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Singapore Mental Health Conference 2027

Dr Rahul Malhotra

Find out what research reveals about loneliness and social isolation among older adults in Singapore, and what this means for future interventions.

Last updated on 25 June 2026
Profile card of Dr Rahul Malhotra, Executive Director at Duke-NUS Medical School, with a circular headshot.

Dr. Rahul Malhotra is the Executive Director of the Centre for Ageing Research and Education and Associate Professor of Health Services and Systems Research at the Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. The primary area of his research is ageing. Key projects that he has led/is leading include (1) nationally representative longitudinal surveys of older Singaporeans, studying predictors and outcomes of change in physical, psychological and social health of older adults, (2) longitudinal quantitative and qualitative studies of older Singaporean-family caregiver dyads, assessing patterns, correlates and consequences of changes in caregiving-related outcomes over time, and (3) a health services research project providing the evidence base for older person-centred prescription medication labels. He has published over 220 peer-reviewed papers in the medical, public health and social science literature. He received his basic and advanced medical training at the University of Delhi, India, and public health (MPH) training at Harvard University, USA.

Track Title: Loneliness and Social Isolation among Older Adults: Evidence from Singapore
Date: 16 July 2025, Wednesday
Time: 2.35 PM
Breakout Session: Track 2 – Emerging Trends & Insights

Synopsis
Loneliness (a subjective state reflecting the perceived extent of the lack of meaningful social relationships) and social isolation (an objective state of having few social relationships or infrequent social contact) are important psychosocial health states among older adults, both in of themselves and as predictors of other adverse health outcomes. In this talk, Dr. Malhotra will present empirical data from studies of older adults conducted by the Centre for Ageing Research and Education (CARE) in Singapore on the extent of and overlap between loneliness and social isolation, the impact of loneliness and social isolation on two important population health indicators (life expectancy and health expectancy), and the lived experience of loneliness and social isolation and its implications for interventions to address them.