track. Programming will combine national voices with medical and research experts from the host city.

For the fitness industry, the growth of these conversations creates an opportunity to connect emerging research on longevity with the places where people put that knowledge into practice.

“Fitness is where longevity science turns into daily practice,” Gaudu says. “Gyms and trainers see people every week, which doctors can’t [do]. Strength training, especially for women in midlife, is one of the most powerful tools we have, and the fitness industry is the natural partner to deliver it.”

A schedule of the 2027 Livelong Women’s Health Summit will be published in a future issue of HFB.

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Health & Fitness Business (HFB) is the leading health and fitness industry publication. Published monthly by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) and distributed free to the industry, HFB offers analysis of the opportunities, challenges, issues, and news that impact the industry.

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