Events

Below is a list of events where CELT Global Health researchers and staff are presenting CELT Global Health research, or events that CELT Global Health is endorsing.

Dr Marcia Vermeulen is wearing a stripey cardigan and smiling into the camera next to the poster int he CROI poster presentation hall

HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Health Science of Implementation Conference (VISTA) 2026

21-23 September 2026, Cape Town South Africa

Implementation science research is urgently needed to address the persistent gap between proven HIV interventions and their effective delivery in real-world settings. Despite the availability of tools like PrEP, ART, and self-testing, many individuals—especially in marginalized communities—remain underserved. The VISTA Conference offers a dedicated platform to explore these challenges, share evidence, and advance solutions that bring proven interventions into practice.

Dr Marcia Vermeulen will be presenting a LONGEVITY focused poster titled: Patient and provider preferences for long-acting tuberculosis preventive therapy.

Find out more, including how to book on the VISTA conference website.

CELT Global Health's Community of Practice for long-acting therapeutics for maternal and paediatric health

Community of Practice context

Significant gaps currently exist in the development of new medicines for women of child-bearing age and children, compared with the general adult population. This gap could expand further with new treatment modalities like long-acting therapeutics. Additionally, the extent of breastfed infant exposure through breast milk is largely unknown.

The overarching aim of this Community of Practice (funded by global health agency Unitaid) is to catalyse the development and availability of long-acting therapeutics of value for maternal and paediatric health globally, including in low- and middle- income countries.

This will be achieved through the following specific objectives:

Engaging relevant stakeholders in academia, clinical practice, pharmaceutical industry, regulators, women and patient groups
Synthesise evidence-based perspectives on best practices for long-acting therapeutics
Disseminate outputs from the community of practice for uptake by the wider community.

The next Community of Practice webinar

Online, 24 September 2026

This Community of Practice webinar is titled 'Experiences with Oral and Long-acting PrEP Use in Pregnant and Lactating Women in South Africa'.

It will be delivered by Dr Dvora Joseph Davey, Associate Professor at the Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and USA Honorary Associate Professor in Epidemiology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Dr Davey will examine experiences with oral and long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among pregnant and lactating women in South Africa, drawing on clinical research and implementation study delivery experience. It will explore patterns of PrEP initiation, adherence, discontinuation and re-initiation; women’s preferences for PrEP options and delivery models; and emerging opportunities for delivery of long-acting PrEP to address barriers during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Learning objectives

By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:

Describe patterns of oral PrEP uptake, adherence, discontinuation and re-initiation during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Identify individual, relationship, health-system and postpartum factors that influence continued PrEP use among pregnant and lactating women.
Compare the potential benefits and implementation challenges of oral and long-acting PrEP, including injectable options such as lenacapavir, for this population.
Discuss approaches to supporting person-centered PrEP choice and prevention-effective use as women’s HIV prevention needs change over time.

Expected Outcomes

Participants will have a clearer understanding of why PrEP use during pregnancy and breastfeeding is often dynamic rather than continuous, and how choice, differentiated delivery and long-acting products could improve sustained HIV prevention. The presentation should also stimulate discussion about how maternal health services can integrate PrEP choice without adding unnecessary burden for women.

The 2026 in-person meeting for members of our Community of Practice

This meeting is for members of our Community of Practice and takes place on 28 October 2026 in Liverpool. The agenda is available, though it is currently subject to change. While many members will attend in-person the workshop will have hybrid capabilities.

To join the Community of Practice and attend this meeting, please fill in this Expression of Interest form to receive an invite link.

We will use this Events page to keep you updated on the remaining events, so please check back. New members are welcome to join the Community of Practice at any point.

An illustration of a bulb alight above a global heat map of amber lights. The text reads

LA-LINK

28 September, Online workshop

LA-LINK is our new seminar and workshop series designed to bring together researchers, developers, policymakers, funders, and implementers working across the rapidly evolving field of long-acting therapeutics.

LA-LINK context

Long-acting medicines and technologies are transforming prevention and treatment for a range of conditions that disproportionately affect people in LMICs. As the field advances, so does the need for accessible, and LA-LINK aims to be a cross-stakeholder learning space where expertise can be shared, challenges identified, and new collaborations connected.

You can find out more details about LA-LINK on our Partnership Coordination project page, but each workshop will feature:

Focused expert talks or panels
Space for Q&A and community discussion
Session summaries and materials shared afterward

The next LA-LINK workshop

The latest LA-LINK workshop will take place on Monday 28 September (2-4.30pm BST) is titled 'Emerging long-acting technologies for global health applications'.

