Mark your calendar
Important Deadlines
30 April 2026
Abstract Submission Closed
30 April 2026
Scholarship Application Closed
30 July 2026
Late Breaker Abstract Closed
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
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.
Frederick L. Altice
“Global burden of infectious diseases in prison”
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.
LinkedIn
Julio Croda
“Testing, Implementing, and Acceptance of Vaccines within Prisons: The Challenges and the Promise”
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
Rebecca Gore
“From Evidence to Justice: Advocacy for Humane, Health-Promoting Prisons”
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
Mojca Matičič
“Slovenia’s Viral Hepatitis Elimination Program”
Head, Viral Hepatitis Unit & STI Outpatient Service, Clinic for Infectious Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana · Full Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Mojca Matičič is a specialist in infectious diseases and internal medicine, the Head of the Viral Hepatitis Unit and the Head of the STI Outpatient Service at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases at the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia. She is also a Full Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana. Professor Matičič completed her master’s and PhD in the field of HIV/AIDS and HCV, respectively. She undertook international postdoctoral training at the Middlesex Hospital and Royal Free Hospital in London, UK. An active member and/or advisor of international (ESCMID, ECDC, WHO Europe, VHPB, C-EHRN) and national institutions (HIV/AIDS Committee of the Slovene Ministry of Health), she chairs the Slovene National Viral Hepatitis Expert Board and leads the country’s viral hepatitis elimination strategy. She has authored or co-authored more than 450 publications in national and international peer-reviewed journals.
The presentation will focus on the national viral hepatitis elimination strategy, emphasising the unique approach in managing HCV infection by microelimination processes.
John P. May
“From evidence to action: transforming prison health systems for infectious diseases to advance justice”
Chief Medical Officer, Centurion Health · Program Director, Correctional Medicine Fellowship, Nova Southeastern University, USA
John P. May, MD is an Internal Medicine physician with more than 30 years of experience in carceral medicine, providing care in jails and prisons across the United States and the world. He is the Chief Medical Officer of Centurion Health and Program Director for the Correctional Medicine Fellowship at Nova Southeastern University in partnership with the Florida Department of Corrections, training future clinicians in this specialized field. He also contributes to health committees of the International Corrections and Prisons Association and the American Correctional Association. Driven by a commitment to humane, equitable care for incarcerated people, he co-founded Health through Walls in 2005, an NGO assisting prison health systems in low- and middle-income countries to build sustainable programs that strengthen infectious disease prevention, expand clinical capacity, and elevate global standards for correctional healthcare.
Learn how the work of research and advocacy transforms lives when operationalized into care delivery within some of the world’s harshest environments.
Hetty Widiastuti
“TB, HIV, and viral hepatitis screening and treatment in Indonesian prisons”
Directorate General of Corrections, Indonesia
Dr. Hetty Widiastuti, M.H. is a public health and correctional healthcare expert with extensive experience in infectious disease prevention and healthcare service delivery within prison settings in Indonesia. She currently serves in a senior leadership role within the Directorate General of Corrections, where she leads initiatives focused on tuberculosis (TB), HIV, hepatitis, rehabilitation, and health system strengthening across correctional facilities. Throughout her career, Dr. Widiastuti has been actively involved in developing national policies, implementing disease control programmes, and fostering multi-sector collaboration to improve health outcomes for people in custody. She has represented Indonesia at international forums, including The Union World Conference on Lung Health, sharing innovative approaches to TB prevention and care in prisons. Her work continues to advance equitable, evidence-based healthcare for one of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
Be part of an important conversation on one of the most under-recognized frontiers of global health. This session will offer valuable insights into innovative prison health initiatives, successful infectious disease control strategies, and the partnerships needed to transform correctional healthcare into a cornerstone of public health.LinkedIn
Invited Speakers
Our invited speakers bring expertise from across research, clinical care, policy, and lived experience in prison and correctional health worldwide.
