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IAS 2009 Conference Snapshot: Evaluating Pathogenesis, Treatment & Prevention

Recap of the Fifth IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment, and Prevention held in 2009 in Cape Town, South Africa, with insights on attendees, program, and feedback.

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IAS 2009 Conference Snapshot: Evaluating Pathogenesis, Treatment & Prevention

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  1. Fifth IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention 19 - 22 July 2009 SNAPSHOT OF EVALUATION FINDINGS In partnership with Dira Sengwe

  2. Conference-at-a-Glance Held from 19 to 22 July 2009 in Cape Town, South Africa. IAS 2009 was the fifth conference held by the IAS on HIV pathogenesis, treatment and prevention. The conference attracted more than 5,800 participants, including 4,898 delegates. The IAS 2009 International and Media Scholarship Programme awarded 197 scholarships to recipients from 57 countries. • The conference programme included: • abstract-driven sessions • non-abstract-driven sessions • engagement tours • satellite meetings • affiliated events and • a community orientation programme. • The conference facilities included a: • media centre • lounge for delegates living with HIV • speakers centre • community office and • exhibition area.

  3. Evaluation Methodology The primary form of data collection was an online survey sent to all conference delegates via email two weeks following the conference. Of 4,262 surveys sent, 193 were returned undeliverable, 62 delegates opted out and 1,374 were returned completed. • This represents a response rate of 34%. Survey sample was overall representative of the delegate population. Complementing this survey, additional surveys and interviews were administered before, during and after the conference targeting users of specific features or areas.

  4. Delegates Profile: Countries and Regions Delegates represented 125 countries. The largest number of delegates originated from South Africa (862), followed by the United States (842) and France (230). Top five regions of residence represented by conference delegates (n=4,863)

  5. Delegates Profile: Gender/Age IAS 2009 delegates achieved near-parity in gender. As in 2007, the majority of IAS 2009 delegates and survey respondents were 40 years of age or older. Breakdown of delegates by gender (n=4,683) Breakdown of delegates by age (n=4,126)

  6. Delegates Profile: Occupations Breakdown of conference delegates based on occupation (n=4,558)

  7. Main Added Values of Conference Percentage of respondents who identified the following element as a main added value of IAS Conferences (n=820) When asked if IAS Conferences offered something that they did not get from other well-known scientific/health conferences, 62% of respondents said yes, 23% said they were unsure, and 15% said no. Total exceeds 100% because respondents were able to select up to two elements.

  8. Use of Online Resources by Delegates Online resources enjoyed a high level of use amongst conference delegates. Percentage of delegates who rated the following online resources as “very useful” or “useful”

  9. Use of Online Resources by Non-Attendees Online resources enjoyed a high level of use amongst non-attendees. Percentage of non-attendees who rated the following online resources as “very useful” or “useful”

  10. The Abstract Mentor Programme Introduced at IAS 2005, the Abstract Mentor Programme consists of mentors helping submitters improve their abstracts by answering questions on practical issues related to content and language of their draft abstracts. The Abstract Mentor Programme saw significant growth since its use in 2007. The number of abstract submitters increased from 63 in 2007 to 95 in 2009. The number of mentors increased from 17 in 2007 to 63 in 2009. Overview of the Abstract Mentor Programme (IAS 2007 and IAS 2009)

  11. Overview of Conference Programme PROGRAMME

  12. Conference Programme: Abstracts Abstract-Driven Sessions were divided into four tracks: • Track A: Basic Sciences • Track B: Clinical Science • Track C: Biomedical Prevention • Track D: Operations Research (NEW) IAS 2009 received a total of 2,584 abstract submissions (vs. 3,336 in 2007, a decrease of 23%) from 115 different countries (vs. 133 in 2007). Sixty-one percent (61%) of submitted abstracts were accepted (i.e. 1,566 vs. 1,825 in 2007) from 96countries (vs. 97 in 2007).

