Australasian HIV & AIDS Conference ASHM

Announcing 2020 Joint Australasian HIV&AIDS and Sexual Health Conferences: VIRTUAL

ASHM has been following the developments on COVID-19 closely, with a focus on ensuring the wellbeing of staff, stakeholders and the public. We also appreciate the additional strain being felt by the healthcare sector at all levels and, given the ongoing developments, ASHM has made the decision to run the Australasian HIV&AIDS and Sexual Health Conferences virtually towards the end of 2020.

ASHM is consulting with the National Program Committee to revise the format, delivery and content of the program. The program will be tailored from its traditional format to suit the demands of the current work environment.

ASHM’s priority is to provide a forum for the sector that facilitates discussion and engagement between participants and speakers via a high-quality virtual conference platform. The virtual conference will be designed to be as interactive as possible, offering plenty of opportunities for live questions, discussion, polling and networking.

We and the National Program Committee believe it is important to deliver a virtual conference to the sector to provide an opportunity for collaboration, information sharing and solidarity in a time of crisis.

Following extensive review and consultation we have decided that the next face to face conference will be held in Melbourne at the same venue – the MCEC, in 2021. An exact date will be announced shortly.

Our consultation was with experts in the field, local health authorities, people living with HIV and the National Program Committee. Our priority is the safety and well-being of delegates and our community.

Furthermore, many of those who were planning to attend, and were involved in the development of the joint conference program, are now working on the front lines in the response to COVID-19. We have a responsibility not to redirect their efforts at a critical time in the response to the pandemic.

Registered delegates will have the option to roll over their current registration to attend the virtual conference (a refund for the difference in cost will be provided) or to roll over the funds to the 2021 conferences. Registered delegates will be contacted directly in due course to discuss options.

Those who have submitted abstracts will also be contacted directly with advice on how to proceed.

In the meantime, our thoughts remain with patients, healthcare professionals and their families affected across the world as the health response to COVID-19 continues.

Thank you for your understanding and support during these difficult times, we hope that you will participate in the virtual conference later this year. We’re also grateful to our committee and those who have contributed to the conferences to date and welcome your input on those to come.   

More information about the Virtual 2020 Australasian HIV&AIDS and Sexual Health Conferences will be announced in due course.

Conference History

Year	Location	Handbook	Abstracts	Program	Webcast	Other Documents	Delegate Numbers
2019	Perth	Handbook	Abstracts	Program		Report	724
2018	Sydney	Handbook	Abstracts	Program		Report	585
2017	Canberra	Handbook	Abstracts	Program		Report
2016	Adelaide	Handbook	Abstracts	Program	Webcast	Report Media Coverage	641
2015	Brisbane	Handbook	Abstracts	Program	Webcast	Presentations	712
2013	Darwin	Handbook	Abstracts	Program	Webcast		640
2012	Melbourne	Handbook	Abstracts	Program			1016
2011	Canberra	Handbook	Abstracts	Program	Webcast		851
2010	Sydney	Handbook	Abstracts	Program	Webcast		990
2009	Brisbane	Handbook	Abstracts	Program	Webcast		825
2008	Perth	Handbook	Abstracts	Program	Webcast		823
2006	Melbourne	Handbook	Abstracts	Program			1091
2005	Hobart	Handbook	Abstracts	Program			795
2004	Canberra	Handbook	Abstracts	Program			682

Note: In 2007 and 2014 the ASHM Conference was not held due to the IAS Conference being run in Australia in those years.

Conference Overview

The conference is a major component of ASHM's contribution to education and information sharing for health professionals working in the HIV, viral hepatitis and related diseases sector.

The Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference was first launched in 1989 in response to the emerging area of clinical care for HIV. It began as a small meeting of medical practitioners brought together under the umbrella of ASAP (The Australian Society of AIDS Physicians). The HIV&AIDS Conference has now grown into the region's premier medical/scientific conference in the HIV and related diseases sector, attracting speakers and delegates from around the world.

The conference is truly multidisciplinary. Delegates to the conference come from a range of professional backgrounds including basic science, clinical medicine, community programs, education, epidemiology, indigenous health. There are a range of interests including international and regional, nursing and allied health, policy, primary care, public health and prevention, and social research.

The conference is held back-to-back with the Australasian Sexual Health Conference with one full day of overlap, providing a unique opportunity to look at HIV in the broader context of sexual health. The conferences attract more than 1,000 delegates from across the region.

For more details visit the website at www.hivshconferences2020.com.au. For conference inquiries, contact info@hivshconferences2020.com.au or call +61 2 8204 0770.