Outcomes Rocket_Lisa Ireland: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.
Saul Marquez:
Hey everybody! Saul Marquez with the Outcomes Rocket I want to welcome you back to the podcast and today I have a very special treat for you. I’ve got the amazing Lisa Ireland joining us. She is the president and CEO of the Longevity Science Foundation where she leads global operations. She’s an accomplished nonprofit executive with more than 25 years of experience in administration, fundraising, donor engagement, strategy, and finance. Her career spans diverse sectors, including education, healthcare, human services, and science. Lisa’s previous roles include vice president for Institutional Advancement at the RMSC, that’s the Rochester Museum of Science Center, where she advanced the organization’s mission through strategic planning, leadership, and the formation and execution of comprehensive fundraising strategies. She is an incredible contributor in the space, and I’m excited to have her here on the podcast to talk to us about the Longevity Science Foundation. Lisa, thanks for joining me.
Lisa Ireland:
Hey, Saul, thanks so much. It’s great to be here.
Saul Marquez:
It’s a pleasure to have you here. And so really just to kick things off I, a question I’d like to ask all of our guests is, what is it that inspires your work? And I know you’re in the nonprofit space, but more so the Longevity Foundation, what brought you to them?
Lisa Ireland:
So it’s interesting, the road in nonprofit, and I come from a grassroots nonprofit world where service above self is something that was always a conversation in our household growing up in how can we make the world better by helping others? And so the nonprofit sector was definitely a space that spoke to me my whole life. So the longevity field was new to me. So when they, a recruiter got a hold of me and we started chatting about this position, I became so fascinated and I was just jumping into learning all about it. I’ve done work in the past in hospice, so I’m very familiar with the healthcare space, but healthcare is something that has always been super important to me. I have two parents that passed away both from cancer and older half-sister that struggles with some mental health issues and early onset Alzheimer’s. So being in this space and doing the work and leading the work is going to change so many lives, is so inspiring to me, and it continues to inspire me and fascinate me each and every day. Yes, so I dedicate our work to so many of those that need to have this support.
Saul Marquez:
That’s fantastic, thank you, and it is, it’s meaningful work for sure. As you gotten entrenched in the work at the foundation, how would you say you guys are adding value to the healthcare ecosystem?
Lisa Ireland:
So with Longevity, what’s really important is the education component that we’re bringing to the field, and we want people to not think that it’s a magic pill or there’s one quick answer or Longevity, we’re all going to live to be 120 and we’re all going to be young and vivacious the whole time. It’s not that, it’s a variety of different pieces and topics, and we’re really focused on expanding a healthy lifespan. So none of us wants to live into 120 if we’re really unhealthy and unhappy. So really getting into that space and really seeing what we can do generationally. So, to speak to this, I have a 19-year-old son and a almost 16-year-old daughter, they’re looking at this longevity space in a different lens than we’re even looking at it, and they’re saying, what can we do to take care of ourselves, and the correlation of what are we taking care of ourselves and our bodies and what we’re putting in it, and what’s that connection to our earth and the outside surroundings. So really bringing that conversation to the forefront is something that is so incredibly important to us and being the conveners of the right scientific information and dispelling all those rumors that kind of float around.
Saul Marquez:
I like it, and there has been a lot of change and a lot of evolved thinking, I would call it, around longevity and what is healthcare even and what are hospitals and what function do they have? COVID really changed a lot in how we view things.
Lisa Ireland:
Absolutely, and it gave us an opportunity, really, to face the realities in the shortcomings, unfortunately, of some of our healthcare systems that we always talk about as we’re looking at longevity. … and all of these groups are looking at aging on a regular basis. How can we bring those conversations in the longevity space and partner with the active aging population? The growth, I was down in Washington, DC, at a conference, an aging conference, the largest growth of new people going into the workforce is between 68 and 75 because they retired, but they’re healthier and they just are like, I just want to go do something, I don’t need to just sit around and play golf. It gets to the point where you, retire five years, you’re like, what can I do now? Really kind of looking at that in the longevity field of, what does it mean to live that much longer in a healthier span, and how can we think all of these policies and procedures and advocacy through? That’s where the LSF can continue to be a convener of those conversations.