  13. Conference Programme: Main Track of Interest Respondents’ Indicated Main Track of Interest(n=1,372) Similar to IAS 2007, Track B was found to be the clear favourite amongst attendees. The new track (Track D: Operations Research) was found to be the second most popular track indicated by survey respondents.

  14. Quality (Presentations and Discussions) Percentage of respondents who rated the quality of abstract presentations as “excellent” or “good” (presented by session type) Percentage of respondents who rated the quality of discussions as “excellent” or “good” (presented by session type)

  15. Quality (Speakers and Moderators/Chairs) Percentage of respondents who rated the quality of speakers as "excellent" or "good" Percentage of respondents who rated the quality of moderation and chairing as "excellent" or "good"

  16. Usefulness Percentage of respondents who rated the following sessions “useful” or “very useful”

  17. The Top Ten Most Valuable Sessions (As voted by 473 survey respondents) Day one plenary session (HAART as Prevention; HIV and Host Genetics; Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission) Day two plenary session (Biomedical Prevention; Immune Control of HIV Replication; Financing the Long-Term Response to HIV; HIV and Extremely Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis) Day three plenary session (Advances in Operations Research Addressing the Convergent HIV and TB Epidemics; Antiretroviral Treatment in 2009; Gender and Sexuality) Track C Abstract Session: Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission Symposium: When to start Track B Abstract Session: HIV Therapies - Old Doors Closed, New Doors Opening Symposium: Antiretroviral Therapy for Prevention, The Time has come? Track B Abstract Session: Cardiovascular Disease, to HAART or not to HAART? Opening Session Bridging Session: Acute Infection and Correlates of Immune Control

  18. Engagement Tours The engagement tours offered delegates a unique learning experience through interactive site visits to local organizations, research labs and grassroots community programmes that work on HIV issues in the Cape Town area. There were four tours in total, each lasting three hours. Two visited the Ubuntu Clinic, and two visited the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. The tours saw 90 participants in total. Over 90% of participants ranked it “good” or “excellent” (as opposed to “fair”, “poor” or “no opinion”). “Keep doing them. They really give a first hand account and picture of HIV and services in the host country.” -Engagement Tour Participant

  19. Conference Media Presence Regional Breakdown of Media Representatives at IAS 2009 (n=316) Professional Makeup of Media Representatives Print journalists – 49% Community-based journalists – 15% Freelance journalists – 12% Radio broadcast journalists – 9% TV broadcast journalists – 7% Other – 9%

  20. Conference Media Coverage During the conference, and the ten days that followed, the following states were among the topfive countries in terms of number of online articles related to HIV, the IAS or IAS 2009. South Africa had very low media coverage before the conference (only five articles published from 1 to 18 July), which illustrates the influence of the conference on local media coverage. The main topics of interest during the conference and the 10 days following were the first human trials of an HIV vaccine in South Africa and the decision by the South African government to cut funding to the vaccine trial. Vertical transmission was also well-covered at IAS 2009.

  21. Online Reach – New Media Tools For the first time, IAS conference organizers used three new media toolsto communicate with delegates attending the meeting and with those following the conference remotely. Conference Blog: 2,400 visitors Facebook Page: 1,145 fans Twitter Feed: 227 followers Use of New Media Tools by Non-Attendees, and usefulness for them This pilot project demonstrated the potential of these social networking tools to greatly expand the reach of the conference and facilitate more participation by those who are both on- and off- site.

  22. Benefits Gained by Delegates Main Benefits Gained by Delegates from Attending IAS 2009 (n=1,110) Total exceeds 100% because respondents were able to select all answers that applied. The range of benefits gained from attending the conference is likely one of the key reasons why82% surveyed delegates indicated they would choose to attend IAS 2011 in Rome.

