ISA’s defining event is our annual conference. The annual ISA conference is unique, as it is the only global conference that focuses on stillbirth; moreover, the annual conference embodies our core principle of collaboration between bereaved parents, clinicians, and researchers. The annual conference is for ALL who care about stillbirth prevention and bereavement support and seek to effect change globally.
ISA is proud to have sponsored a conference every year since 2005, supported by member organizations from around the world. The 15th annual conference was held in Madrid in 2019, organized by ISA member Umamanita. It was a sensational event. We are now in the process of adding links to all previous conferences — held in Japan, South Africa, Vietnam, the Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, England, the US, Antigua, Norway, Australia, Canada, and Uruguay. Stay tuned!
Find out about our conference awards for Brisbane 2021 (digital event)!
FOUR scholarships available to cover the costs of conference registration!
With generous support from Australia’s Stillbirth Centre for Research Excellence, ISA is offering four scholarships to cover the costs of a 3-day digital conference pass for the 2021 conference:
- 1 for a bereaved parent from a low/middle-income country
- 1 for a bereaved parent from a high-income country
- 1 for a researcher from a low/middle-income country
- 1 for a student from a low/middle-income country.
To apply, submit a 300-word summary to info@stillbirthalliance.org before September 23 2021, explaining how conference attendance will help you to make a difference in your community on stillbirth/newborn death prevention/support, in alignment with ISA’s core principles. Make sure to provide details allowing us to verify you meet the eligibility criteria (see below).
Eligibility criteria for ISA conference scholarships:
- All applicants must be ISA members, so make sure to join or renew your membership now, and provide your ISA membership #
- Scholarships for individuals from low/middle-income countries must verify they are nationals of one of the countries listed on the Join Us page on our website
- Clarify which scholarship you are applying for; for researcher/student scholarships, please explain your relevant research and/or your current student status
- Deadline for application: September 23, 2021
Best New Investigator Oral Presentation and Poster Awards!
ISA is pleased to announce we will again be awarding Best New Investigator Oral Presentation and Best New Investigator Poster at Brisbane 2021! Winners will receive free registration to the ISA conference in 2022, to be hosted at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, USA, on September 15-17, 2022.
To apply, simply check the relevant box on the ISA Brisbane 2021 conference registration page indicating your eligibility for one of these awards. If you have already registered for the conference and did not check the box, please contact our conference organizers for assistance at info@corp-comm.com.au. Please note that all applicants must be ISA members, so make sure to join or renew your membership now!
ISA Parent Award and ISA Researcher Award!
As in past years, ISA will also be presenting honorary Parent and Researcher Awards at the conclusion of the Brisbane 2021 conference. These awards are presented to one bereaved parent and one researcher who have demonstrated global or regional leadership or made a difference globally or regionally in stillbirth/newborn death prevention and/or support, in alignment with ISA’s core principles.
If you have any questions about these awards, please contact us at info@stillbirthalliance.org to learn more.
Interested in hosting an ISA conference?
For information on submitting a bid proposal, please click here.
ISA’s conference protocol outlines the principles of ISA conferences, organisational structure, and more. To read the protocol, click here.
Upcoming conference

The ISA/IPSID Conference in Brisbane, Australia, has been changed to DIGITAL and rescheduled to 11-13 November 2021. Please join us! If you had already registered for the conference for 2020, or submitted an abstract, or have any questions related to the rescheduled conference, please check on the conference website or email us.
Past ISA conferences

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 Thank you to all who made this conference such an enormous success. For the Abstracts Book, click here.
Date: 7th -9th June 2018
Location: Glasgow, Scotland

The 2017 ISA conference was held in Cork from 22-24 September, at University College Cork. Thank you to all who made this conference such an enormous success.
Download the 2017 ISA Conference Programme.
Date: 22nd -24th September
Location: Cork, Ireland
For the 2016 ISA/ISPID conference program, please click here.
Date: 7th - 10th September, 2016
Location: Montevideo, Uruguay
Date: 2nd - 3rd October, 2015
Location: Vancouver, Canada
For the 2014 ISA/ISPID conference program and abstracts, please click here.
Date: 18th - 21st September, 2014
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Date: 16th - 18th October, 2013
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
For the 2012 ISA/ISPID conference program and abstracts, please click here.
Date: 4th - 7th October, 2012
Location: Baltimore, MD, USA
Bereavement support was a topic of interest at the 2011 ISA Conference in Antigua. You can read about the discussion here.
Date: 25th November, 2011
Location: Antigua
For the 2010 ISA/ISPID Conference brochure and program, please click here.
Date: 8th - 10th October, 2010
Location: Sydney, Australia
Date: 8th - 10th March, 2009
Location: Central Drakensberg, South Africa
Date: 5th - 7th November, 2008
Location: Oslo, Norway
Date: 29th September - 2nd October, 2007
Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom
The 2006 ISA Conference was held in Yokohama, Japan.
Read Dr Thomas Keens conference report here.
Date: 1st - 4th June, 2006
Location: Yokohama, Japan
The first international conference to address both SIDS and stillbirth was held by First Candle/SIDS Alliance and the International Stillbirth Alliance.
Date: 15th - 18th September, 2005
Location: Arlington, VA, USA