A4M’s largest event, the 21st Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Aesthetic Medicine wrapped up on Sunday, December 15th with a record number of attendees and exhibitors present. Over 5,000 attendees, over 300 exhibiting companies and over 50 speakers gathered at the Venetian/Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas, NV December 13th – 15th for a conference on continuing medical education in preventive and integrative medicine.

Among the speakers were special guests Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Suzanne Somers, Travis Stork, MD and Judith Reichman, MD. Gov. Schwarzenegger accepted the 2013 A4M Infinity Award at Saturday afternoon’s general session for his leadership role in early funding and support of stem cell research and healthcare reform, among other endeavors. Suzanne Somers’ presentation entitled “Our Time Has Come,” took place during Friday morning’s general session. Dr. Stork, an emergency room physician and host of Emmy nominated show “The Doctors” spoke about “Your Best Life.” Dr. Reichman presented “Slow Your Clock Down: On- Label, Off- Label, Gray- Label.”

Check out the video of Governor Schwarzenegger’s presentation here.

Some of the featured presenters included Abraham Morgentaler, MD, FACS, who is the Director of Men’s Health Boston, Associate Clinical Professor of Urology at Harvard Medical School, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, spoke on Testosterone Therapy; Christoph Westphal, MD, PhD who earned his MD from Harvard Medical School and PhD in Genetics from Harvard University presented on Pharmaceutical Approaches to Treating Aging; Erika Schwartz, MD, a leading expert in the field of bio-identical hormone therapies, wellness and disease prevention reviewed the scientific literature on the topic of doctor-patient relationship and attempts to achieve high-quality of care in a clinical setting; some noted International faculty included Massimo Dominici, MD, an assistant professor in Oncology and Hematology at the University of Modena, presenting on Stem Cell Therapy; and Eduardo Mansilla, MD who specializes in Internal Medicine in Argentina and has spent more than 15 years working in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Prior to Friday morning’s kick-off of the conference, hundreds of medical practitioners from all over the world attended pre- conference, specialty workshops on Thursday, December 12th. Workshop topics included “Testosterone Deficiency and Therapy in Men,” presented by Abraham Morgantaler, MD, FACS; “Personalized Lifestyle Medicine,” with Pamela W. Smith, MD, MPH, MS; Mark Houston, MD, MS, ABAARM, FACP, FAHA, FASH; Mark Rosenberg, MD; and Tana Amen, BSN, RN; “Pellet Therapy,” by James Mahoney, MD; and “Advances in Body Contouring,” with Sharon McQuillan, MD.  One additional workshop was offered, as part of the Practice Management Certification. It is a two-part certification course, the first part offered in Las Vegas, the second part will be offered in Orlando in May. To achieve certification in Practice Management, the participant must take the two courses as well as successfully complete an exam after each.  On Sunday, December 15th, a post conference, specialty workshop entitled “Menopause/Andropause: Improving the Health and Happiness of your Patients with Bio-Identical Hormones,” was led by Jonathan Wright, MD and Daved Rosensweet, MD.

Other conference highlights included sponsored evening workshops on Thursday and Friday. Thursday’s workshops included “Advanced Biomarker Testing: Case Based Application,” sponsored by Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc; “The Most Potent Natural Solution for Pain & Inflammation,” sponsored by Omaprem; and “Reverse Skin Aging with Cosmeceuticals and Hormones,” sponsored by University Compounding Pharmacy. Friday’s workshops included “Regenerate Your Practice: Validated In- Office Stem Cell Therapy,” sponsored by Ageless Regenerative Institute; “Exclusive Physicians Workshops,” sponsored by BodyLogicMD; “Cellular Detoxification,” sponsored by Ondamed; “Breaking the Aging Code of the Brain and Body,” sponsored by PATH Medical; and “Solving Adrenal Fatigue,” sponsored by Sangeeta Pati, MD.

In addition to the general conference, over 500 healthcare practitioners attended advanced education Fellowship modules over the course of the weekend. Modules offered in Las Vegas included Modules I, V, XVI, XXII, XXIII, Integrative Cancer Therapy Module VIII and Sexual Health Certification Module D.

Fellowship Graduation was held on Saturday, December 14^th.  Over 160 healthcare practitioners graduated from the different Fellowships offered by A4M; The Fellowship in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine (FAARM), The Fellowship in Anti-Aging, Regenerative, and Functional Medicine (FAARFM), The Aesthetic Anti-Aging Fellowship, The Stem Cell Fellowship, and The Integrative Cancer Therapy Fellowship (ICT).  The graduates completed a series of advanced course work both live and online, as well as written and oral exams to meet graduation criteria.  Congratulations Class of 2013!