  23. Use of Conference Experience (1/2) How scholarship recipients plan to use what they gained at the conference? Results based on feedback provided by 125 scholarship recipients

  24. Use of Conference Experience (2/2) How online followers plan to use what they gained at the conference? Results based on feedback provided by277 online followers

  25. Recommendations (1/3) … ON CONFERENCE PROGRAMME • Keep a strong focus on basic science, clinical sciences and biomedical science, while improving the quality of operations research related presentations and ensuring there is sufficient focus on social and behavioural science. • Provide sessions and/or workshops aimed at developing the professional skills of delegates. • Make further efforts to ensure equal regional representation among speakers, chairs and moderators. … ON OPERATIONS RESEARCH (OR) TRACK • Develop guidelines for abstract submitters and abstract reviewers specific to the OR track in order to improve the quality of abstracts selected for the conference programme. • Publish a clear definition of OR and a list of key OR priorities well before the abstract submission process opens. • In the selection of OR-related abstracts, give priority to abstracts clearly showing how to use OR results to inform/influence policy makers and programme implementers. … ON ORGANIZATION • Provide more computers with Internet access at the conference venue. • Improve signage to identify where the Internet café is located. • Provide more networking opportunities.

  26. Recommendations (2/3) … ON ABSTRACT SELECTION • Review the abstract scoring system and the allocation of selected abstracts to each type of presentation. • Consider the feasibility of implementing a pre-selection process to ensure that all abstracts sent to reviewers meet the minimum requirements. • Ensure that selected abstracts present new scientific findings rather than simply reviewing old data. … ON ABSTRACT MENTOR PROGRAMME • Better promote the Abstract Mentor Programme to attract more submitters. • Increase the number of mentors and widen their field of expertise. • Develop a scientific writing mentor community of practice. • Allow submitters to re-submit an abstract to their mentor for a maximum of three reviews. • Consider cost-effective ways to continue collaboration between mentors and submitters after the mentoring process. … ON COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES • Better promote community activities and make them more visible. • Support local Community Advisory Group members to reach out to local communities. • Offer media training opportunities to community delegates.

  27. Recommendations (3/3) … ON NEW MEDIA TOOLS • Better promote the conference’s blog, Facebook page and Twitter feed. • Start tweeting early enough. • Provide clear instructions on the way to use the conference’s blog. • Secure enough staff to manage the new media tools during the conference. … ON POSTERS • Provide quality poster hanging materials in greater quantity. • Increase the number of volunteers at the poster helpdesk. • Provide more space between posters and rows/alleys, or consider using landscape instead of portrait layout for posters. • Allocate more time for poster viewing and discussion. • Review the poster numbering system. • Avoid noisy events close to the poster display area. • Ensure that late breaker posters are clearly visible. … ON ENGAGEMENT TOURS • Offer more engagement tours or accommodate more participants per tour.

  28. Conclusions IAS 2009, A Successful Conference • Despite the current financial crisis, as well as competition with other well-known scientific conferences, IAS 2009 was well-attended and attracted scientific experts from throughout the world, including Africa. • The evaluation demonstrated that IAS 2009 was highly rated and successful in achieving its main goal of providing a forum for the presentation and discussion of themost recent HIV science. • As the first IAS Conference ever held in Africa, IAS 2009 provided an ideal opportunity to refocus the international community’s attention on the continued challenges faced by the region. • The evaluation showed a strong support for the new track on operations research althoughsome concerns were raised about the quality of abstracts presented in the first year of this new track. • The evaluation clearly demonstrates the potential impact of the conference on delegates and their work, and also indicates the capacity for this influence to extend far beyond those who attended. This is not only thanks to the availability of online resources, widespread media coverage and new media tools, but also due to the intention of delegates and online followers to share new knowledge/practice with colleagues and peers.

  29. Conclusions “In order to maintain the high profile of the conference and maintain robust levels of attendance in an increasingly challenging fiscal context, the IAS will need to continue being innovative and must remain committed to strengthening existing mechanisms to ensure the delivery ofhigh quality, new and promising scientific research.”

  30. The full IAS 2009 evaluation report is available online at the International AIDS Society website. http://www.iasociety.org Publications page

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