Jason Andrews
“Modelling systematic screening, case finding, and mass incarceration as a driver of tuberculosis”
Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, USA
Jason Andrews is a Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine at Stanford University and a physician-scientist whose work spans clinical, translational, and population-based research on infectious diseases, including tuberculosis. For the past thirteen years, he has focused on tuberculosis in prisons, leading large-scale screening and prevention studies in Brazil that have shaped understanding of how the disease spreads in incarcerated populations. He has published more than 330 peer-reviewed papers and is a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
Svetlana Doltu
“Moldova’s comprehensive prison-based harm reduction program”
Director, NGO AFI, Republic of Moldova
Dr. Svetlana Doltu is a public health expert from the Republic of Moldova with more than 25 years of experience in prison health, tuberculosis and HIV prevention and care, harm reduction, and human rights. She has held senior positions within the Moldovan penitentiary health system, including Head of Medical Service at the Department of Penitentiary Institutions, where she coordinated national TB, HIV, and harm reduction programmes. Dr. Doltu currently serves as Director of the NGO AFI and as a consultant to WHO/Europe, UNODC, UNAIDS, the Global Fund, and the Council of Europe. Her work focuses on the right to health in places of detention, drug dependence treatment, health system strengthening, and the promotion of human rights in closed settings. She has contributed to the development of prison health policies, mental health strategies, multisectoral capacity-building programmes, and research on TB and opioid agonist treatment in Moldova and across the WHO European Region.
Behzad Hajarizadeh
“Australia’s prisons-based surveillance of bloodborne viruses and sexually transmitted infections”
Associate Professor, The Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia
Associate Professor Behzad Hajarizadeh is a clinical epidemiologist at the Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia). Trained as a medical practitioner, he holds a Master of Public Health and a PhD in Medicine. His main area of expertise is viral hepatitis, with several years of experience as a clinician followed by a research career in the field of liver diseases. His research focuses on improving hepatitis prevention and clinical care among underserved populations, particularly people in prison and people who inject drugs. Over the past 15 years, he has led and contributed to national and international studies on hepatitis C surveillance, treatment uptake, reinfection, and models of care. His work has helped generate some of the strongest evidence supporting hepatitis C treatment-as-prevention in prison settings and expanding access to hepatitis C treatment for people who inject drugs, informing policy and program implementation in Australia and internationally. He leads the Prison and Correctional Health Research Group within the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program at the Kirby Institute.
Domen Kovač
“Infectious diseases care in Slovenia’s prisons”
Family Physician, Community Health Centre Dr. Adolf Drolc Maribor · Maribor Prison, Slovenia
Domen Kovač, MD, is a family physician at Community Health Centre Dr. Adolf Drolc Maribor, Slovenia. After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, he completed his specialization in Family Medicine. Since 2018, he has been providing primary healthcare services within the Slovenian prison healthcare system, working in Maribor Prison. His clinical work focuses on the comprehensive healthcare of people in custody, with a strong emphasis on the prevention, screening, and management of communicable diseases, particularly blood-borne infections and tuberculosis. Dr. Kovač has played an active role in the continuous development of modern infectious disease screening programmes in the prison setting. The prison healthcare program in Maribor has been recognised internationally as an example of good practice in infectious disease prevention and screening. Dr. Kovač regularly presents his work at professional conferences on prison healthcare and communicable diseases.
Pia Puolakka
“The Use of AI to Improve Prison Health”
CEO & Founder, MindTech, Finland · Forensic Psychologist
Pia Puolakka is a forensic psychologist, psychotherapist, and international expert in correctional system innovation, specialising in the intersection of forensic psychology, artificial intelligence, and human-centred prison reform. With over 15 years of experience in the Finnish Prison and Probation Service, she has worked as a prison psychologist, senior specialist, project manager, and supervisor, focusing on rehabilitation, prison digitalisation, and psychologically informed correctional practices. She led the development of Finland’s Smart Prison model and AI-supported rehabilitation initiatives and has contributed to international work with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Council of Europe, and the International Committee of the Red Cross on the use of technology in prisons. Her current work explores how AI, digital innovation, and psychological approaches can strengthen prison healthcare, rehabilitation, and the development of human-centred correctional systems. Pia is CEO & Founder of MindTech and Director at Reimagining Criminal Justice (UK).
