The annual ISA conference is an opportunity to engage with a diverse community of bereaved parents, academics, researchers, clinicians, and policy makers engaged in prevention, bereavement care, and advocacy for reducing stillbirths and newborn deaths. It represents a rich platform for spreading knowledge and sharing local, national and international strategies for stillbirth prevention, as it highlights multi-disciplinary approaches to preventing stillbirths in all its complexity.
2027 Conference
The International Stillbirth Alliance and PAIL Network are hosting a joint conference from September 23-25, 2027 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Chelsea Hotel.
This collaborative conference will bring together bereaved parents, researchers, health and service professionals, doctors, clinicians, and volunteers from across the world to explore what it truly means to be connected in care.
Save the Date and visit pailnetwork.ca/conference to learn more
2026 Conference
ISA Queensland 2026
The Waves of Change conference will take place from 7 – 8 August 2026 in Queensland, Australia. The conference will incorporate the International Stillbirth Alliance Western-Pacific regional meeting. This year’s theme will focus on “Advancing Practice and Partnerships in Perinatal Care” and will showcase leading voices and fresh perspectives from across Australia and around the globe.
Bringing together maternity healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers and parents, Waves of Change 2026 is a space to inspire innovation, deepen partnerships, and shape the future of perinatal care. We can’t wait to see you there!
Click here
Past Conferences
ISA Nairobi 2026
ISA is proud to have had a strong presence at the IMNHC 2026 conference. Seven ISA Board members and three additional parent representatives attended (thanks to generous support from the Stillbirth CRE and Burnet Institute in Australia), including six participants from Africa. We led two key sessions and contributed to many more.
- A satellite session, “Voices for Change: Elevating Stillbirths on the Maternal and Newborn Health Agenda,” launched the first regional report, The State of Africa’s Stillbirths. Although Africa accounts for nearly half of the world’s 1.9 million stillbirths each year, these losses remain largely overlooked. The session brought together policymakers, bereaved parents, health professionals, academics, and UN partners for a keynote, panel discussions, and interactive dialogue. Participants then joined small group consultations to inform The Lancet’s upcoming Stillbirth Series, focusing on political action, social norms, prevention, and bereavement care. Insights from these discussions will help shape global priorities, advocacy, and investment to prevent stillbirths and improve support for affected families.
- An interactive learning session: Voices for Change: Making Maternal and Newborn Health Programmes More Responsive by Elevating the Experiences of Parents and Frontline Health Workers Affected by Baby Loss. The ISA and partners are developing the third Lancet Stillbirth Series, planned for 2027/28. Building on earlier series, this edition will place the voices of bereaved parents and frontline health workers at its centre. This interactive session invited participants at IMNHC to help shape the series and contribute to a lasting platform for engagement. After a brief overview, participants joined small group discussions to share insights on prevention, implementation, and bereavement care. Their contributions will help inform the series and future global maternal and newborn health efforts, ensuring that those most affected have a meaningful voice in research, policy, and practice.
To find out more about the conference, click here.
ISA Brisbane 2025
The ISA’s Western Pacific Regional Office hosted the 2025 conference. ‘Waves of Change’ took place on 8–9 August 2025 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The theme was ‘Birth and perinatal care’ and combined the Stillbirth CRE’s Annual National Stillbirth forum and the QLD Maternal Fetal Medicine symposium. This premier conference featured a stellar lineup of international and national multidisciplinary speakers who delivered insights into the latest advancements in birth, perinatal care, stillbirth prevention and bereavement care.
Click here for more information.
ISA Sheffield 2023
The ISA 2023 conference marked the 20th anniversary of the ISA’s founding and was hosted by the University of Sheffield from 29 June (preconference) to 2 July in Sheffield, UK.
Antoinette Ayers, one of ISA’s co-founders, welcomed delegates at the ISA Annual Conference in Sheffield, UK, on June 30th 2023. ISA is celebrating 20 years in 2023. Do listen to her speak here.
Please watch a fascinating presentation by Dr Karen Joash from Imperial college Healthcare NHS Trust prepared for ISA's 2023 Conference held in Sheffield.
ISA Utah 2022
The ISA 2022 conference was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from September 15th –17th, hosted by the University of Utah.
ISA Brisbane 2021
The 16th annual conference was held virtually in Brisbane 11-13 November 2021, organized by CRE Stillbirth.
(postponed from 2020 due to COVID-19)
ISA Madrid 2019
The 15th annual conference was held in Madrid 4-6 October 2019, organized by ISA member Umamanita. The program and book of abstracts are available here
ISA Glasgow 2018
The 2018 International Conference on Stillbirth, SIDS and Baby Survival was held on the 7th – 9th June, at the Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland. For the Abstracts Book, click here.
ISA Cork 2017
The International Stillbirth Alliance Conference 2017 (ISA) was for the first time held in Ireland at the University College Cork (UCC) from 22nd to 24th September 2017. Read the background report by clicking on ISA Cork 2017. Download the 2017 ISA Conference Programme.
2016
ISA/ISPID International Conference in Montevideo, Uruguay, hosted by Uruguayan Society of Pediatrics, the Argentine Society of Pediatrics, Era en Abril.
For the 2016 ISA/ISPID conference program, please click here.
2015
ISA Annual Conference in Vancouver, Canada, hosted by Still Life Canada.
2014
2014 ISA/ISPID International Conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands, hosted by Royal Tropical Institute.
For the 2014 ISA/ISPID conference program and abstracts, please click here.
2013
ISA Annual Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, hosted by Institute for Reproductive and Family Health
2012
ISA/ISPID International Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, hosted by First Candle.
For the 2012 ISA/ISPID conference program and abstracts, please click here.
2011
ISA Annual Conference in Antigua, hosted by the American University of Antigua.
You can read about the discussion here.
2010
ISA/ISPID International Conference in Sydney, Australia, hosted by ANZSA, SIDS and Kids.
For the 2010 ISA/ISPID Conference brochure and program, please click here.
2009
ISA Annual Conference in South Africa, hosted by Priorities in Perinatal Care.
2008
ISA Annual Conference in Oslo, Norway, hosted by WHO and the Norwegian Society of Perinatal Medicine, Norwegian SIDS and Stillbirth Society, Perinatal Research Center.
2007
ISA Annual Conference in Birmingham, UK, hosted by Perinatal Institute and SANDS UK.
Please click here for more info.
2006
SIDS International Conference (with ISA and ISPID) Yokohama, Japan, hosted by SIDS Family Association Japan.
Read Dr Thomas Keens conference report here.
2005
ISA Inaugural Conference, hosted by First Candle, Washington, USA.