Events for FASD Researchers

Date:

• Main Congress: 24 – 26 August 2026
• Rise Up Policy Forum: 27 August 2026

Location: Melbourne, Australia

The ISPCAN Melbourne 2026 Congress is a leading international conference that brings together researchers, practitioners, policymakers and advocates working across child protection to share the latest research, evidence, and innovative practices. Under the theme “Transforming approaches to safety and healing,” the event focuses on advancing prevention and response to child abuse, neglect, and exploitation through cross-sector collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the development of practical, evidence-based solutions to strengthen systems and improve outcomes for children and families globally.

Date: 6 – 9 September 2026

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Organised by the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) and the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA), this prestigious event will unite public health professionals, policymakers, and advocates worldwide to address the most pressing global health challenges.

The Congress’s theme, “Health Without Borders: Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainability,” reflects the urgent need for collective action in a world shaped by war, political instability, epidemics, and systemic injustices. These principles are not just themes—they are the foundation of a healthier, more equitable future for all.

Date: Saturday 13 – Tuesday 16 September 2026

Location: Amiens, France

The EUFASD8 conference is the 8th European Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This event is organised by the European FASD Alliance in collaboration with the French association Vivre Avec Le SAF.

The conference aims to bring together researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and individuals living with FASD to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and explore solutions related to FASD. It will feature a range of sessions, including scientific presentations, workshops, and discussions on clinical practices, prevention strategies, and support systems for those impacted by FASD.

Date: 23 – 24 November 2026

Location: Colombo Building (B16), High Street Gate4 (Entrance on Fig Tree Lane), UNSW Sydney, Kensington NSW 2052

The conference will focus on cross cutting approaches to understanding and addressing stigma, promote conversations and debate regarding systemic and structural issues that contribute to experiences of stigma in health care settings, and discuss novel strategies to overcome stigma as a barrier to health care. This conference is guided by an organising committee based at the Centre for Social Research in Health. In keeping with our commitment to centring communities affected by stigma and discrimination, we are also guided by an advisory committee comprised of people with lived and living experience of stigma and discrimination related to a wide range of identities, conditions, and practices.

Date: 8 – 11 November 2026

Location: Esplanade Hotel Fremantle by Rydges, Walyalup, on the lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people, WA, Australia

Theme: Storytelling as Healing
This year’s conference theme, Storytelling Shapes Us: Community, Clinical Practice, Research, and Healing, foregrounds the critical role of interdisciplinary knowledge exchange in advancing alcohol and other drug (AOD) research, policy, and practice. The program emphasises methodological rigour, scientific integrity, and the translation of evidence into effective clinical and community outcomes.

Within this framework, storytelling is positioned not as an alternative to science, but as a complementary mode of knowledge that can enhance the interpretation, communication, and application of evidence. This includes First Nations ways of knowing, being, and doing, which offer important contributions to culturally informed and contextually responsive research and practice.

APSAD invites researchers, clinicians, policy-makers, and community practitioners to contribute to a program that prioritises high quality empirical research, critical scholarship, and innovative policy and practice responses. Alongside this, the conference will create space for lived and living experience to inform and strengthen evidence informed approaches.

The conference remains firmly grounded in scientific excellence while fostering inclusive, respectful dialogue across diverse knowledge systems. In doing so, APSAD continues its commitment to advancing rigorous research and supporting its application in ways that are ethical, culturally responsive and impactful.