Saul Marquez:
Yeah, it’s really interesting. And the example of folks just saying, all right, I’m bored, what do I do now?
Lisa Ireland:
Yes, yes.
Saul Marquez:
How do I put my brain and skills to use?
Lisa Ireland:
Yes, teachers are coming out of retirement because there’s such a shortage of teachers going into the workforce. So they’re coming out of retirement and saying, I’ll come in and teach English on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a few hours because my brain is still active, my body is still active, and that keeps them going mentally, physically healthy, all of it, it’s a great thing for everybody.
Saul Marquez:
I think that’s very interesting. And as we think about these dynamics, Lisa, we, with the big challenge we have in, with the nursing shortage. I wish we could pull some of them out of retirement, and I’ve heard that we have, we are pulling folks out of retirement.
Lisa Ireland:
And bringing along. So that’s interesting you say that, Saul, because my best friend is a nurse and she’s in nursing recruiting right now. She has 15 jobs for applicants, she’s got one applicant that can choose, and getting the interest into the healthcare field is really something that we have conversations as well. Having these conversations about longevity in healthcare in the age of elementary school, because everyone talks about, I’m an elementary school, I want to be a policeman and I want to be a fireman and I want to be a teacher. Having those conversations about getting these kids involved in keeping them healthier and keeping them engaged in this process of aging and the nursing field, you’re right, the advocacy of it as well. Let’s keep engaging people in it.
Saul Marquez:
No, I love it. So talk to us about some of the things you guys are doing to really, I think of it, a twofold, right, improve the outcomes of the aging for longevity, but also complementing what society needs. Talk to us about some of those things.
Lisa Ireland:
Yeah, so one of the things, let’s take a fun example that everyone can relate to. How many of you, and I’m looking at your wrist right now, Saul, as we’re chatting, how many of you have these smartwatches? Yes, so everyone has a smartwatch. You’re like, oh, I did a good job today, I got my 10,000 steps, that’s great. Oh, I didn’t get my steps or I’m monitoring my heart rate. What are you doing with all of that information? Are you just congratulating yourself at the end of the day, or are you working with your physician and your healthcare system and say, oh, I noticed this or I noticed this, let’s monitor this? That missed connection is also something that we’re really focused on and really making sure that the technology that we have, that we’re using it in the best way possible, having those conversations. The first funding call that we just put out at the LSF that just recently closed was on aging clocks. And I joke about as we grow older, so I’m 52, what is my biological clock? Some people are like, oh, do I even want to know? Yes, because what if you’re 52 and your biological clock is 62? Then what can we do to bring those two numbers closer? And maybe we’re looking at more of those, get your steps in, and let’s talk about what you’re eating and all of that, having those conversations, bringing all of the scientific research to the forefront where everyone can understand it, and that’s important. That we have made a commitment at the foundation, any of the research we fund and the work that we do will be available to everyone. Longevity cannot be seen as something for just the wealthy in small pockets, it has to be available for everyone or we’re not making the impact that we want globally. And our second call is for proposals, that is still open, is a combination of the psychedelics and mental health and longevity and what that looks like. The proposals that have started coming in, of course, I can’t speak to those yet, but they’re so incredibly fascinating and I can’t wait to learn more with these research organizations that are doing great work.
Saul Marquez:
Fascinating. Definitely, a lot to really be interested in folks, and if you haven’t had a chance to dig into the Longevity Foundation, we’ll leave links to their websites and resources that they do in the show notes. So make sure you check out the show notes on those. Lisa, what’s one of the biggest things that you guys have seen as far as setbacks and a key learning that’s come out of it?
