Overview
Singapore routinely ranks among the most sleep-deprived cities in the world. In our fast-paced, high-performance environment, many wear sleep deprivation as a badge of honour or habitually succumb to "revenge bedtime procrastination" to claw back personal time at the expense of their health. Following last year’s deep dive into the "Longevity Blueprint", we return to shed light on arguably the most powerful, biologically essential intervention known to humankind: quality sleep.
"Wake Up to Sleep: Aligning Health Innovation with the Science of Sleep" is designed to bridge the gap between clinical science, emerging health technologies, and practical interventions. Moving far beyond surface-level wellness trends, this session establishes sleep as a critical pillar of preventive medicine and general wellbeing.
Featuring an exceptional panel of Key Opinion Leaders spanning sleep medicine, public health strategy, and medical device innovation, this event aims to form a holistic view of how the sleep health ecosystem is being actively reinvented. Together, we will explore the diverse spectrum of sleep disorders, the advent of next-generation sensing technologies, and the rise of newer therapy variants – examining how these innovations could potentially reshape care pathways for individuals, impact clinical infrastructure, and drive long-term benefits for society at large.
The panel discussion will be followed by a networking session, allowing participants to directly engage with medical practitioners, public health advocates, corporate leaders, tech innovators, and investors.
Programme
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM: Registration
2:30 PM – 2:35 PM: Opening by SGInnovate
2:35 PM – 2:45 PM: Introduction by Teijin Pharma
2:45 PM – 3:30 PM: Panel Discussion + Q&A
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM: Networking
Schedule
Date: 03 Jul 2026, Friday
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (GMT +8:00) Kuala Lumpur, Singapore
Location: 32 Carpenter Street, 059911
Speakers
Speaker's Profile:
Adj. Asst. Prof. Sridhar Venkateswaran, Senior Consultant (Respiratory and Sleep Medicine) - Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Adjunct Assistant Professor (Yong Loo Ling School of Medicine) - NUS
Dr. Sridhar Venkateswaran is a Senior Consultant Respiratory Physician. He completed both his undergraduate education and his specialty training in Respiratory Medicine in Sydney, Australia, following which he undertook dedicated clinical training in sleep medicine at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane and obtained his Fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) in 2002. He was appointed as an adjunct clinical educator by the Yong Loo Ling School of Medicine, NUS, in 2009 and has since been active in undergraduate education. He is also part of the physician faculty for the respiratory medicine training programme in Singapore and is involved in mentoring postgraduate trainees. He completed a Master in Sleep Medicine in 2015 at the University of Sydney and manages patients with sleep-related issues in the multidisciplinary sleep clinic at NTFGH. He is the immediate past President of the Singapore Sleep Society (SSS).
Speaker's Profile:
Ms. Alice Ong, Director (Preventive Health Programmes & Rewards), Health Promotion Board
Alice is the Director of the Preventive Health Programmes and Rewards Division at the Health Promotion Board (HPB). In this role, she leads the division in developing, driving, and executing population-wide strategies for mental health public education and substance abuse (tobacco use and vaping) prevention. Notably, promoting sleep is a key focal area for her mental health team, which has run various sleep education initiatives and programmes over the years. Additionally, under her purview, the Rewards department oversees HPB’s rewards ecosystem, policy, governance, design, and operations.
Speaker's Profile:
Mr. Akihiro Maeda, Head of Scouting (Medtech, BD & License Dpt.) - Teijin Pharma Ltd
Akihiro (Aki) Maeda has spent over 24 years at Teijin. He is currently the head of medical device scouting for home healthcare in the Business Development & Licensing department, where he leads strategic open innovation activities. These include Teijin's internal accelerator program, corporate venture fund, incubation program (including spinning out internal projects), and strategic alliances with external partners. Prior to this role, Aki was a Business Development Resident at Teijin's California office, where he sought licensing-in opportunities from North American companies.
Moderator's Profile:
Pravar Jain, Senior Manager, Investments (Medtech & Biotech) - SGInnovate
Pravar supports venture building, investments, and portfolio development at SGInnovate, specifically focusing on Human Health - across MedTech, Biotech, Diagnostics and Digital Medicine. Previously, he was employee #2 at a clinical-stage deep-tech company, building a combination product for launch as a regulated medical device in respiratory care. Pravar honed his research translation expertise at the intersection of Embedded Systems and Human-Computer Interaction. His work has garnered viral media coverage, been showcased to VIPs such as the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, and been featured at prestigious venues like the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York. Pravar majored in Biomedical Engineering, earning a Master of Engineering from the National University of Singapore and a Bachelor of Technology from the Manipal Institute of Technology, India.
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