The science of longevity is advancing.
Its real-world impact is not.
Avantika Bhardwaj is a PhD-trained implementation scientist who collaborates with multi-sector and multi-system partners to transform evidence into the innovations and strategies that deliver lasting, population-level change.
Her doctoral research in healthy ageing and longevity drove a 41% reduction in healthcare service use and shaped national policy with support from the Minister of Older People and Government of Ireland. Over eight years, she has worked across Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, and North America, bringing scientific rigour and field-tested expertise to make evidence travel further and change more.
01 - THE GAP
Adding years to life is no longer the challenge. Adding life to years is.
We are living longer than ever before. By 2050, people aged 60+ will outnumber children under five for the first time in history. This demographic shift will affect economies, social support services, healthcare systems, and communities.
2.1 billion
80%
17 years
people worldwide will be aged 60+ by 2050 - nearly double the 1.1 billion recorded in 2023.
of people aged 60+ will be living in low- and middle-income countries by 2050.
is the average time for research findings to reach routine practice and policy
WHO, 2025
WHO, 2025
Morris et al., 2011
We do not want to just add years to our lives, we also want to maintain independence in all aspects of physical, mental, and social well-being. This is what healthy ageing and longevity focus on.
The evidence for what works for chronic health conditions, mobility, independence, mental health, and social connection is growing rapidly. Guidelines have been written. Innovations have been designed. Strategies have been tested. Trials have been run.
Most of it never reaches the people who need it. Not because the science is wrong, but because translating evidence into consistent, equitable, scalable practice is a different challenge entirely.
Closing the gap between evidence and real-world impact is what implementation science exists to do. The window for catalytic change is narrowing, and the time to act is now.
The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021-2030
A global collaboration, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, to improve the lives of older people, their families, and the communities in which they live.
Four Action Areas
01
Combat Ageism
Change how we think, feel, and act towards age and ageing across all sectors of society.
02
Age-friendly Environments
Develop communities in ways that foster the abilities and participation of older people.
03
Integrated care
Deliver person-centred, integrated health services that are responsive to older people's needs.
04
Long-term care
Ensure access to quality long-term care for all older people who need it.
02 - SERVICES
Six areas of practice distinctly crafted to close the gap.
Avantika's practice areas are grounded in educational and field-tested expertise, and shaped by over eight years of working at the intersection of evidence, implementation, and impact across 10+ countries and systems.
IF IT SOUNDS LIKE
HOW AVANTIKA CAN HELP
You have a vision for what evidence-based practice looks like in your organisation - but no clear strategy, structure, or roadmap to get there.
You need to know what the research actually says - mapped, synthesised, and made useful - before you can act on it.
You are building a digital innovation and need scientific evidence and behavioural science built into the design from the start.
1. Strategic advisory
Defining what evidence-based looks like in practice and building the governance frameworks, delivery infrastructure, and delivery plans to make it real.
2. Evidence synthesis
Reviews, evidence mapping, and mixed-methods translations that give you a rigorous, decision-ready foundation and priorities.
3. Digital innovation
From platform strategy and AI-enhanced workflows to behaviour science frameworks, co-design, and commercial launch.
You have a strategy that works but the teams delivering it need the skills, tools, and frameworks to sustain it independently.
You need the funding, networks, and partnerships to take something that works in one place and make it work everywhere.
Your evidence is available - but it hasn't yet changed a policy, shifted a practice, or reached the people who most need to act on it.
4. Capacity building
Training programmes, implementation toolkits, and workshops that embed evidence-based practice across teams and settings.
5. Global partnerships
Multi-sector and multi-system partnership pipelines, grant strategies, and funding ecosystems that give programmes the resources to scale and last.
6. Knowledge translation
Policy briefs, stakeholder communications, and public and media engagement strategies that move findings beyond and into decisions.
03 - IMPACT
Evidence translated into measurable, lasting impact.
10+
40k+
25% > 16%
260+
partnerships built with Corporations, Foundations, and Institutional Donors supporting digital and AI capacity-building for global health, nutrition, and gender equity.
unique visitors in the first year of a free, co-designed digital health education platform for people with chronic joint pain and musculoskeletal conditions.
drop in desire for joint replacement surgery in one year among participants in an evidence-based exercise and education programme for osteoarthritis.
physiotherapists trained on guideline-based management for osteoarthritis using context-specific delivery tools across 150+ healthcare settings, reaching 1,000+ people.