Lisa Ireland:
So with our global expansion, so the Longevity Science Foundation started in Switzerland and launched here in Miami in early 2022, and then I came on board a few months ago, so in the fall, to lead the organization. One of the biggest pieces is keeping up with all of the information and everybody that wants to be part of this and juggling all of the information that’s coming in, the information that we want to put out, and making sure that our message is clear, that we are focused on scientific research and we’re focused on funding projects that live in between this space of, somebody has a really good idea, and then over here in this space is the venture capitalists, they will sponsor it because it’s had enough clinical trials. How many amazing projects live in the in-between space and getting people to know that we have the funding to support that? We are looking to continue to fundraise so that we have more money to give out, that’s important, but really getting the messaging out about the foundation, creating even more partnerships, this big tidal wave of information that’s coming in, and making sure that we’re sorting it out and getting it back out to the masses in the right way.
Saul Marquez:
And what kind of partnerships are you looking for?
Lisa Ireland:
So we are working with universities globally. We are looking to partner with more corporate partnerships in the longevity space. We’re looking to convene the conversations around the advocacy and the political realm. And everyone ages, so aging is not a Republican, Democrat, independent, everyone is aging. So getting those conversations in the right spaces, individuals that want to have more information. I’m so incredibly fascinated by the student researchers, and there are multiple youth longevity associations that are popping, which is incredibly exciting for all of us.
Saul Marquez:
Very cool, so if anybody listening, you fall into those categories, make sure you find a way to reach Lisa and we’ll include her LinkedIn as well as ways to get in touch with her through the website. What are you most excited about?
Lisa Ireland:
I’m excited to continue to learn and each day I’m able to have conversations with people that are teaching me. I can teach and share my expertise in the nonprofit world, that’s my passion, but I’m excited to continue to learn from all of these amazing scientific researchers. If you take a look at our website, in our visionary board, we are blessed to have the leaders in the longevity field that serve on our visionary boards that are helping to guide our work and guide our research-funded projects. So for me to sit down and have a conversation with them, I leave feeling like I’m this youth, back in my college days where you’re just like taking it all in and you want to, just get as much information as you can, and really sending that information out. Being that it’s still fairly new, which is interesting that in 2025 this will be a $610 billion industry. So think about where we’re at and the explosion of that industry in the next few years, is that the more that I start to talk to people, it’s, doesn’t surprise me that they’re like, I thought I saw something about that, or this, or the news and they’ve piqued their interest, but they maybe were a little unsure as to how to ask for more information. I’d love to be the catalyst to be able to say, hey, come on, come learn with me, let’s learn this together, let’s share this information.
Saul Marquez:
And so, just to level-set there for a second, Lisa, what’s the industry?
Lisa Ireland:
So the longevity industry itself. So we, all of the, with biotech, and there’s AI, and pharma, all of these pieces come together into this big puzzle of longevity. So it’s your university researchers, your pharma, all of that is one big industry.
Saul Marquez:
Got it, got it. Thank you for educating us on that, a fascinating work. And folks, we’re in healthcare because we want longevity. We want a health span, and that really keeps us healthy through the span of our life. And Lisa is here to share that message with us and the work that they’re doing is impactful. So, Lisa, I want to thank you for that. And before we conclude, I’d love to give you an opportunity to share a closing thought with the listeners and the best place that they could get in touch with you.
Lisa Ireland:
Sure, Saul, I appreciate that. And so one, the one closing thought I would say is really just join us. Join us here at the Longevity Science Foundation. We are going to learn together. We’re going to grow together. Join us if you’re interested in being a donor. Join us if you’re interested in being an educator. Join us if you just want to learn with me. Let’s do this together, because it’s going to take all of us to share this message and to get this information out. Everyone is aging, let’s age well, let’s age together, and let’s continue to support the youth that are talking about this all the way up to the 78-year-olds that are like, I’m bored, I’m aging so well that now I’ve got to go figure out what I’m doing with my time, which is great, but let’s do this all together. And that’s what the Longevity Science Foundation, or as you’ll hear people call us, the LSF for short, that’s what we’re doing. Let’s do it, join with us and do it together.
Saul Marquez:
Love it. Everybody, let’s join Lisa and the work that they’re up to there. Really thankful for you to share these insights with us, Lisa. Folks, make sure you check out the show notes for ways to get in touch with Lisa and how you too can make an impact on longevity. So great to have you here, Lisa.
Lisa Ireland:
Thank you, Saul, thanks so much for everything.
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