This session will explore emerging technologies that are shaping the next generation of long-acting medicines for global health applications. Bringing together three expert speakers working across innovative platforms — including microarray patches and other novel drug delivery technologies:

Time	Speaker	Segment
14:00	Andy Morrison	Welcome and introductions
14:10	Professor Thomas McDonald (Professor of Sustainable Polymer Materials at The University of Manchester)	'Building better in situ forming implants for long-acting medicines: from formulation design to predictive testing' (20 min + 5 min Q&A)
14:35	Professor Alessandro Grattoni (Professor and Chairman, Center for BioNanoengineering at Houston Methodist Hospital)	'Ultra-long-acting implants for HIV PrEP and treatment maintenance' (20 min + 5 min Q&A)
15:00	Dr Jessica Mistilis (Portfolio Leader of Packaging & Delivery Technologies, PATH)	'Learnings from PATH’s human-centered design activities to ensure long-acting injectables meet global health needs’ (20 min + 5 min Q&A)
15:25	Break
15:40	Moderated by CELT Global Health Team	Focused discussion with additional Q&A
16:20	Andy Morrison	Wrap-up and next steps
16:30	Close

The discussion will examine the latest advances, opportunities, and challenges in developing long-acting approaches. Speakers will share insights from across the field, highlighting how new technologies are expanding the possibilities for sustained drug delivery and enabling new applications across global health.

Register

Tickets are available via the September LA-LINK Eventbrite page.

Whether you’re deeply embedded in long-acting research or just beginning to explore the field, you’re warmly invited to be part of this growing community via LA-LINK.

The LA-GLOBAL logo is above the text

LA-GLOBAL

29-30 October 2026, Liverpool UK

We're pleased to announce our brand new conference we're hosting and curating.

LA-GLOBAL's mission is to accelerate the translation of long-acting science into equitable health outcomes, particularly for communities in low- and middle-income countries where the need is greatest and access has historically lagged furthest behind.

Find out more, including how to book, on our LA-GLOBAL conference page.

Keynote speakers

Our plenary speakers for LA-GLOBAL are Professor Charles Flexner from Johns Hopkins University and Dr Paul L Domanico, Ph.D from Clinton Health Access Initiative.

Each LA-GLOBAL theme has a keynote speaker and we're pleased to announce them:

Advances in long-acting manufacturing - Professor Ryan Donnelly from Queen's University Belfast
Frontiers in long-acting drug delivery - Professor René Holm from the University of Southern Denmark
Maternal and paediatric health - Professor Elaine Abrams from Columbia University
Biological performance of long-acting therapeutics - Dr Alison Cave from Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Preclinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics - Professor Pieter Annaert from KU Leuven.

All the abstracts are available to read on our LA-GLOBAL Abstract page.

Previous events

26th International Workshop on Clinical Pharmacology of HIV, Hepatitis, and Other Antiviral Drugs 2025

The key takeaways from this workshop can be found on the event's enduring materials page and the abstracts are available in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

CELT Global Health's Community of Practice meetings

January meeting - Launch

A recording of the first session where the key objectives were set can be found on our YouTube channel.

March meeting - Dynamic paediatric and maternal physiology in long-acting therapeutics development

A recording of the first webinar addressing the dynamic physiology of both paediatric and maternal patients in long-acting therapeutics development is available on CELT Global Health's YouTube channel.

July meeting - First in person

We have separated the recordings that are available for each session. These were maternal health, paediatric health and global health.

October meeting - Considerations for long-acting injectable microsuspension development: Anti-malarial therapy lessons

A video of the October session from Laxman Cherkupally from Medicines for Malaria Venture is available on our YouTube channel.

Advances in Long-acting Therapeutics meeting

A recording of CELT Global Health's Dr Catherine Unsworth's 14 minute talk is available on CELT Global Health's YouTube channel.

LEAP | New Approaches to Bioequivalence Assessment and Generic Approvals for Long Acting/Extended Release Antiretroviral Formulations

Find all the recordings from the workshop talks on LEAP's Bioequivalence workshop recordings page.

LEAP | Long-acting Tuberculosis Drug Development Workshop 2024 - 15 April 2024

Watch a recording of CELT Global Health co-Director Prof. Andrew Owen's presentation.

Find all the recordings from the workshop on LEAP's long-acting tuberculosis recordings page.

19th Residential Course on Clinical Pharmacology and Antiretrovirals - 17-19 January 2024

Download the presentation decks on the Clinical Pharmacology and Antiretrovirals course page

LEAP | Investigator Meeting & Annual Workshop 2023 - 18 February 2023

Watch a recording of an update from LONGEVITY delivered by Professor Andrew Owen available on LEAP's investigator meeting and annual workshop 2023 page.

Access the full workshop on the event page.