Mark your calendar
Important Deadlines
30 April 2026
Abstract Submission Deadline
30 April 2026
Scholarship Applications Deadline
15 July 2026
Late Breaker Abstracts Open
30 July 2026
Late Breaker Abstracts Close
About the conference
About the Conference
The 2nd Annual Global Prisons Infectious Diseases Network (GPIDN) Conference will be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, bringing together researchers, healthcare providers, correctional health professionals, policymakers and advocates from around the world to share knowledge, best practices, showcase new research, discuss emerging challenges, and strengthen collaborations that advance infectious diseases care in custodial settings.
With a focus on syndemic approaches to infectious diseases care in custodial settings, the GPIDN conference will explore the overlapping epidemics of HIV, viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted infections, and their interaction with broader social determinants of health in the custodial sector.
The conference program will include keynote and invited speaker sessions, peer-reviewed abstract presentations, workshops, panel discussions, debates, networking activities, and a visit to a local prison.
Who Should Attend?
- Researchers and academics
- Infectious diseases, HIV, hepatitis, and public health professionals
- Carceral healthcare providers and administrators
- Prison, jail, detention, and community corrections professionals
- Policymakers and government representatives
- Representatives of community-based organizations and advocacy groups
- Representatives of international stakeholder organizations and funders
- Students and early-career researchers
- Individuals with lived experience of incarceration
Committee
The GPIDN 2026 organising committee brings together leading clinicians, researchers, and advocates working on infectious diseases in prisons and other carceral settings across the world.
Andrew Lloyd
The Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia
Viral hepatitis
Prof Andrew Lloyd is an infectious diseases physician, and an epidemiology, virology and immunology researcher. He is the Head of the Viral Immunology Systems Program (VISP) in the Kirby Institute, and Director of the UNSW Fatigue Clinic and Research Program at the University of NSW. He provided hepatitis services in the New South Wales prisons for three decades. Prof Lloyd is the Chair of the Global Prisons Infectious Diseases Network.
Yumi Sheehan
The Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia
Viral hepatitis
Dr Yumi Sheehan is a Senior Research Associate in the Viral Immunology Systems Program at the Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Australia. She is a public health researcher with specific focus on hepatitis C in the prisons. Her work spans from prison-based hepatitis C advocacy through to interventions on point-of-care testing, treatment, models of care, surveillance and epidemiology, and education. Yumi is an Executive Member of the Global Prisons Infectious Diseases Network.
Nadine Kronfli
McGill University, Canada
Hepatitis C, STBBIs
Dr. Nadine Kronfli, Associate Professor and Clinician Scientist, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, McGill University. Dr. Kronfli's research focuses on designing and evaluating evidence-based models of care that support the elimination of hepatitis C among incarcerated populations. She has recently expanded her research to include other STBBIs in carceral settings with the overall goal of developing evidence-based policies to improve carceral population health.
Matthew Akiyama
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA
HIV, Hepatitis C
Dr. Matthew Akiyama is an Associate Professor and Clinician-Investigator at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. In addition to providing care and treatment to people living with HIV, HCV, and substance use disorders, Dr. Akiyama conducts research focusing on models of care for treatment and prevention of HIV, HCV, and other infectious diseases with a particular focus on the criminal legal system. Dr. Akiyama has served on national and international guidance panels including the New York State Governor’s Hepatitis C Elimination Taskforce and the Executive Committee of the Global Prisons Infectious Diseases Network.
Joaquin Cabezas
Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, Spain
Viral hepatitis
Dr Joaquin Cabezas is a gastroenterology and hepatology physician and a staff member in the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department at Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital, Santander, Spain. His current research projects include hepatitis B, C, and delta epidemiology, models of care, and alcohol-related hepatitis. He is a collaborator in the JailFree-C project and The HONEST project focused on hepatitis C management in the correctional setting.
Julia Sheehan
The Hepatitis C Trust, UK
Hepatitis C
Julia Sheehan is a National Women's Prisons Manager at The Hepatitis C Trust, UK. She works to tackle stigma often attached to Hepatitis C through education and conversation, allowing women to feel safe and supported enough to accept a test, followed by pathways to treatment that are simple and short.
Nonso Maduka
Bensther Development Foundation, Nigeria
Drug and Harm Reduction
Nonso B. C Maduka. A pharmacist, Executive Director of Bensther Development Foundation Nigeria. Member, the GPIDN executive committee. Member National Technical Working group on Drug Demand Reduction and Harm Reduction Nigeria. Focal person Southeast for Medication Assisted Treatment. Consultant, EJAF funded Youthrise Nigeria SHarP project. Consultant, the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs Nigeria.
Frederick Altice
Yale University, USA
HIV, Hepatitis, TB
Frederick L. Altice, MD, MA, is Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Yale University and Director of the Yale Center for Clinical and Community Research. His research and clinical activities focus on the interface of infectious diseases, addiction, and implementation science in criminal legal and community settings globally, with particular expertise in infectious diseases among incarcerated populations.
