The first STIIX conference took place at the Guildhall London on 26 & 27 October, bringing together participants from around the world.
Researchers, sexual health clinicians and patient advocates met to share the latest science and research, and to discuss the latest advances and emerging practices in sexual and reproductive health globally.
Highlighting the importance of the event, one of the conference speakers Jen Hecht, Co-founder and director, Building Healthy Online Communities said: “International collaboration is important because there are many lessons from other countries that can be applied in our own areas. For example, the UK has run a successful self-testing programme for over a decade, while we are still early on in implementation in the US. STIIX allows me to connect with leaders in other countries who are doing important work in sexual health, to learn about their successes and challenges, and to bring back new ideas to the US.”
Conference sessions focused on innovation in testing for STIs and new breakthroughs in treating those who are living with infections, as well as work with communities that traditional models fail to engage, digital innovation in HIV testing, and international approaches to the monkey pox outbreak.
The conference was convened through the UK’s leading provider of remote sexual health. Dr John White, Medical Director at Preventx said: “We are proud to be convening this conference as part of our role in facilitating the STIIX network.
“Those of us working in the field know that many STIs are increasing in prevalence around the world. As we emerge from the impact of COVID-19 and sexual mixing resumes, alarmingly high case numbers of STIs are being observed and the recent monkeypox outbreak has shown us how quickly things can shift and undermine service provision.
“Through collaboration with our international colleagues, we can understand more about the effectiveness of novel testing and treatment strategies, share best practice, and apply international successes locally. This is why it is important to reconnect with esteemed international colleagues at STIIX 2022, and in particular hear about new and effective ways to access underserved populations.”
Thanks to our sponsors for making the day possible.
