Solutions for the Super-Aged
A new family professorship is catalysing healthy longevity for future generations, honouring Dr Mary Ann Tsao’s legacy in longevity research.
Dr Mary Ann Tsao (first row, extreme right), together with three generations of the Tsao family and Dean of NUS Medicine Prof Chong Yap Seng (first row, extreme left).
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Longer life spans and rising life expectancy are often viewed as signs of a thriving society. Yet longevity also introduces complex challenges that reshape how families care for one another, and how societies support older people when they can no longer adequately care for themselves.
For Dr Mary Ann Tsao, these questions of dignity, caregiving and family—alongisde how people can live longer, healthier lives with greater well-being—have long been central to her pursuit of understanding successful longevity.
Since 1993, the Chairwoman and Founding Director of the Tsao Foundation has been championing research in healthy longevity, inspired by her grandmother and the Foundation’s founder, Mrs Tsao Ng Yu Shun.
Decades later, Singapore’s rapid progress towards becoming a super-aged society by 2030 has only amplified the need for deeper knowledge in ageing, and hence more focused research in healthy longevity.
Driven by this urgency, the Tsao Family Foundation made a gift to establish the Mary Ann Tsao Family Professorship in Longevity at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine). The Professorship will drive interdisciplinary research, education and innovation in healthy longevity and ageing.
Strengthening Long-term Research
As an NUS Medicine International Council (NIC) initiative, the Professorship is the latest extension of the Tsao Family Foundation’s longstanding commitment to ageing research at NUS Medicine. Where earlier support funded specific research projects, the Professorship broadens the potential impact that can be achieved.
A defining feature of the Professorship is its rotating nature every two years, allowing different scholars to explore multiple areas of longevity and ageing. This model allows the University to respond to emerging issues as they arise, rather than being anchored to a single discipline or focus.
“Longevity is a huge area of study, and there are so many aspects of ageing research that need to be done,” Dr Tsao said. “My hope for the Professorship is that scholars with different expertise will come in to look at priority research areas that the University hasn’t yet focused on, and they can catalyse interest for future generations of researchers.”
She envisions an ever-evolving cycle of multidisciplinary learning and growth, where Professorship holders work closely with graduate students, who will carry their research forward even after the professors have completed their tenure.
A Family Professorship
While the Mary Ann Tsao Family Professorship bears Dr Tsao’s name in honour of her contributions to the field of healthy longevity, she prefers to draw attention to the word “family”.
“The work of the Professorship ultimately has impact on families,” she explained. “Families are the fundamental unit of society, and caring for older family members should not place undue strain on them.”
Her own family experience brought the issue of caregiving to the forefront. Having recently suffered health issues, Dr Tsao was touched by how her daughter stepped up to care for her without being asked. This caregiving experience strengthened their relationship and forged an even deeper intergenerational bond.
“This kind of reciprocity between generations has existed for thousands of years, and we cannot let it break,” she asserted.
With smaller nuclear families and more women in the labour force, the challenges of caregiving are widely experienced across the generations, but still poorly understood. “Without research, policy support becomes a guessing game,” Dr Tsao said. She hopes the Professorship will catalyse further research in this area.
NUS Medicine is also grateful to recognise the Tsao family’s collective contribution to the Professorship. “The values embodied in this Professorship reflect not only Dr Tsao’s vision, but also the deep commitment of the Tsao Family Foundation and the Tsao family across generations,” said Professor Chong Yap Seng (MBBS ’88), Dean of NUS Medicine. “This Professorship speaks to a family legacy of service, compassion and the belief that systems can and must change for the better.”
Ageing Well Together
The idea of longevity will continue to evolve alongside families, culture and societal expectations. Amid this ever-changing landscape, the Mary Ann Tsao Family Professorship expresses a powerful belief: that ageing should not be a challenge to fear. With the right research and interventions, living to a ripe old age should bring with it a season of new and exciting opportunities to look forward to.
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