Lightful
JointPain.ie
GLA:D® Ireland
GLA:D® Ireland
41%
9
25+
50+
new expert partnerships and 80+ new public engagements generated through a newly launched #AskTheExperts webinar series for digital media and child development.
reduction in healthcare service use following participation in an evidence-based group exercise and education programme for osteoarthritis with measurable improvements in pain.
peer-reviewed publications in journals that are ranked in the top 25% of their fields based on the impact and influence of their contributions to science.
searchable filters built within a new national healthcare referral database to reduce processing time and improve service continuity in a resource-constrained environment.
GLA:D® Ireland
Academic journals
Family Health International 360
Children & Screens Institute
NATIONAL POLICY
Findings from Avantika's doctoral research on healthy ageing and longevity shaped national policy, supported by the Minister for Older People and Government of Ireland.
MOST RECENTLY
Avantika was an invited speaker at the he Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Germany to share her expertise on building authentic partnerships with professionals from Egypt, India, Yemen, Nigeria, Brazil, Tanzania, Kazakhstan, and more.
04 - QUALIFICATIONS
Education, leadership, and recognitions
PhD - Summa Cum Laude
Implementation Science & Healthy Ageing
University of Limerick, Ireland | Funded by Health Research Board
1st Place International Thesis-in-Three Award
MSc - Distinction
Sport & Exercise Science & Medicine
University of Glasgow, Scotland
'Outstanding Academic Achievement' & 'Investment in Personal Development' Award
BSc - Honours
Movement & Sports Science
Minor in Management & in Biotechnology
Purdue University, USA
'Outstanding Academic Achievement' Award
RECOGNITIONS & LEADERSHIP
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS · TOP-QUARTILE JOURNALS
Determinants for adherence to an exercise and education program for osteoarthritis: a comparison of three countries from the GLA:D® International Network data registry
Osteoarthritis & Cartilage, 2026
​
Barriers and facilitators to implementation of an exercise and education programme for osteoarthritis: a qualitative study using the consolidated framework for implementation research​
Rheumatology International, 2024
​
Patient and clinician perspectives of online-delivered exercise programmes for chronic musculoskeletal conditions: a mixed-methods systematic review
Disability & Rehabilitation, 2024
​
​​
A mixed methods evaluation of implementation outcomes for the Good Life with osteoArthritis Denmark (GLA:D®) hip and knee programme across public and private healthcare settings in Ireland in the first year​
Osteoarthritis & Cartilage, 2024
‘Research & Excellence’ Awards
DocTalent4EU Certificate
National & International conferences -
ISCP Connect, HRI, HIST, GIN, SPHeRE, OARSI, EULAR, AIDS International, Global Young Leaders
Financial grants for MSc and BSc research and coursework
Co-Founder & Chair - Health Research Institute Hub
Elected Member - Student Governments, Doctoral College, Ethics Committee
First Aid & Rescue - Limerick Red Cross
Peer Leader - Regional Writing Centre, Tutor Matching Service
Undergraduate & postgraduate student supervision
Volunteer for local and national healthcare centres
COMMUNITY
Global Young Leaders Network · Technology Leadership & Innovation Network · Centre for Implementation Research · EMERGE Support Network · Health Research Institute · Ageing Research Centre · OARSI Journal Club · PACE Network · IMPACT Committee · Exercise as Medicine · Pete's PALS
MOVEMENT & ART
Indian classical and contemporary dancer · State-level waterpolo player, Northern Tigers Gauteng · Hiker and adrenaline junkie - bungee jumping, skydiving · Painter · Photographer
01
Determinants for adherence to an exercise and education program for osteoarthritis: a comparison of three countries from the GLA:D® International Network data registry
Osteoarthritis & Cartilage, 2026
02
Barriers and facilitators to implementation of an exercise and education programme for osteoarthritis: a qualitative study using the consolidated framework for implementation research​
Rheumatology International, 2024
03
Patient and clinician perspectives of online-delivered exercise programmes for chronic musculoskeletal conditions: a mixed-methods systematic review
Disability & Rehabilitation, 2024
04
Barriers, facilitators and referral patterns of general practitioners, physiotherapists, and people with osteoarthritis to exercise​​
Physiotherapy, 2024
05
A mixed methods evaluation of implementation outcomes for the Good Life with osteoArthritis Denmark (GLA:D®) hip and knee programme across public and private healthcare settings in Ireland in the first year​
Osteoarthritis & Cartilage, 2024
05 - CAREER
Thirteen cities. Eight countries. A global citizen.
