Conferences

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.

The annual conference started with the aim to put stillbirths on the agenda globally and regionally, and to show that action must be taken locally. The first annual ISA conference was held in 2005, and ISA ran joint congress with the International Society for Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death (ISPID) biannually between 2010 and 2021.

The conference is open to all ISA members, and all those who are engaged in stillbirth and newborn death prevention and improvement in care for those bereaved. To access our Conference Protocol click here. Future conference call for bids are published on our homepage. 

2026 Conference

ISA Nairobi 2026

ISA is proud to have a strong presence at the IMNHC 2026 conference. Seven ISA Board members and three additional parent representatives will attend, including six participants from Africa. We will be leading and contributing to several sessions, including a half-day satellite session, Voices for Change: Elevating Stillbirths on the Maternal and Newborn Health Agenda, and 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.

If you are attending the conference, please let us know! We look forward to meeting many of you in person in Nairobi.

To find out more about the conference, click here.

Past Conferences

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 Colombo 2024

The 19th Annual Conference of the International Stillbirth Alliance was recently held from November 3 to 6, 2024 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Please click here for more info and here for the conference report.

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.

Skyline of downtown Salt Lake City with the Towering Wasatch Mountain range in the background

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)

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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

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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.

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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.