Ivan Calder
Health Through Walls, USA
Sexual health, addiction treatment
Ivan Calder is a seasoned senior executive with experience and expertise in all aspects of justice administration and healthcare delivery in custodial environments. Over the course of nearly two decades, he introduced numerous improvements and reforms, resulting in significant reductions in recidivism, prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, prisoner-on-staff assaults, and reportable misconduct.
Leonardo Martinez
Boston University, USA
TB
Dr. Leonardo Martinez is a faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health in the United States. He uses epidemiological and quantitative approaches to study tuberculosis in incarcerated settings. His work in prisons focuses on understanding tuberculosis transmission dynamics, evaluating mass interventions and their variable effectiveness across settings, and deriving methods to estimate tuberculosis burden in prisons nationally, regionally, and globally.
Mojca Matičič
University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia
Viral Hepatitis, HIV
Prof Mojca Matičič is the Head of the Viral Hepatitis Unit at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Illnesses, and Head of the Outpatient STI Service at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. She leads the multidisciplinary National Viral Hepatitis Expert Group of Slovenia and is an active member of the HIV/AIDS Committee at the Slovene Ministry of Health. She is an active member of EASL, ESCMID, EACS and an advisor at WHO HIV/STD/Viral Hepatitis sector, ECDC Viral Hepatitis Monitoring team, Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board, and Correlation-European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN). She also serves as an expert in a working group of the European Code Against Cancer (ECAC).
Simon Mendelsohn
SATVI, University of Cape Town, South Africa
TB, HIV
A/Prof Simon Mendelsohn is an investigator at SATVI, University of Cape Town, with clinical experience in TB and HIV, including with Médecins Sans Frontières in Malawi prisons. He has contributed to over 30 TB vaccine, therapeutic, and diagnostic studies. His research focuses on non-sputum diagnostic tests, persistent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, and early TB disease.
Antons Mozalevskis
WHO
HIV, Hepatitis, STI
Dr Antons Mozalevskis is the technical officer for key populations at the WHO Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI programme, based in Geneva, Switzerland. His background includes 7 years of clinical experience followed by 10 years of public health policy and research. He also has extensive experience of engaging with human rights and HIV NGOs on national and international level.
Ehab Salah
UNODC
HIV/AIDS
Dr. Ehab Salah, Prisons and HIV Advisor, UNODC HQ in Vienna, has over 25 years of experience in communicable disease research, prevention and care in prisons. Prior to joining the HIV/AIDS Section in UNODC, Vienna, he coordinated UNODC's HIV and Health in Prisons Programme in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ehab has long working experience in advocating for, developing, and implementing rights-based, evidence-informed and gender responsive public health policies and programs, with particular focus on health of people in prisons at global, regional and country levels.
Lara Tavoschi
University of Pisa, Italy
Viral hepatitis and STIs
Dr Lara Tavoschi is an Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Pisa, Italy. She worked for the Italian National Institute of Health and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on translational research and evidence-based public health, being based in South Africa for more than 5 years. Her areas of research are prevention and control of communicable diseases, including viral hepatitis and STIs, with a focus on people in prison and other vulnerable or socially deprived groups.
Malika Zafar
Nai Zindagi, Pakistan
HIV, Hepatitis C
Malika Zafar, Executive Director of Nai Zindagi, leads a team that expanded HIV treatment and prevention to 62 districts in Pakistan, launched services in prisons, implemented point-of-care viral load testing, initiated Hepatitis C testing and treatment, and established mobile ARV delivery, enhancing care for people who inject drugs, their partners, and children.
Why Ljubljana?
Nestled in the heart of Europe, Ljubljana—the capital of Slovenia—is one of Europe's most charming cities. Known for its vibrant café culture, riverside promenades, and historic old town, the city blends Baroque architecture, medieval streets, and a strong commitment to sustainability, earning its reputation as a “green capital”.
Beyond its beauty, Slovenia has developed a strong and coordinated approach to infectious disease management, with national programmes focussed on surveillance, vaccination, and early detection. Importantly for this conference, this public health approach extends to the prison system, where testing, treatment, vaccination, and education are available in all prisons. These efforts contribute to the wider European goal of preventing and controlling infectious diseases in prison settings.
Hosting this conference in Ljubljana offers a unique opportunity to gather in a beautiful and accessible European capital while exchanging knowledge and learning from innovative, integrated approaches to infectious disease prevention and care within prison settings.
The Triple Bridge and Prešeren Square. Photo: Valerio2468, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What to do in Ljubljana
With several landmarks clustered in a compact city centre, Ljubljana is extremely easy to explore on foot. From medieval castles to contemporary art districts to open-air food markets—the city blends history, creativity and culture at every corner.
