International AIDS Society
Professional services
UnclaimedThe International AIDS Society is a global nonprofit association of HIV professionals that advances HIV science, advocacy, policy and community action.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
The International AIDS Society (IAS) is a global professional association focused on HIV and AIDS science, public health, advocacy and human rights. Established in 1988, it was created with an initial mandate to organize the International AIDS Conference, which had first been convened during the height of the AIDS epidemic. The organization has since developed into a broad membership and convening platform for researchers, clinicians, people living with HIV, community advocates, service providers, policymakers and other professionals involved in the HIV response. The society describes itself as the world's largest association of HIV professionals. The referenced membership figure was approximately 11,600 people from more than 170 countries in July 2020. Its international membership gives IAS a role that extends beyond scientific exchange: it uses professional networks, evidence and collective advocacy to encourage governments, health systems, funders and communities to maintain effective HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care programs. IAS is best known for organizing major international scientific and policy meetings. The biennial International AIDS Conference is its largest and most publicly visible event. The conference brings together scientific research, clinical practice, activism, community perspectives, policy debate and human-rights advocacy. IAS also organizes the biennial IAS Conference on HIV Science, formerly known as the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention. That meeting concentrates more specifically on biomedical research, prevention, treatment and the translation of scientific findings into policy and practice. The society additionally organizes the HIV Research for Prevention Conference. The organization has also built a publication and knowledge infrastructure. It financially supports the Journal of the International AIDS Society, an online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal covering HIV and AIDS research. Its IAS Online Resource Library, launched in January 2010, provides access to conference abstracts and other materials produced by or associated with the society. Through its education program, regional activities and professional-development opportunities, IAS supports the capacity of HIV professionals and partner organizations to respond to the epidemic. IAS began with its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Lars-Olof Kallings served as secretary general from 1988 to 2003. In 2004, the organization restructured, expanded its professional staff and moved its headquarters to Geneva. The relocation was intended to improve connections with other health nongovernmental organizations and United Nations agencies. Geneva remains the society's base and places it near major international health and development institutions. The society also works with regional HIV organizations and networks, and operates an Industry Liaison Forum intended to address barriers to pharmaceutical research investment in resource-limited settings. Its public-facing identity is therefore that of an independent, science-led global association rather than a commercial healthcare brand. Its principal offerings are conferences, publications, evidence resources, training and advocacy initiatives. As of the supplied reference material, Beatriz Grinsztejn is president from 2024 and Kevin Osborne is executive director. IAS remains active in international HIV research and policy discussions, with its work shaped by the continuing need to expand access, counter stigma and inequality, and turn scientific progress into equitable health outcomes.
History
The International AIDS Society was founded in 1988 as a nonprofit professional association with a central responsibility for organizing the International AIDS Conference. The conference itself had begun during the peak years of the AIDS epidemic, when the rapid spread of HIV created an urgent need for international scientific exchange and coordinated public-health action. IAS's founding purpose connected the emerging global HIV profession with a recurring forum where research, clinical knowledge, policy and advocacy could meet. During its early period, the society was headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Lars-Olof Kallings served as secretary general from 1988 through 2003. The organization gradually expanded from a conference-centered body into a global membership association representing many groups involved in HIV work. Its constituency came to include laboratory and clinical researchers, physicians, nurses and other care providers, people living with HIV, community advocates, service organizations and policymakers. This breadth became important to the society's model: HIV science was treated not as an isolated technical field but as part of a wider response involving access, rights, prevention, treatment and social conditions. The International AIDS Conference was initially held annually. After 1994, it became a biennial event. Each edition has functioned as a large international meeting where scientific findings and program experience are discussed alongside activism and human-rights concerns. The 1989 conference in Montreal illustrated this intersection. Activists from ACT UP and Canadian groups including AIDS Action Now! and Réaction-SIDA disrupted established conference dynamics to demand stronger political action. Their interventions challenged the limited role traditionally assigned to activists and pressed issues such as the lack of a federally funded Canadian AIDS strategy and United States restrictions affecting people living with HIV. The episode helped reinforce the idea that people affected by HIV and community organizations should have a meaningful voice in scientific and policy settings. In 2004, IAS undertook an organizational restructuring, increased its professional staffing and moved its headquarters from Stockholm to Geneva, Switzerland. The relocation was intended to strengthen links with international health nongovernmental organizations and United Nations agencies. Geneva's institutional environment supported the society's growing role as a global advocacy and policy organization, while its membership and conference networks continued to connect professionals across regions. IAS expanded its conference portfolio with the IAS Conference on HIV Science, formerly called the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention. This meeting is held biennially and focuses on biomedical research, prevention, treatment and the movement of evidence into clinical practice and public policy. The conference has been hosted in cities including Buenos Aires, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Cape Town, Rome, Kuala Lumpur, Vancouver, Paris again, Mexico City and Brisbane. The 2021 edition was conducted virtually. The society's other major conference is the HIV Research for Prevention Conference. Together, these events give IAS a platform across fundamental research, clinical science, prevention technologies, implementation, advocacy and community engagement. The International AIDS Conference has remained its most prominent general meeting. AIDS 2006 in Toronto used the theme “Time to Deliver”; AIDS 2018 in Amsterdam brought attention to important evidence concerning antiretroviral treatment and sexual transmission; AIDS 2020 moved online because of the COVID-19 pandemic and adopted “Resilience” as its theme; and AIDS 2022 used a hybrid format in Montreal and online under the theme “Re-engage and Follow the Science.” IAS also developed a publishing and information role. It financially supports the Journal of the International AIDS Society, an online, open-access, peer-reviewed medical journal covering HIV and AIDS research. In January 2010, the organization launched the IAS Online Resource Library, a digital collection containing conference abstracts and other society-related materials. Education and professional development became additional activities, delivered through international and regional conferences and related programs. Beyond its own meetings and publications, IAS works with regional HIV societies and networks to strengthen professional capacity. Its Industry Liaison Forum seeks to reduce obstacles to pharmaceutical research investment in resource-limited settings. These activities reflect the society's effort to connect scientific progress with practical delivery, particularly in places where funding, infrastructure, trained personnel and access to medicines remain uneven. The supplied reference describes IAS as having approximately 11,600 members from more than 170 countries in July 2020. Its leadership has included presidents such as Helene D. Gayle, Joep Lange, Peter Piot, Linda-Gail Bekker, Chris Beyrer, Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Anton Pozniak, Adeeba Kamarulzaman and Sharon Lewin. Beatriz Grinsztejn is identified as president from 2024, with Kevin Osborne as executive director. IAS continues to operate from Geneva as an international association using scientific convening, professional networks, publications, education and advocacy to support a coordinated global response to HIV.