ASIA-PACIFIC
MUMBAI
NEW DELHI
DHAKA
EUROPE
AFRICA
NORTH AMERICA
GLASGOW
GUILDFORD
LONDON
LIMERICK
PRETORIA
ABUJA
BIRMINGHAM
KINGSTON
WEST LAFAYETTE
SEATTLE
Jul 2025 - Jan 2026
Lightful
London, UK
Partnerships Manager
-
Built AI-enhanced partner mapping tools and custom GPT workflows to scale the BRIDGE® programme, a structured digital and AI capacity-building initiative supporting 3,500+ global health, nutrition, and gender equity organisations.
-
Led multi-sector partnership pipeline with Corporations, Trusts, Foundations, HNWIs, and Institutional Donors, navigating competing priorities to fund and sustain BRIDGE® across 120+ countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa and North America.
Feb 2025 - Jan 2026
JointPain.ie
Limerick, Ireland
Digital Health Consultant
-
Co-designed and launched www.jointpain.ie, a free digital health education platform for people living with chronic joint pain and musculoskeletal conditions, attracting 40,000+ unique site visitors within its first year.
-
Synthesised multi-sector team insights and user data into accessible, interactive content and features to establish a trusted resource with real-world usability across varying literacy levels.
Feb 2021 - Jan 2026
GLA:D® International Network
Limerick, Ireland
Implementation Lead
-
Scaled national implementation of GLA:D®, an evidence-based exercise and education programme for osteoarthritis, across 150+ unique healthcare settings using context-specific delivery tools to train 260+ physiotherapists and engage 1,000+ patients.
-
Analysed patient outcomes from international and national databases to identify barriers, test adaptations, and generate evidence for policy, resulting in 41% reduction in healthcare service use and desire for joint replacement surgery reduced from 25% to 16%.
Nov 2024 - Feb 2025
Health Service Executive
Dublin, Ireland
Delivery Strategist
-
Reformed cross-functional delivery of the National Clinical Programme for People and Children with Disability, unifying data from 10,000+ patients and multi-region clinicians to create a structured governance and service delivery roadmap.
-
Facilitated practical workshops with healthcare professionals, operational teams, and policymakers to co-produce user-friendly tools coordinating national and local action plans.
Oct 2023 - Dec 2024
Spinal Injuries Ireland
Limerick, Ireland
Strategy Expert
-
Developed a 5-year strategic plan for a specialist rehabilitation and disability organisation, combining rigorous organisational analysis with cross-team alignment to define clear service delivery priorities.
-
Designed and delivered staff training programmes to embed new engagement pathways across teams, building internal capacity and equipping staff with tools to track, report on, and continuously improve service performance.
June 2021 - Mar 2022
The Behaviouralist
London, UK
Digital Innovation Lead
-
Led physical activity promotion app strategy from concept to commercial launch with City of Wolverhampton and Active Black Country to deliver a community-based behaviour change product that reached 1,000+ active users within the first cycle.
-
Applied behavioural science frameworks to translate evidence into interactive digital product features, aligning local civil and commercial partners around a shared user engagement roadmap.
Jan 2021 - June 2021
Children & Screens Institute
New York, USA
Digital Communications Consultant
-
Established and scaled the #AskTheExperts webinar series to 20+ sessions, building 50+ new expert partnerships and generating 80+ new public engagements to expand and diversify organisational reach.
-
Developed a policymaker communications strategy using evidence-based messaging to bridge academic findings and legislative decision-making for public health policies.
May 2018 - Aug 2018
Family Health International 360
Abuja, Nigeria
Innovation Design Consultant
-
Built a national healthcare referral database to strengthen digital data management and inter-facility coordination across multiple sectors and health systems.
-
Developed 25+ searchable filters within the referral system, directly reducing processing time and improving service continuity to support data-driven care pathways across a nationally dispersed provider network.
06 - CONTACT
Start a conversation
Avantika is currently taking on selected consulting, advisory, research, and speaking engagements. Reach out to discuss a project, collaboration, or how to work together.