Ehab Salah
“UNODC Technical Brief on Violence and Health in Prisons”
Prisons and HIV Advisor, UNODC
Ehab is a medical doctor specialized in Medical Epidemiology, and for more than 25 years has conducted infectious disease research, prevention and treatment. He has extensive 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. Prior to joining the UNODC head office in Vienna, he was coordinating UNODC’s health in Prisons Programme in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Beatrice Wahura Waithaka
“A journey from incarceration to impact”
CEO, Tena Brilliant Stars Foundation, Kenya
Beatrice Wahura Waithaka is the CEO of Tena Brilliant Stars Foundation, a Kenya-based organization committed to “From Prison to Purpose.” With lived experience and deep compassion, she leads rehabilitation, mentorship, and health-check programs for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. Through the foundation, she champions dignity, skills training, and reintegration pathways that reduce stigma and break cycles of recidivism. Her work focuses on addressing infectious disease prevention, mental health, and economic empowerment inside correctional facilities and in the community. A passionate advocate for global collaboration, she partners with local and international networks to share best practices and scale impact. She represents Tena Brilliant Stars Foundation at the 2nd Annual Global Prisons Infectious Diseases Network Conference to connect, learn, and build partnerships for healthier, more just prison systems.
Abstracts & Presentations
Speaker presentation guidelines can be found here:
Speaker Presentation Assistance Page
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
Join a unique site visit to Maribor Prison on Friday 2 October 2026. Places are strictly limited to 50 participants and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Location: Maribor Prison
- Date: Friday 2 October 2026
- Departure Time from Ljubljana: 7:00 am. The shuttle will depart from the Grand Plaza Ljubljana Hotel.
- Shuttle to the Prison: A €10 shuttle service is mandatory for all participants. Participants staying elsewhere are encouraged to purchase a bus ticket and arrive at the Grand Plaza Ljubljana Hotel 15 minutes prior to the shuttle’s departure.
- Prison Visit Time: 9:00 am – 11:00 am (approx. 2 hours)
- Prison Visit Cost: Free of charge
- Identification Requirement: Entry to the prison is contingent on presenting valid original photo identification, such as a passport or driver’s licence. The first and last name provided during registration must exactly match the name shown on your identification document. Participants whose details do not match the approved visitor list, or who do not present valid photo identification, will not be permitted to enter.
- Security and Personal Belongings: Participants will enter the prison individually, where their name and identification will be checked against the approved visitor list. Security screening may also take place during entry. Bags and personal belongings may be brought into the initial meeting room. However, before entering the prison area, all personal belongings must be left in the meeting room. Mobile phones, photography and personal belongings are not permitted during the prison tour.
- Arrival Back in Ljubljana: 1:00 pm (approx.) at the Grand Plaza Ljubljana Hotel.
Places are expected to fill quickly, so we encourage delegates to register early. If you have already registered for the conference, please contact the Conference Secretariat at GPIDNconference@ashm.org.au.
Social Functions
Welcome Reception
Join us for a complimentary Welcome Reception at the Gostilna na Gradu Restaurant located in the historic Ljubljana Castle from 6.00pm to 7.30pm on Wednesday 30 September 2026. The reception will be a relaxed opportunity to meet with fellow delegates and enjoy a selection of drinks before the Conference Dinner.
Social Dinner
Following the Welcome Reception, join us for the Conference Dinner 2026 at the same place, Gostilna na Gradu Restaurant from 7.30pm to 10.00pm on Wednesday 30 September. The evening will offer a memorable Slovenian dining experience, including a four-course dinner and drinks, all set in a warm and welcoming setting within the beautiful surroundings of the castle. Delegate dinner pricing is available on the registration site. +1 Guests are welcome to join. Places are limited.
Plan your trip
Venue & Travel 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.
- Address: Slovenska cesta 60, 1000 Ljubljana — Google Maps
- Phone: +386 1 243 01 00
- Email: info@grandplazahotel.si
Getting to the conference
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport is approx. 25 km from the Grand Plaza Hotel & Congress Center, with the journey to the hotel taking around 20–30 minutes by car, depending on traffic.
- Public Bus: Public buses operate from Ljubljana Airport to Ljubljana Bus and Railway Station, approx. 500 metres from the hotel. The journey takes around 30 minutes, with tickets available at the airport or on the bus. From the station, the hotel is a 5–7 minute walk.
- Taxi / Uber: Taxis are available directly outside Terminal B at Ljubljana Airport. A taxi from the airport to the hotel takes approximately 20–25 minutes. Uber is also available in Ljubljana, including trips between Ljubljana Airport and hotels in the city. Delegates can request and pay for a ride through the Uber app. Availability and pricing can vary depending on demand and time of day.
- Transfer service ‘Nomago’: Delegates can also book an airport transfer through Nomago. Please note that delegates will need to book and pay for their transfer directly with Nomago. Please book your airport transfer service through this link.
- Parking: Private parking is located under the hotel. Parking is charged €3/hour or €30/night.
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.