The exhibit hall was home to many conference activities including the New Product Theater which featured a dozen exhibiting companies presenting their latest products via a live demonstration or presentation. Additionally, attendees were encouraged to play “the exhibit hall game”, where they visited twenty-five (25) specific exhibitors and received a special stamp on their game card.  Participants who got all 25 special stamps were eligible to enter to win a 2013 Chevy Camaro.  The drawing took place on Sunday afternoon and the 2013 winner was A4M Member and Physician’s Assistant, Ann Chudy from North Little Rock, AR.  An extra special bonus – it was Ms. Chudy’s birthday!

”Many of the top-in-their field medical presenters who lectured on topics including stem cell therapy, telomeres, mitochondria, brain health, hormone replacement, metabolic syndrome, obesity and more often concluded that the first steps to prepare your patient’s personal health and longevity is to start living an anti-aging lifestyle; a strategic multi-faceted lifestyle program involving diet, exercise, nutritional therapies and other natural therapies to beneficially prevent and alter the possible series of biological changes that take place in the body as your patient age” stated Amy Paoletti, Marketing Director.  “This was a prevalent message throughout the three days of lectures”.

The A4M looks forward to the many events offered in 2014, specifically the 22^nd Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Aesthetic Medicine, held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on May 15 – 17, 2014.

In less than two weeks, over 3,000 medical professionals from all over the world will gather at Las Vegas’ Venetian/Palazzo Hotel for the 21^st Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging, Regenerative, and Aesthetic Medicine, December 12-15, 2013. A4M holds the World Congress on Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Aesthetic Medicine twice a year, once in the spring and once in the winter- so why is this one so special? What am I missing if I don’t attend? Or better yet, what can be expected if I choose to attend?

First off, if you are a medical practitioner and you [should] attend, you will be surrounded by thousands of your peers with similar interests- Anti-Aging, preventive, integrative, lifestyle medicine, as well as advancing your medical education.

Special Guests
Secondly, there are four special guests being featured at this year’s event; Judith Reichman, MD, Suzanne Somers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Travis Stork, MD, each of which fall into the category of practicing physician or celebrity advocate for healthy living, preventive medicine, and the anti-aging lifestyle. All will be featured during the general session. This is an opportunity to listen to and learn from four well-known professionals and supporters of the rapidly growing Anti-Aging industry. Governor Schwarzenegger will be presented with the 2013 Infinity Award, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the A4M, for his lifetime of accomplishments as a champion bodybuilder, Hollywood action hero, successful businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, best-selling author, and California’s 38th Governor.

Education
Besides the high profile special guests, the education being offered at this event is unmatched. The conference officially begins on Friday, December 13^th. However there are pre-conference, specialty workshops being offered on Thursday, December 12^th. These workshops are worth CME’s and are being presented by expert faculty. The six workshops are “Testosterone Deficiency and Therapy in Men,” “Personalized Lifestyle Medicine,” “Pellet Therapy,” “Practice Management Certification” (Part 1 of 2), “Advances in Body Contouring,” and “Menopause/Andropause,” which is being offered as a post-conference workshop on Sunday, December 15^th.

The general conference overall has over 70 speakers presenting on various topics ranging from hormone replacement therapy, stem cell and Aesthetics, to the importance of vitamins, weight management and brain fitness. The conference program offers possible attendees the opportunity to see why they need to attend this event.

Finally, five different modules, part of the Fellowship in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine (FAARM) will be offered over the course of three days, led by presenters and medical professionals at the top of their fields.

Exhibit Hall
There will be over 250 exhibitors present at this event eager to help improve you, your practice, and your patients. The Exhibit Hall will be open to attendees Friday 11:00am – 6:00pm; Saturday 11:00 – 7:00pm; and Sunday 11:00am – 2:00pm. A4M is excited to introduce the NEW Product Theater! This includes several exhibiting companies presenting their latest products via a live demonstration in the Exhibit Hall on Friday and Saturday. A networking reception will also take place in the exhibit hall for all attendees and exhibitors on Saturday 5:00pm – 7:00pm.

Conference Bonuses
There are several perks being offered at this conference.

• The A4M Conference App- Use your smartphone and scan the QR code or download the app to help boost your conference experience and navigate your conference time wisely.
• Evening Workshops–  Free evening workshops featuring highlighted speakers discussing the latest advancements in regenerative medicine (non-CME)
• Car Giveaway- Make sure you play the exhibit hall game throughout the conference and enter for a chance to win a FREE car!
• Fellowship Graduation (*by invitation only)- Congratulations to the Fellowship class of 2013!
• Early bird gets the worm! The first to arrive at select morning sessions will receive special prizes.
• A4M Bookstore- Browse the extensive selection of educational literature and visit with an A4M Education Coordinator to discuss educational opportunities.

This is the largest event offered by The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M). If you are a physician looking to better the well-being of your patients, improve your practice or still need CME’s for 2013, this conference would be a great step in achieving your goals. To register, please call 888.997.0112 or visit www.a4m.com