09 Aug 18th INTEREST Conference: Engaging the Next Generation of HIV Researchers

The 18th International Conference on HIV Treatment, Pathogenesis, and Prevention Research was once again successfully held from 14 to 17 May 2024. This year, the conference was hosted at the prestigious Palais des Congrès de Cotonou in Cotonou, Benin. With over 850 delegates across the globe and 1,237 abstract submissions (a remarkable 50% increase compared to the previous year), INTEREST continues its legacy of being the premier HIV conference on the African continent.

This year’s co-chairs comprised Prof. Kwasi Torpey, Dr. Nyaradzo Mgodi, Dr. Cossi Angelou Attinsounon, and Dr. Valentine Kiki-Medegan. Gracing us on the first day was Dr. Benjamin Hounkpatin, Benin’s Minister of Health, who spoke about the value of the INTEREST Conference as a vital platform in solving the HIV epidemic. He reaffirmed our goals of nurturing communities and developing connections between researchers and institutions to combat this disease.

There were many topics covered across the conference, including new retroviral drug lenacapavir, mental health and HIV, and other infectious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV. Exciting debates and poster presentations filled the hours in between sessions, showcasing new knowledge and intervention research for HIV and its intersections with non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and even gender and society. These topics were discussed across poster presentations, mini-oral abstract presentations, and conference-wide sessions, reaching a variety of audiences and allowing for those with a keen interest in a topic to ask questions directly to the authors.

INTEREST also successfully hosted multiple early-morning sessions for early-career researchers who wanted to learn directly from leading scientists. These sessions were hosted in English or French, depending on the attendees’ indicated preference. Informative and insightful, these sessions provided curious attendees an opportunity to discuss the ins and outs of developing a robust research career and building a network between early-career researchers and senior researchers. (Read about this goal from the perspective of investigators starting out.)

Our annual Charles Boucher and Joep Lange Award Winners were also announced at the conference. The purpose of these awards is to acknowledge the notable scientific work based on the abstracts submitted to the conference. These abstracts are evaluated for scientific rigour and impact by our scientific organizing committee. These awards serve as a platform for the winners to further develop their careers as researchers.

This year, the Charles Boucher Award winner is Dorcas Maruapula from the University of Botswana, while the Joep Lange Award Winner is James Kangethe from the University of Nairobi. AIGHD communications sat down with the two winners, where they shared their experiences about the conference, including how it has contributed to their research and their careers. Read the interviews by following this link.

The 19th INTEREST Conference will happen next year in Windhoek, Namibia! More details will follow later this year. You can visit the official INTEREST website for more information.

The INTEREST Conference also publishes the selected abstracts in our annual abstracts booklet. Additionally, if you wish to look at the abstracts of previous conferences, find them on the INTEREST website.

We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to our sponsors and endorsers who have contributed so much to the success of the conference. We would also like to thank Virology Education and our INTEREST team at AIGHD for their hard work and the impeccable execution of the conference.

Join us next year in Windhoek, Namibia!