AIDS 2026 will be a hybrid conference, taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and virtually on 26-31 July 2026. All press conferences will be accessible virtually.
Press releases will be issued at the start of each press conference. Please note that each press conference has a unique registration link that will be uploaded below or through the virtual media platform.
All media are required to register for the conference. For more information, please visit the media registration webpage.
Tuesday, 14 July
Embargoed press briefing
Time: 16:00 – 17:00 CEST
Format: Virtual
Tuesday, 21 July
Scientific highlights press conference
Time: 11:00 – 12:00 BRT / 16:00 – 17:00 CEST
Format: Virtual
Speakers:
- Beatriz Grinsztejn, IAS President and AIDS 2026 International Co-Chair, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Elise Lankiewicz, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, Washington DC, USA
Measuring PEPFAR disruptions at scale: Results from a 46-country implementing partner survey - Ramona Godbole, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg, Germany
Shifts in PEPFAR-supported pediatric treatment: rapid analysis of fiscal year 2025 PEPFAR program data - Noah Kiwanuka, Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda
Zero HIV acquisitions with twice-yearly subcutaneous lenacapavir for PrEP during 52 weeks of open-label extension in PURPOSE 1 - Marcelo Losso, Hospital General de Agudos José María Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires, Argentina
High efficacy of twice-yearly subcutaneous lenacapavir for PrEP through 52 weeks of open-label extension in PURPOSE 2 - Amy Colson, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA, USA
Weekly oral islatravir and lenacapavir for the treatment of HIV-1 infection: Week 48 results of the Phase 3 ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 trials. - Shalena Naidoo, Stellenbosch University, Biomedical Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa
Plasma viral suppression does not ensure CNS immunological quiescence in early-treated adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV
Monday, 27 July
Opening press conference
Time: 14:00 – 15:00 BRT
Format: In person & virtual
Location: Press conference room (Room 211, Riocentro Convention & Event Center)
Speakers:
- Beatriz Grinsztejn, IAS President and AIDS 2026 International Co-Chair, Brazil
- Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Switzerland
- Erika Castellanos, Executive Director, Global Action for Trans Equality, Belize
- Mathume Joseph “Joe” Phaahla, Deputy Minister of Health, South Africa
- Jarbas Barbosa, Director, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Brazil
- Mariângela Simão, Secretary of Health and Environmental Surveillance, Brazil\
Media briefing featuring Brazil's Minister of Health, the Director of PAHO and the Director-General of WHO
Time: 16:00 – 16:30 BRT
Location: Press conference room (Room 211, Riocentro Convention & Event Center)
Speakers:
- Dr Alexandre Padilha, Minister of Health of Brazil
- Dr Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and WHO Regional Director for the Americas
- Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO)
The on-the-record briefing will provide an opportunity for media to hear directly from three global health leaders and to pose direct questions.
Tuesday, 28 July
Media roundtable:
Long-acting HIV prevention: The science, rollout and what is next
Time: 11:30 – 12:30 BRT
Format: In person only
Location: Room 211, Riocentro Convention & Event Center
Speakers:
- Beatriz Grinsztejn, IAS President and AIDS 2026 International Co-Chair, Brazil
Jean van Wyk, Chief Medical Officer, ViiV Healthcare, United Kingdom
Elzette Rousseau, Socio-behavioural and Implementation Scientist, Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, South Africa
Jared Baeten, Senior Vice President, Clinical Development, Virology Therapeutic Area Head, Gilead Sciences, United States
Adaobi Lisa Olisa, Advocate, Root to Rise, Nigeria
Eliav Barr, Senior Vice President, Head of Global Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer, Merck Research Laboratories, United States
Philippe Duneton, Executive Director, Unitaid, Switzerland
Wednesday, 29 July
Media roundtable:
Africa’s HIV response after PEPFAR: The impact of funding cuts and what comes next
Time: 10:15 – 11:15 BRT
Format: In person only
Location: Room 211, Riocentro Convention & Event Center
Speakers:
Kenneth Ngure, IAS President-Elect, Moderator, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Mike Reid, Associate Professor, University of California, former Chief Science Officer, PEPFAR, United States
Florence Riako Anam, Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), Kenya
- Lloyd Mulenga, Director of Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Health, Zambia
- Mathume Joseph "Joe" Phaahla, Deputy Minister of Health, South Africa
Media roundtable:
Fiji: Responding to the fastest-growing epidemic in the world
Time: 12:00 – 13:00 BRT
Format: In person only
Location: Room 211, Riocentro Convention & Event Center
Speakers:
Sharon Lewin, IAS Immediate Past President, Moderator, Director, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Australia
Jason Mitchell, Chairman, Fiji National HIV Outbreak Cluster Response Taskforce, Fiji
Mark Shaheel Lal, Founder, Living Positive Fiji & Reconciliation Officer, Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Fiji
Dash Heath-Paynter, CEO, Heath Equity Matters, Australia
Michelle O'Connor, Director of the Global Division, ASHM Health, Australia
Raybert Domingo, Strategic Communication Advisor, Love Yourself, Philippines