- 2024
Beatriz Grinsztejn becomes president
[1]The supplied reference identifies Beatriz Grinsztejn as the society's president from 2024.
- 2020
International AIDS Conference is held virtually
[1]The COVID-19 pandemic leads AIDS 2020 to move online, with “Resilience” as its theme.
- 2015
HIV science conference receives its current name
[1]The IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention is renamed the IAS Conference on HIV Science after the 2015 edition.
- 2010
IAS Online Resource Library launches
[1]The society launches an online collection of conference abstracts and other IAS-produced or IAS-related materials.
- 2004
Headquarters move to Geneva
[1]IAS restructures, expands professional staffing and relocates its headquarters from Stockholm to Geneva to strengthen relationships with health NGOs and UN agencies.
- 1994
International AIDS Conference becomes biennial
[1]After being held annually during its early history, the International AIDS Conference adopts a biennial schedule.
- 1989
Activist intervention at AIDS 1989
[1]The Montreal conference becomes a notable site of activist pressure for stronger government action, community participation and attention to restrictions affecting people living with HIV.
- 1988
International AIDS Society is founded
[1]IAS is established as a nonprofit association with a mandate to organize the International AIDS Conference.
Products and positioning
A global, science-led and advocacy-oriented professional association connecting HIV researchers, clinicians, communities, policymakers and people living with HIV. IAS positions its convening power as a means of linking research with treatment, prevention, human rights and public policy.
Global HIV conference · 1985
International AIDS Conference
IAS's flagship biennial conference brings together researchers, clinicians, community representatives, advocates, policymakers and people living with HIV. Its program combines scientific presentations with discussion of treatment, prevention, health systems, human rights and the political conditions shaping the epidemic. The event is designed as a meeting point between evidence and action rather than as a narrowly biomedical congress.
Biomedical HIV research conference · 2001
IAS Conference on HIV Science
Held biennially, this conference focuses on HIV pathogenesis, prevention, treatment and biomedical research. It was formerly titled the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention and was renamed after the 2015 edition. The meeting is intended to accelerate the movement of scientific findings into clinical practice, public-health programs and policy.
HIV prevention research conference
HIV Research for Prevention Conference
The HIV Research for Prevention Conference is one of IAS's recurring international scientific meetings. It provides a forum for research and discussion on biomedical, behavioral and implementation approaches to preventing HIV transmission and improving the reach and effectiveness of prevention programs.
Medical journal
Journal of the International AIDS Society
JIAS is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed medical journal supported financially by IAS. It publishes research and scholarly material covering HIV and AIDS, helping make findings available to an international audience of researchers, clinicians, public-health professionals and advocates.
Digital knowledge resource · 2010
IAS Online Resource Library
Launched in January 2010, the IAS Online Resource Library provides a digital collection of conference abstracts and other materials produced by or associated with the society. It extends the value of IAS meetings beyond the physical event and supports continuing access to HIV research and program knowledge.
Professional development
Professional education and training
IAS offers professional-development and training opportunities for HIV professionals through international and regional conferences and its education activities. These programs are intended to strengthen technical capacity and help practitioners apply current evidence in diverse health-system and community settings.
Brand decisions
2022
Adopt a hybrid format for AIDS 2022OtherBackground
International travel and public-health conditions continued to affect large global meetings after the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Action taken
IAS held AIDS 2022 in Montreal and virtually from 29 July to 2 August under the theme “Re-engage and Follow the Science.”
Aftermath
The hybrid model allowed participation both at the physical venue and remotely.
2020
Move AIDS 2020 to a virtual formatOtherBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented the normal operation of a large international in-person conference.
Action taken
IAS held the 23rd International AIDS Conference online from 6 to 10 July 2020 under the theme “Resilience.”
Aftermath
The society maintained international scientific and advocacy exchange while adapting its convening model to pandemic conditions.
2010
Launch the IAS Online Resource LibraryProduct launchBackground
IAS needed a durable digital channel for sharing conference abstracts and other knowledge beyond its in-person events.
Action taken
The society launched the IAS Online Resource Library in January 2010.
Aftermath
The library became part of IAS's broader information and professional-education infrastructure.
2004
Restructure and relocate the headquartersStrategyBackground
IAS sought to strengthen its organizational infrastructure and relationships with international health organizations and United Nations agencies.
Action taken
The society expanded its professional staff, restructured its organization and moved its headquarters from Stockholm to Geneva.
Aftermath
Geneva became the society's continuing headquarters and placed it closer to major international health and multilateral institutions.
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