HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Health Science of Implementation Conference (VISTA) 2026

What's New

The 1st edition of the HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Health Science of Implementation Conference (VISTA) will take place on 21-23 September 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa

For this edition, we are accepting Social Innovation Pitch Tank Submissions. Showcase your work to an international audience and connect with potential funders and collaborators. Everyone who submits an eligible pitch receives complimentary registration for the final conference day. Learn more here.
The conference will be held at the Southern Sun Cape Sun Hotel, located at: 23 Strand St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa

Please note that we are currently pursuing funding for this program; at this time, we are unable to offer scholarships or travel grants.

Check out the 1st African Diagnostics Forum, a new abstract-driven workshop that will occur conjointly with the VISTA conference!

Pre-conference meeting:

Official VISTA Preconference are official morning sessions held as part of the VISTA Conference program on 21 September 2026, the first day of the VISTA Conference. These sessions are designed for organizations wishing to convene focused on scientific, educational, policy, or professional discussions in alignment with the objectives of VISTA.

Each Official VISTA Preconference takes place from 09:00 to 12:00 at the VISTA venue (TBA) in Cape Town, South Africa.

Available meeting rooms accommodate up to 100 participants or up to 300 participants, for more information please contact Sonia Pacheco: [email protected].

Interested parties are requested to submit an Official VISTA Preconference Application Form which can be found here below.

Downloads

VISTA Official Preconference Prospectus and Application Form - 21SEPT26.pdf

Beyond Bounds: Reimagining Implementation Science for a Changing World

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 five themes:

Centering Community (Community & Engaged Implementation) Community knowledge, leadership, and lived experience as drivers of implementation science — advancing participatory methods, community-led delivery, and genuine partnership across research and practice.

Growing Reach (Equitable Access & Engagement) Advancing delivery science that closes gaps in access and outcomes — designed with key populations, youth, and under-resourced health systems as partners, not recipients.

Sustaining Systems (Integration & Sustainment) Building the evidence for integrating HIV and infectious-disease programs into evolving health systems, and sustaining what works as funding and service models shift.

Translating Innovation (Next-Generation Tools, Real-World Delivery) Turning biomedical innovation — long-acting antiretrovirals, implants, digital tools — into equitable, scalable, real-world practice.

Advancing Methods (Methods & Metascience for Global Implementation) Strengthening the frameworks, measures, and conceptual foundations of implementation science through research grounded in diverse global settings.

We hope to see you at the 1st VISTA Conference in Cape Town, South Africa on 21-23 September 2026!