OVERVIEW

HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Health Science of Implementation Conference (VISTA) 2026 is organized by Virology Education | Academic Medical Education (VE / AME) and will be held from Sep 21 - 23, 2026 in Cape town, South Africa.

Description:
Implementation science research is urgently needed to address the persistent gap between proven HIV interventions and their effective delivery in real-world settings. Despite the availability of tools like PrEP, ART, and self-testing, many individuals—especially in marginalized communities—remain underserved.

Barriers at the system, provider, and community levels hinder uptake, adherence, and long-term engagement in care. As new technologies emerge, such as long-acting injectables and digital health tools, implementation research is essential to guide their equitable, scalable, and sustainable integration.

Without evidence-based strategies to optimize delivery, the goal of ending the HIV epidemic will remain out of reach.

The VISTA Conference offers a dedicated platform to explore these challenges, share evidence, and advance solutions that bring proven interventions into practice.

The conference will be organized around four themes:

Expanding Reach of Health Services: Despite advances in prevention and treatment for HIV and other infectious conditions, gaps persist in access and outcomes—particularly among key populations, youth, and in under-resourced settings. We need scientific progress to ensure health interventions benefit those in most need.
Integration and Sustainment of Public Health Strategies: As funding and verticalized services evolve, HIV and other infectious disease programs must evolve in dynamic contexts. Integration and health systems evolution are rapidly expanding and require cutting edge implementation research to be optimal.
Next-Generation Technologies for Real-World Use: long-acting antiretrovirals and other biomedical innovations such as lenacapavir, cabotegravir, and implants require new or adapted delivery models and community engagement strategies to ensure uptake.
Methods 2.0 for Global Implementation Research: advancing methods that harness global perspectives to shape frameworks, data collection, and analytic approaches that turn evidence into scalable, reliable practice.

Objectives:

Advance the application of implementation science (use implementation science to solve health problems)
Grow networks of scientific collaborations for sustainable movement in science that prioritizes implementation
Awaken and harness interest and insights for advancing the conceptual basis of implementation science itself (global context opportunity)