Scientific Program Chair of 2026 Annual Meeting - Christina Muzny, MD, MSPH, FACP, FIDSA
The 2026 IDSOG Annual Scientific Meeting was held July 16–18, 2026, at The Abbey Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The program reflected our society’s continued emphasis on reproductive infectious diseases while expanding its focus on implementation of science, microbiome research, STI prevention, maternal infections, and emerging diagnostics.
On day 1, the meeting began with a spirited debate on bacterial vaginosis (BV) male partner treatment by Anna Powell, MD, MSc, and Golsa Yazdy, MD, moderated by 2026 IDSOG President Jennifer Balkus, PhD, MPH. Dr. Powell presented the “pro” side while Dr. Yazdy presented the “con” side. Both speakers wore custom T-shirts representing each side of the debate. Audience engagement was high, and an excellent discussion took place.
This session was immediately followed by the first plenary session, presented by Kimberly Workowski, MD, entitled “Sexually Transmitted Infections: Management and Prevention Challenges.” This session addressed current challenges in STI prevention and management, including evolving treatment recommendations, antimicrobial resistance, and implementation of screening and prevention strategies in obstetric and gynecologic practices. Dr. Workowski has been the lead author on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) STI Treatment Guidelines for the past 25 years.
Oral abstract sessions 1 & 2 were on Thursday. Highlights including the winner of Best Overall Abstract Award, Katherine Nelson, PhD from the University of Delaware, for her talk on “A Cervical Microphysiologic Model Incorporating Immunologic Properties of Sexually Transmitted Infections” and the winner of the Honorary Mention Award, Best Oral Abstract, Nima Aghaeepour, PhD from Stanford University, for her talk “AI-Based Detection of Intra-amniotic Infection Enables Earlier Diagnosis and Identifies Subclinical Histological Disease.” Excellent discussions took place at our first poster session, which included the Best Poster Award Recipient, Maria Rendon, PhD from the University of Arizona, on “Efficacy and Cytotoxicity of Mb-14-1-15, a Microbicide to Prevent Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Infections” and the Best Abstract by an Early Career Investigator Recipient, Diana Toro, MD from UT Health San Antonio on “Do State Vaccine Policies Influence Infant Infectious Mortality? A Population-Based Analysis, 2017–2022.”
Our lunch lecture was presented by our very own IDSOG members Olivia Van Gerwen, MD, MPH, and Ryan Sobel, MD, on “Reframing Vaginitis in Transgender Men: Hormonal, Microbial, and Clinical Intersections.” The early evening welcome reception was well attended, with attendees enjoying views of the marina and lakeside grounds.
Day 2 of IDSOG started with our annual business meeting, followed by an engaging and emotional plenary talk by Paul Offit, MD, on “Controversies Surrounding the Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns.” Dr. Offit is a prominent advocate for vaccination and frequently explains vaccine science to the public through interviews, lectures, and books. He has served on advisory committees that evaluate vaccine safety and effectiveness, including the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which develops recommendations for vaccine use in the US.
The morning oral abstracts session focused on basic science research, including Sneathia species and their role in the female genital tract, as well as a talk on novel and understudied bacteria in the upper reproductive tract. Our second poster session followed, featuring our Best Poster – Honorary Mention recipient, Priyanka Gaur, MD, MPH from Weill Cornell Medicine, for her poster on “Hepatitis C Virus Detection Before or During Pregnancy After Universal Screening Recommendation.” Our day 2 lunch lecture was well attended and presented by IDSOG Past President Sharon Hillier, PhD, on “The Neglected Vagina: If Nobody Dies, Why do We Care?” The afternoon oral abstract session focused on clinical research studies involving syphilis, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, and dengue among pregnant women.
We wrapped up the scientific sessions with an excellent presentation by the Maternal Immunization Needs Assessment project speakers: Syeda Lamiya Ahmed, MPH, from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine; Haben Debassai, MD, from Emory University; and Kimberly Fortner, MD, from UT Knoxville.
The day ended with our cherished Award Ceremony and Dinner-Dance, which was superbly catered and well attended, taking place in the West Shore Pavilion, with chandeliers, tall windows, a private patio, café lights, and a bonfire area. We were thrilled to recognize Dr. Linda Eckert for her 2026 Distinguished Career Award, honoring all of her incredible contributions to reproductive ID and IDSOG.
The final day of IDSOG 2026 highlighted the last plenary lecture by Catherine Chappell, MD, from the University of Pittsburgh on “Test and Treat Hepatitis C Virus in Pregnancy: Are We There Yet?” Dr. Chappell’s work is unique as she has built her career around an area that has historically been underrepresented in clinical research: treating infectious diseases during pregnancy rather than simply managing them until after delivery. She has led some of the first clinical studies evaluating direct-acting antiviral drugs for hepatitis C virus during pregnancy.
This plenary lecture was followed by our always popular “Stump the Professors” session, with esteemed Professors including Dr. Richard Heine, Dr. Kimberly Workowski, Dr. Olivia Van Gerwen, and Dr. Patrick Ramsey. Three difficult clinical cases were presented but failed to stump our professors! The final two oral abstract sessions of the day included topics on culturomics-driven discovery of anaerococcus in the human endometrium, innovative strategies to combat HPV infection in Africa, Hepatitis C vaccination in pregnancy, Cesarean surgical site infection, and provider perspectives on counseling birthing people living with HIV on infant feeding.
We closed IDSOG 2026 with the passing of the torch between the 2026 and 2027 Scientific Committee Chairs, Drs. Christina Muzny and Jennifer Thompson, respectively.
Overall, IDSOG 2026 was a highly engaging meeting, bringing together scientists and researchers from multiple disciplines across the fields of obstetrics & gynecology, infectious diseases, microbiology, biology, bioinformatics, and others. On behalf of the 2026 IDSOG Scientific Committee, we express our gratitude to those who were present, came to share their research, and engaged in our meeting. We remain grateful to the members of Status Plus who are integral to meeting and event planning, organization, conduct, and sustainment of IDSOG! The venue and the meeting were a success. IDSOG will continue to explore ways to support our members and other colleagues who are unable to attend or travel to our annual meetings.
In summary, we are looking forward to seeing everyone at next year’s IDSOG at The Lodge at Spruce Peak in Stowe, VT, on July 15-17, 2027! Dr. Jennifer Thompson, Secretary of IDSOG, will be Chairing the 2027 Scientific Committee and working alongside our amazing Status Plus team. We cannot wait to see you again next year!
