Youthful ageing: longevity expert Professor Andrea Maier wants to live better, not necessarily longer

Maier’s path to longevity medicine began with solid foundations in traditional medicine. After graduating with an MD degree from the University of Lübeck in Germany in 2003, she specialised in Internal Medicine-Geriatrics in the Netherlands, completing this training in 2009. Her decision to focus on geriatrics stemmed from her innate curiosity about ageing processes and a recognition of the growing need for expertise in older adult healthcare.

Looking back at her educational journey, Maier recognises the early patterns that shaped her career: ”If you really look back at my school days, I always was good at biology. I love mathematics; I was good at physics and art, too. But I was very, very bad in languages. 

“All the projects I've done in my life are a combination between mathematics, understanding it, combining with art. Why do I say that? Because as a scientist, it’s combining ideas, which I think is art, making something, creating something new, with something which is sound in biology.”

Read more: Christophe Bariou was told he had weeks to live. Now he’s building a sustainable future

Her early research endeavours began during her medical studies, where she first explored the biology of ageing.

“When I started at the age of 18 studying medicine, I started with research. At first, I looked at lung ageing, then I looked at immune ageing,” says Maier. 

It was during this time that seeking out the right mentors proved crucial to her development. “Finding mentors was very important in my life, finding people who understood what I wanted, and bringing the knowledge to me that I knew I wanted.”

Referred to her by Professor Joris Slaets, Professor Rudi Westendorp, a renowned geriatrician and researcher, was one such influential figure who helped shape her understanding of how ageing research could translate into practical healthcare improvements. Under his guidance at Leiden University Medical Center, she developed a more nuanced perspective on ageing biology and its clinical applications. American biogerontologist George Martin, also credited as one of the founders of modern biogerontology, followed as another critical mentor who expanded her horizons in longevity science. 

What distinguished these mentorship relationships, according to Maier, was their non-traditional nature. “You don’t need a monthly or weekly or yearly meeting, but it’s the time when you need it and when you think you have to make a decision or just checking it,” she reflects. This approach allowed her the autonomy to develop her own research agenda while having trusted advisors available when needed.

Read more: ArtSee co-founder Nabillah Jalal on how music mentoring bridges cultural and educational gaps

Maier’s academic journey took her around the world, from Germany to China, Estonia and the Netherlands. Her global perspective has been reinforced through her academic appointments—including those at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the University of Melbourne—across multiple continents. 

Despite Maier’s clarity of vision, establishing what she initially called an “early warning clinic” proved challenging. 15 years ago, when she first proposed the concept, nobody wanted to invest. “Nobody was thinking about prevention”, she explains. ”People were still smoking in public transport areas.”

Today, Maier is co-director of the Centre for Healthy Longevity at the National University Health System (NUHS) in Singapore and co-founder of Chi Longevity, a private healthy longevity clinic, also in Singapore, where she resides. Here, she focuses on translating research into practical interventions. Despite working in what some perceive as an elite field, she is determined to make longevity medicine accessible to all.

“Every GP should be trained for healthy longevity medicine,” she insists. “Every person should have access to a better, healthier life.”

Her vision also extends to education. Recognising the importance of training the next generation in this rapidly evolving field, she co-founded the NUS Academy for Healthy Longevity in 2023 to develop structured educational programmes. 

Read more: The dark side of the Blue Zone: Living longer comes with the burden of loneliness

What excites Maier most about today’s longevity field is our growing ability to understand the body’s complex systems. “[It is] the excitement of getting to know the body better, analysing where the body is, and making a dashboard out of the body,” she explains. This dashboard includes not just biological markers but also psychological and social factors.

“Everything can be measured and quantified: mental side, the social side, what do you love or not love? What is your lifestyle?” she says.

This comprehensive approach allows for personalised interventions tailored to individual needs. Maier herself maintains a biological age six years younger than her chronological age through targeted practices, though she stresses the importance of balance and individual choice.

“I’m very mathematical,” she says. “Sometimes I don’t want to work out, that’s fine, but I’m taking a higher risk. It’s always getting to know what you want to invest in.”

Read more: Longevity for the masses? Meet the founders of the new clinic in Singapore making it their mission

But even more than the science, she hopes for a cultural shift: one where we view ageing not as decline, but as a new chapter to be embraced; where healthcare is proactive, not reactive; and where community, purpose and human connection are valued just as much as any molecule or device.

She reminds us that ageing is not a passive process. Through consistent, intentional habits, we can actively shape our health span. When asked about the future of longevity and the possibility of more people living past 100, Maier takes a nuanced view.

“People already live to 100. The number is doubling every two to three years in lots of countries,” she notes. “But I don’t want to become 100 if it’s not healthier and happy.”

In Maier’s vision for the next five years, longevity medicine will be implemented worldwide in outpatient settings and academic institutions. As leaders like Maier continue to advance the field, perhaps the question will no longer be how long we can live, but how well we can live throughout those years—a paradigm shift that could transform healthcare as we know it.

Front & Female Changemakers celebrates the extraordinary journeys of inspiring women who have emerged as powerful changemakers in a range of fields, offering a glimpse into their lives and showcasing their courage, vision and relentless pursuit of change and progress. From social entrepreneurs and business leaders to educators, artists, activists and scientists, Front & Female changemakers exemplify the ability to challenge the status quo and demonstrate the power of women to effect change.

NOW READ

Airbnb’s Mich Goh’s blueprint for empathetic leadership

Blood, sweat and—corn? The Singaporean menstrual health startup rewriting the rules with plant-based pads

Finding the Blueprint for longevity: Inside Bryan Johnson’s mission to cheat death