MURFREESBORO, TN (WGNS) - Registration is officially open for Middle Tennessee State University’s 2026 Positive Aging Conference, set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026 at the Miller Education Center on East Bell Street. The daylong event is hosted by the MTSU Positive Aging Consortium. It brings together national experts, local leaders, and community members who want practical, science-backed strategies for living well as they age. Admission is $35 and includes meals, parking, and materials. Registration is online only and closes next week on Friday, April 10.

Deborah Lee, who directs the Positive Aging Consortium and holds the NHC Chair of Excellence in Nursing, says the conference fills a gap for older adults seeking reliable, accessible information about aging. “There are very, very few opportunities for them to really hear from experts about what they can do to help themselves age well,” she said.

The need is only growing. By 2050, more than 80 million Americans will be 65 or older, according to the Population Reference Bureau. Lee says the goal is to equip people with tools that support longer, healthier lives.

This year’s keynote speaker, Cathy Maxwell, will dig into that mission with her talk, “Aging Gracefully, Aging Powerfully: Strategies for Healthy Aging.” Maxwell, a former Vanderbilt nursing faculty member and now the Rice Presidential Endowed Chair in Healthy Aging at the University of Utah, studies how aging pathways lead to frailty. Her research centers on mitochondria—the body’s energy producers—and how inactivity accelerates their decline. Lee says Maxwell’s message is simple but powerful: movement matters, and understanding what’s happening inside the body can motivate people to stay active. Maxwell’s MitoFit program translates that science into everyday language.

During the catered lunch, AARP Tennessee State Director Mia McNeil will discuss “Age-friendly Cities and Communities,” highlighting how places like Murfreesboro can better support older residents. Lee notes that MTSU became the first Age-Friendly University in Tennessee last year, making the topic especially timely.

Attendees can choose two of four breakout sessions offered at 10:40 a.m. and again at 1:15 p.m., covering financial wellness, brain and body health, safe use of artificial intelligence, and lessons from global Blue Zones.

Doors open at 8 a.m., and the $35 fee includes breakfast, lunch, materials, and a gift bag. Door prizes will be awarded throughout the day. The full agenda and registration link are available at mtsu.edu/pac/conference.php.