- Indulge in Slovenian wines and riverside dinners
- Visit Ljubljana Castle for panoramic views of the city
- Explore the Old Town & Prešeren Square
- Enjoy river cruises or guided walking tours
- Explore the alternative art scene in the Metelkova district
Useful information
Conference Venue
Grand Plaza Hotel & Congress Center, Ljubljana.
The conference will be held at the Grand Plaza Hotel & Congress Center in the heart of Ljubljana, offering modern congress facilities within easy reach of the city's old town, riverside promenades, and main landmarks.
Program
Program Outline
Explore the full conference agenda online.
Plenary Speakers
We are pleased to announce our first confirmed plenary speakers, with more to come.
Rebecca Gore
Barrister, writer & academic · Centre for Law and Society, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Rebecca Gore is a barrister, writer, and academic in South Africa. She served as a legal researcher to Inspecting Judge, Justice Edwin Cameron, at the national prisons oversight body, where she visited prisons across the country, interviewed inmates, and produced reports on conditions and treatment, including access to healthcare. Rebecca holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, where she was awarded the Henigson Human Rights Fellowship and led a project on Bail Funds with Advocates for Human Rights student organisation, and a cum laude Law Degree (LL.B.) from the University of Cape Town. Rebecca co-authored Behind Prison Walls: Unlocking a Safer South Africa with Edwin Cameron and Sohela Surajpal. She has written about how the law responds to women who kill their abusers, carceral period poverty, abortion access, and HIV/AIDS behind bars. Rebecca is a research associate at the Centre for Law and Society at the University of Cape Town.
As a human rights lawyer, access to healthcare in prisons is a core human right. It is also a barometer of how inmates are treated behind bars in general. I intend to focus on prison healthcare from a human rights perspective and spotlight the importance of prison oversight and institution-building.LinkedIn
Frederick L. Altice
Director, Yale Center for Clinical and Community Research · Professor of Medicine and Public Health, Yale University
Frederick L. Altice, MD, MA, is Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Yale University and Director of the Yale Center for Clinical and Community Research. His research and clinical activities focus on the interface of infectious diseases, addiction, and implementation science in criminal legal and community settings globally, with particular expertise in infectious diseases among incarcerated populations.
Julio Croda
Full Researcher, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Brazil · Associate Professor, UFMS and Yale School of Public Health
Julio Croda is a Full Researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Brazil, and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) and Yale School of Public Health. A specialist in infectious diseases, he has dedicated over two decades to understanding and combating tuberculosis in incarcerated populations. He has led landmark studies on TB transmission and screening in Brazilian prisons and has conducted clinical trials and preventive interventions in prison settings. A strong advocate for the development and implementation of TB vaccines in high-transmission environments, he argues that prisons must be a priority — not an afterthought — in the global TB vaccine agenda. He served as co-leader of the TB in Prisons Working Group of The Union and has advised the Brazilian Ministry of Health and PAHO on infectious disease control in vulnerable populations.
Prisons are among the highest-risk environments for tuberculosis transmission in the world. As new TB vaccine candidates advance through clinical trials, we have both a scientific and ethical obligation to evaluate and implement them in these settings. This presentation makes the case for why prisons must be a priority — not an afterthought — in the global TB vaccine agenda.LinkedIn
Late Breaker Abstracts
We will be welcoming abstract submissions presenting original research, program evaluations, implementation studies, policy analyses, and innovative practices addressing infectious diseases in prisons, jails, other detention settings, and community corrections.
- Late breaker abstracts open: 15 July 2026
- Late breaker abstract submission deadline: 30 July 2026
Key Themes
- Reforming prison health policy — for better or worse
- Innovative models of care for infectious disease elimination in prisons
- Gender differences in the burden of infectious diseases in prison
- Regional perspective on prison infectious disease care and services
- Modelling the impact of policy changes on infectious disease risks in prison
- Prevention, prevention, prevention: Harm reduction research in prisons
Register
Registration
Registration includes access to all program sessions and to the conference exhibition area. Catering will be provided for morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea every day. A complimentary ticket to the Conference Welcome Reception taking place on Wednesday evening is also included.
Register NowGroup Registration
Registration Rates
| Registration type | Rate (EUR) |
|---|---|
| Delegate | €195.00 |
| Student, LMIC, Community, EMCR | €75.00 |
| Industry Rate | €900.00 |
| Day registration | €105.00 |
Registration Terms & Conditions
Prison Visit
We will be arranging a visit to Maribor Prison, a public-sector correctional and remand facility located in Maribor, Slovenia. Additional details to come.
Social Functions
Coming soon!
Sponsor
Sponsors and Supporters
GPIDN gratefully acknowledges the generous support provided by the following sponsors and supporters of GPIDN 2026.
Co-convener
We also gratefully acknowledge the support of our co-convener, the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Illnesses, University Medical Centre Ljubljana.
