It is an understatement to say that global health systems are under immense strain right now. But as I think about the challenges we face, I take comfort — and pride — in knowing that ASTMH is doing what we have always done: bringing together the world’s leading tropical medicine and global health experts to share knowledge, support the scientific community and improve global health.  

This isn’t the first time our meeting has occurred during an extremely challenging time for global health. Some of our members may notice parallels between this upcoming annual meeting and our 2014 TropMed meeting in New Orleans. At the time, an Ebola outbreak was raging in several West African countries, and Louisiana officials were trying to prevent members who had worked in the region from attending and sharing their urgently needed insights.  

Back then, TropMed played a vital role in the Ebola response by offering a place to discuss new interventions, compare approaches on disease surveillance, forge collaborations and demonstrate why supporting global health matters. 

Today, we are meeting in the shadow of another global health crisis. It involves Ebola once again, an outbreak this time in the Democratic Republic of Congo; a broad set of travel restrictions due to the implementation of onerous U.S. visa requirements; and a field that is reeling from a wave of funding cuts and cessations of lifesaving interventions. 

And just like in 2014, I’m confident our unstoppable tropical medicine community will rally together for a week of collaboration, learning and connection.  

We hope you’ll join us next week for #TropMed26, November 18-22, just outside Washington, D.C.  

Register Now: https://www.astmh.org/annual-meeting/registration 

 Here are five reasons why now is the time to bring your voice, insights and presence to our annual meeting.    

1. TropMed is where we showcase how global health endeavors are advancing in the face of adversity. There is no sugarcoating it. Efforts to develop and deploy interventions against emerging and existing health threats are under assault. TropMed showcases all of the incredible work that continues in spite of that, and opportunities for new investments to quickly produce strong returns. This year’s meeting will feature new evidence of potential breakthroughs against dengue, malaria, scabies and an underappreciated killer: visceral leishmaniasis. There will be new insights into rapidly intensifying tick-borne diseases, the ongoing measles surge, the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak, the alarming spread in the Americas of novel Oropouche virus, the surprising use of Zika as a cancer-fighting tool and the potential for chikungunya infections to cause chronic pain in children. That’s just a tiny sample of the nearly 175 presentations taking place over five days. There also will be an opening keynote from Her Excellency Dr. Delese Mimi Amoakoa Darko, head of the African Medicines Agency, a talk by Marcus Lacerda, M.D., D.Sc., director of the WHO’s Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, and a closing panel featuring former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, along with Javid Abdelmoneim, the international president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). 
   
   
2. No other scientific meeting convenes such a wide range of experts in one place. There are many important scientific meetings in the world today, but they typically attract one type of expert. TropMed is the only gathering that consistently convenes all involved in building better tools and systems for improving global health. That includes basic researchers, clinical investigators, public health experts, regulatory officials, representatives from national health ministries and industry representatives. They come to this silo-free zone to learn from each other, seek out new ways to address bottlenecks, and develop interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships. 
   
   
3. TropMed delivers a therapeutic dose of energy and optimism. There has been a steady stream of bleak developments in our field. The decimation of USAID and CDC, vaccine falsehoods masquerading as facts, a general outbreak of anti-science sentiments. … I’ll stop the doomscroll there and simply note that all these things can exact a significant mental toll on us. TropMed offers an antidote in the form of several thousands of your peers in one place sharing their research, progress and breakthroughs. Spending five days attending plenaries, symposia and scientific sessions; strolling the exhibitor and poster halls; and enjoying coffee, tea and meals with old friends and new acquaintances. It’s good medicine. We leave TropMed refreshed and motivated. We need that now more than ever.  
   
   
4. TropMed is a one-stop shop for professional development and networking. Our professional development opportunities include sessions on manuscript and grant writing, career planning and communications, a workshop pediatric vaccine trust, and medical entomology and clinical
   
   
5. TropMed presentations routinely attract significant media attention. We can’t guarantee media attention to your work, but it’s worth noting that reporters from national, local and specialized news outlets routinely cover our annual meeting. You can check out the

On the eve of that 2014 annual meeting, then-ASTMH Scientific Chair Chris King, an infectious disease expert at Case Western Reserve University, was asked why so many members were determined to come to New Orleans despite the Ebola-related travel restriction. “We are a community of global health researchers and clinicians committed to doing what it takes to get this situation under control,” he answered. 

Today, we face a global health emergency even more expansive. It’s one in which the foundational tenets of global health are fighting for relevance. That includes the importance of collective action to address threats that easily cross borders — the recent dengue outbreak in Florida, for example — and the practical and moral value of making lifesaving innovations accessible and affordable for the people who need them the most.  

#TropMed26 is a chance to participate in a pivotal moment for today’s community of global health researchers and clinicians. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to doing what it takes to rejuvenate our critically important mission.